Renee Dupuis and the Monaco Modifieds continued growth

The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series continued to build momentum in 2026.

From the tightest championship battles in the history of the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series in 2026, to increasing car counts across the season, it was a season to celebrate for series management.

2026 was the 13th year for the Monaco Modifieds, with it being another year of growth for the ever growing popular New England based series.

Renee Dupuis, the Director of Monaco Modified Series Development found it to be another triumphant season, with strong car counts and high quality competitors throughout the field. 

“A lot of competitive racing, not only upfront, but throughout the field,” Dupuis said. “Just super happy with our overall car counts, but also the quality of the field. Super proud of that and we almost doubled the number of full-time teams. We went from seven to 13 teams this year full-time.”

Dupuis said there were different factors that played a role in higher car counts in 2026.

“I think adjusting our season schedule more to southern New England was an important component in picking up those teams,” Dupuis said. “As well as bringing on the Union Insurance Group and the USNEPower with the $50,000 point fund that we have. I think there were several contributing factors to why we were successful.” 

With one of the tightest championship battles in the history of the Monaco Modifieds, Dupuis believed the championship could have been tighter.

“Ronnie Silk and the HYR team didn’t plan on running a full season with us and at one of our early Thompson races, they pulled out when they could have finished,” Dupuis said. “I think if they had any inclination that they were going to do the whole season, they never would have done that. I think that as tight as it was and with hindsight being 20/20, it probably should have been even tighter. It wasn’t just between Jon, Ronnie (Williams) and Ron (Silk), the race to get into the Top 10 at the end of the year was incredibly tight. Going into the last race at Seekonk, places eighth through 13th were separated by only 12 points.” 

As a director of the Monaco Modifieds and a former racer herself, Dupuis saw the challenges in 2026 with rising expenses for drivers and teams. With rising costs, Dupuis wants to find ways to make sure drivers and teams are awarded for their commitment to the series.

“It is a challenge, but at the end of the day, the sport is just expensive,” Dupuis said. “It’s never going to make financial sense and all we can do as either track owners, series operators, or whatever it is, is to try to get the best compensation that we can for our teams. It’s always going to be expensive to race, unfortunately. There’s always going to be travel, but doing one day shows, having good purses, and having a point fund at the end of the year to try and take care of these teams as best we can. I think it is a recipe for success.” 

After 13 years, the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series has continued to develop, grow, and  gain popularity across the region. In 2026, Dupuis believed the quality of drivers and teams is what stuck out the most for the series. 

“The quality of the fields, if you look at our entry lists, it’s not just five or six guys that could win,” Dupuis said. “The majority of the field are winners in other types of modified racing, whether they’ve won in a SK, a Tour Type Modifieds,  the southern modified tour, or the ROC. The field is just loaded with legitimate contenders. I think that’s what makes the racing so good. There’s a strong front, there’s a strong mid-pack, and there’s some good back markers. There’s just a lot of competition throughout the fields and I think the fans have had an opportunity to see that. I think our series does an incredible job with retelling the story of the race and and through our social media channels.

In recent years,  many local tracks and regional series have taken advantage of the growing demand for broadcasts. The Monaco Modifieds have been working with FloRacing and the North East Short Track Network (NESTN) for broadcast coverage, with strong production to bring the racing action to those watching at home.

“We have this incredible drone and then we have in-car cameras, on board cameras all over the place,” Dupuis explained. “You can go to a racetrack, or you can watch a broadcast, whether it was on FloRacing or NESTN. Whatever it might be, you’re going to get a completely different perspective when you watch our race recaps or you watch our social media because we have all those different camera angles. It’s a lot of entertainment for your dollar.” 

New England has been known for Tour Type Modified racing for decades. Over the last year, NASCAR changed the primary tire for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour from Hoosier to American Racer. 

The change in tire manufacturers led to frustration among drivers and team owners with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which eventually led some teams to reduce their commitment with the Modified Tour.

For Dupuis, who has raced on the NASCAR Modified Tour and remains a supporter of the tour, doesn’t like to see any series or tour struggling with issues.

“It’s no secret that they were really struggling and teams have been very forthcoming and saying, ‘if this is the deal, we’re out.,’ “ Dupuis explained. “We’ve certainly benefited from that, but I don’t take any pleasure in watching anyone struggle. Because these are all our people, whether it’s drivers, whether it’s crew members, or even car owners. We’re all one very small community and to see any part of that community struggle isn’t good for the rest of us. The fact that they’re having problems over there and maybe we were able to pick up a couple cars, but overall, it’s not a good situation for anybody.” 

The Monaco Modifieds released their full 2027 schedule this week. They will head south to kick-off the 2027 season with a non-points event as part of the World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna in February.

It’ll be the battle between the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series from New England and with the SMART Modified Tour, from the Mid-Atlantic states.

Dupuis is excited about this first time opportunity and it has been a goal to work with the SMART Modified Tour.

“It’s certainly a statement and it’s something that we’ve been trying to do with Chris Williams for two or three years now,” Dupuis said. “We have a great relationship with Chris. We’ve been trying to do a combo race. When we heard that New Smyrna was looking at doing something different for this coming year. Chris said, ‘hey, you interested in throwing your hat in the ring?’  I said yes. This started last February and there were times when I wasn’t sure that this was ever going to happen. Then at times where I was like, well, maybe this is going to happen after all. It’s been a process, but we’re super proud to open the season down there. 

As a former modified racer herself, Dupuis believes it is important to have Tour Type Modifieds being a part of the weeklong event at New Smyrna.

“It’s a rite of passage for modified racers at New Smyrna,” Dupuis said. “I raced there myself in the late 80s, early 90s and it’s just, I don’t know how else to describe it other than if you’re a modified fan. It’s where people go. It’s where we’ve been going for decades and it’s a cool track. The Hart family are awesome to deal with and it’s just something we’re really looking forward to.” 

Dupuis has already said there is solid support from drivers within the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series that are ready to make the long trip to New Smyrna in a few months.

“I don’t think we’re going to have a problem getting a car count, a lot of people are interested,” Dupuis said. “We do have a little bit of a different rules package between the SMART Tour and us. My husband, Ed, who’s director of competition and Chris Williams, who obviously owns the SMART Tour, actually had a conference call with some of their tech people, to talk about what they can do to give a fair shot to everybody. We’re still working through some of that. So when these teams are reaching out, a lot of them are having questions, rules related, this is forthcoming. We literally just got a signed contract. There’s still a lot to do. Sort through and information to disseminate to teams. Overall, we’ve had a very, very positive response about opening the season there.” 

Heading into the offseason and into 2027, Dupuis is already working on making next year even better, but most importantly, finding ways to better compensate the drivers and teams of the series.

“One of my responsibilities is doing the books and something we’re struggling with is finding sponsorship,” Dupuis explained. “That is something we’re really focused on this off season is trying to be a more well-funded series. I think that’s part of growth. Just being welcoming and open to these guys and showing our appreciation. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money to put these cars together to show up at the racetrack. Um, and if they’re treated disrespectfully. Um, It’s not a lot of fun. There’s a lot of money involved in racing, but we try to be a little bit more relaxed in areas so people don’t feel like they’re constantly under like a fist. 

Dupuis knows the perspective from both sides of the table of how valuable marketing can be as a business owner, but also as series director or a driver. 

“I think everything is kind of cyclical, it’s a little bit of a different experience for me because for a woman trying to find sponsorship, it’s different,” Dupuis said. “I’m not going to say it’s a little bit easier, but being a female, you get a lot of attention. I had some of that when I was trying to do my own thing, and now that I’m on the other side here, it’s a little bit different.  I know what racing can do for a company. I’ve seen it work from both angles. Being a team or or now being a series and having the belief in what the product that you’re offering is such a huge thing.”

The schedule is set for the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, with the series kicking off their 14th season in Florida as part of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway with the SMART Tour Modifieds.