Last weekend proved that the only thing worse than no luck is bad luck. TC came close to winning two races. But misfortune kept him out of Victory Lane and it ended up being a weekend to forget.
Teddy was at Stafford on Friday night. The bugs are being worked out of the brand new #13 SK Modified and you can see the progression on the racetrack. In practice TC was clocked as the second-fastest car and he backed that up with a strong run in his qualifying heat. He started the 40-lap feature in tenth but was charging to the front. Teddy was up to second when the right front tire went flat. He was forced to pit and rejoined the field at the rear. He climbed back up to tenth but ran out of time.
“We’re getting a handle on the new racecar,” explained TC. “We were fast in practice and fast in our heat. The car was strong in the feature and we raced up to second. I think we had a good shot at winning but the right front tire went flat and we had to pit. We got back up to tenth before we ran out of time. It’s exasperating to run that good and not win. I can’t remember the last time I had a flat tire at Stafford. It just proves you can’t win no matter how fast you are without a little luck on your side.”
On Saturday night TC and the Eddie Whelan Modified team headed up to the new All-Star Speedway (the former Star Speedway) in Epping, New Hampshire for the first annual Modified Thunder 150. Teddy qualified for the main event by finishing fifth in the second qualifying heat, which placed him tenth in the feature lineup.
The event was to be run in two 75-lap segments. When the green flag waved on the first segment, TC was headed to the front. By lap 30 he was up to second behind Rob Summers and on the 49th circuit took over the lead when Summers had a tire go down. Andy Seuss was charging from the last starting spot and moved into second behind Teddy on lap 54. Jon McKennedy took the lead on lap 73 and the first segment ended with McKennedy leading TC, Seuss, Ronnie Silk and Tommy Cravenho.
By lap 84 Teddy was back in the lead and Summers had worked his way back into the top-five. Lap 100 saw TC leading Summers and Seuss. With 25 laps to go Teddy and Seuss were locked in a battle for the lead. The defining moment came on lap 142 when Les Hinckley spun in front of the leaders. Teddy slowed while Seuss stayed in the gas and drove up the inside, making contact with the Whelan #36. TC remained in the lead but when the race restarted he suddenly slowed and pulled out of the race with a broken axle. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Summers went on to win over McKennedy, Seuss, Silk and Chris Pasteryak. TC was credited with a 16th place finish.
“It was our race to win,” explained Teddy. “We had the best car all race and I don’t think anyone would have been able to pass me in the eight laps that remained. When the 06 (Hinckley) spun I lifted and Seuss didn’t. The kid drove right into the side of me. I guess that broke the axle. It cost us a race that we deserved to win. This isn’t the first time that kid has done something like that to me. One of these days the roles will be reversed.”
This week will be a quiet one. TC will run Friday night at Stafford and then take the rest of the weekend off. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will not return to action until May 25th at Stafford.
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