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NEMA LITES, 350 SMAC SUPERMODS ALSO PART OF OPEN WHEEL WEDNESDAY CARD
SEEKONK, Mass. — The annual Open Wheel Wednesday is finally on our doorstep.
Seekonk Speedway will continue to celebrate this New England racing tradition with the 19th annual event this season on Wednesday, June 26, as the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, NEMA Lites and 350 SMAC Supermodifieds will all be in town for a mid-week showdown. The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series event is now $20,000 to win, with a total purse rising over $80,000 throughout a stout starting field of competitors.
The NEMA Lites will make their first of two Seekonk appearances in a few weeks with a 50-lap special, while the 350 SMAC Supermodifieds are in for their annual appearance, set for 40 laps. All tickets for the event are already available for purchase online at SeekonkSpeedway.com and will allow fans early entry if they purchase ahead.
The Modified tradition when it comes to Open Wheel Wednesday is steep, and this year, there is even more meaning to the race. The event will honor seven-time Seekonk Speedway champion Vinny Annarummo, who we lost over the most recent winter. In his honor, the series and multiple sponsors have come together to race the purse drastically throughout the field.
The 100-lap race will pay $20,000 to win, $6,000 for second, $4,000 for third and $3,600 for fourth. Just to take the green flag in the race will be a $1,400 payday. The race will also pay $300 to win each heat race and have additional awards up for grabs for competitors. Annarummo, who made his mark in the Seekonk Pro Stock division, was the 2007 winner of Open Wheel Wednesday. His son, Todd Annarummo, won the event in 2010. They are the only father-son combination to win the race.
“Vinny, myself and Ed St. Angelo all started about the same time at Seekonk,” Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series Managing Partner Wayne Darling said. “[St. Angelo] and I are doing this for Vinny. I considered Tri-Track’s home to be Seekonk Speedway. Between Vinny and myself, we won six of the Open Wheel Wednesday events. I won four as a car owner and he won one as a driver and one as a car owner. He was a seven-time track champion there. I feel like we should honor him at Seekonk and that’s why [Ed St. Angelo] and I our doing this. … We just really wanted to do something for Vinny and his family. I’m very happy that people have come on board to help honor him and all that money is going back to the racers. I hope the racers and the crowd to show up to honor Vinny.”
As the race draws closer, the entry list continues to rise. Matt Hirschman, who was in Victory Lane when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was at Seekonk for the J&R Precast 150 on June 1, will be in the field. Hirschman is a five-time winner of the Open Wheel Wednesday event and will certainly be a threat to win the $20,000 prize. He is joined by names like Ronnie Williams, Woody Pitkat, Ron Silk, Jon McKennedy, Les Hinckley and Stephen Kopcik. The Monaco Modifieds opened their season at Thunder Road in May – a race where Kopcik scored his first career Tour-Type Modified win.
Seekonk race fans should specifically look out for former track Legends Cars champion Jake Johnson, former Pro Stock competitor Kevin Folan, and most recent Open Wheel Wednesday winner, driver of the No. 25, Matt Swanson. The victory last season was a milestone win for Swanson in his young, but growing, Modified career.
A full entry list, event schedule and purse breakdown is available on MonacoModifieds.com in Race Central.
The always exciting NEMA Lites and 350 SMAC Supermodifieds are winged divisions that speed around the Action Track of the East. Both of these divisions keep fans on the edge of their seats, and their 2024 tour through New England will bring them to Seekonk Speedway for Open Wheel Wednesday on June 26.
Fans should buckle up for this exciting event!
The Open Wheel Wednesday event schedule includes haulers entering at 12 p.m., with practice getting underway for Modifieds at 3:15 p.m. Racing action will begin with NEMA Lite qualifying at 6 p.m., followed by Modified and 350 Supermodified heats, and then feature racing. A special ceremony honoring Vinny Annarummo will also take place during the race night.
For more information on Seekonk Speedway, and tickets to all upcoming events, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.
