Stephen Kopcik claims maiden Modified Tour win at Martinsville

Throughout the storied history of Martinsville Speedway, many of Modified racing's finest have celebrated victories in its Victory Lane. Notable winners include Richie Evans, Mike Ewanitsko, Reggie Ruggiero, Tony Hirschman, and Justin Bonsignore. On Saturday,

Stephen Kopcik joined this distinguished group by triumphing in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200, an event postponed by a day due to adverse weather conditions.

This victory, achieved in his 23rd career start, marks Kopcik’s first win in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, making him the 82nd driver to secure a series event win since the Tour's inception in 1985. Kopcik remarked, “I knew I had a car capable of winning. It was up to me not to make any mistakes on every restart. It’s surreal. I knew I had a strong car, but Ron also had a competitive one. He overtook me earlier, and I wasn't sure what he had left. You never know; he had a great car tonight too. Just glad we could come out on top.”

Before the 200-lap race commenced, Kopcik and his Wanick Motorsports team devised a strategy to stay off cycle with other leaders, aiming to maintain track position and control of the race. Their plan succeeded flawlessly.

Starting from 12th position, Kopcik took the lead with 50 laps remaining during a cycle of pit stops. From that moment, the race ran through him. The Newtown, Connecticut driver successfully navigated three additional restarts, including the final one with four laps to go, securing his place in history as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner at Martinsville Speedway. Now, he just needs to decide where to place his new grandfather clock. Kopcik stated, “Probably the biggest win of my career at this point. Coolest trophy, biggest win, coolest place to win at. I would say this tops most all of them. We’ll remember this one forever.” Ron Silk finished second, achieving a personal best at Martinsville for the two-time

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion. Tyler Rypkema secured third place in the Ole Blue No. 3, followed by Eric Goodale and defending series champion Austin Beers. Polesitter Patrick Emerling, Kyle Bonsignore, Tommy Catalano, Timmy Solomito, and Ryan Newman completed the top ten. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season continues with its annual spring visit to Thompson Speedway.