The past weekend was supposed to be a special one for TC. The Modified Mania program at Thompson would find him racing three different cars in three different Modified races. Add to that driving for Kirk Shelmerdine in Saturday night’s Nextel Cup race at Richmond. For the ultimate racer, the smorgasbord being served up would be a time to savor for one of the busiest racers in North America. But along the way things took a wrong turn.
It began on Friday at Richmond. The Shelmerdine team struggled to find the speed necessary to qualify for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Ultimately mechanical problems kept them out of the show. TC headed back to Connecticut and aimed his focus on Thompson.
In Saturday qualifying it was a mixed bag of success and disappointment. Driving the Al-Lee Installations #36, Teddy qualified a disappointing 16th fastest for the Whelen Modified Tour 150. In the Brady Bunch #00, he turned the third fastest time trial lap for the Race of Champions Modified Tour 75. He then drew the 11th starting position for the race. Driving the DiPisa #81 Sunoco Modified he qualified through his heat race and would line up in the thirteenth spot for Sunday’s 50-lap feature.
On Sunday things got off to a decent start as TC finished a very competitive sixth in the Sunoco Mod feature after an early race pit stop. He then jumped into the #36 for the WMT race and things spiraled downward from there. In the early laps of the race Ted was making slow progress forward. By lap 48 he was up to 13th when several of the leaders pitted under caution, moving him up to seventh. After a lap 71 caution, another round of pit stops advanced him up to second behind race leader Matt Hirschman. The lap 76 restart would prove to be disastrous.
The field took the green and raced into turn one. The inside lane seemed to have the advantage and Ted was pinned on the outside. Coming off turn two Eddie Flemke got into the side of the #36, forcing TC to lift off the accelerator and gather up his racecar. The field stacked up behind him and Tony Hirschman hit the outside wall as the caution was back out. Under the yellow NASCAR’s Ed Cox made the call to bring the #36 onto pit road for what turned out to be a 3-lap penalty for “brake checking the field and causing the accident”. Those involved in the incident, including Hirschman, saw it differently but Cox upheld his decision to punish Teddy.
After serving his sentence, there was little left but to ride out the remaining laps and TC would ultimately finish 28th, still three laps down. He then jumped into the #00 for the RoC feature but it was more disappointment. After an early pit stop for some adjustments, Teddy was chasing down the leaders when the engine let go on lap 44 and ended his frustrating day. He was credited with a 15th place finish.
It was a discouraged TC that later talked about what had transpired in the WMT race and the effect it had on his chase for the championship. “That was the craziest call by an official in my career. Eddie (Flemke) got into my left front off turn two and all I could do was check up and keep the car off the wall. I kept going but I guess the cars behind me got jammed up. I hated that it happened but I did nothing to cause an accident. Everyone knew what really happened except Ed Cox. Even people who don’t root for me saw what happened and took my side. I don’t know what Cox saw or where that call he made came from. But it killed our day and all I could do after the 3-lap penalty was just ride it out to the finish.
“This puts us in a big hole in the point chase. It pretty much takes us out of the championship. It is going to take a miracle for us to make up what Cox took away from us. Mike Stefanik is just going to point race for the rest of the year and protect his lead. All we can do now is go for the win at every race and not worry about the points. That is how I approach every race anyway – I race to win. But the championship should be decided on the track, not by an official’s call.”
This coming weekend will be another busy one for Teddy as he hopes to get back on track. He will be doing double-duty at New Hampshire International Speedway, driving the Eddie Whelan #36 in the WMT on Friday while also attempting to qualify the Shelmerdine #27 for Sunday’s Nextel Cup event. On Saturday he and the Whelan team will be heading east to Oswego for the 56th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions 200.
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