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TOMAINO AT
600: BY HIS PEERS
Whelen Modified Racers Past and Present Weigh In On the
Milestone |
Next
weekend in Connecticut a long-time short-track racer
will achieve a milestone previously only
accomplished at the pinnacle of the sport, and is
unlikely to be matched in the regional ranks.
Jamie Tomaino is set to make his 600th NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour start on Saturday, May 14 at New
London-Waterford Speedbowl in the New England Cycle
Center 161. The 59-year-old from Howell, New Jersey,
will be the 24th national or regional touring series
racer to reach that milestone competing in one
series. The previous 23 all did it in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series.
To gain perspective on Tomaino’s impending
accomplishment, thoughts were collected from
numerous modified luminaries. These distinguished
individuals either competed against Tomaino or had
their own landmark longevity in the sport.
Bobby Allison –
NASCAR Hall of Famer, four-time champion in
NASCAR Modifieds, 718 career NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series starts
“Jamie, what a great deal to make your 600th start
in a league that’s really a bunch of tough guys
racing. Hard racing over a lot of years is really an
accomplishment and I want to congratulate you on
that.”
Jerry Cook –
NASCAR Hall of Famer, six-time NASCAR Modified
division national champion where he had nearly 1,500
feature race starts
“Jamie is a great guy. He was always dedicated to
modified racing. That’s what he wanted to do, and
what he still does today. He’s done good just to be
there for all of those races. He’s a true diehard
modified racer, and his family is all in racing
also. He’s a great guy with a great family.”
Red Farmer –
1956 NASCAR Modified national champ, still racing
weekly at age 83 and holds his division’s points
lead
“If you love racing like I do and you’ve been in it
all of your life, you’re going to keep on doing it.
My motto is ‘wear out, don’t rust out.’ If you’re
still able to do it, your body still lets you do it
and you’re still competitive, I think you should
never stop. If he feels good at 600 then he should
go for 700. I’m proud of him.”
Ed Flemke Jr. –
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record holder with
382 consecutive starts, third on all-time starts
list
“He should have the consecutive starts record, but
unfortunately sometimes circumstances prevail and
that’s the way it goes. He’s a cool guy. His wife is
phenomenal. His kids are great. It’s just a pleasure
to know him. He’s been good for our sport. For
anyone to go to every race – to miss funerals, bar
mitzvahs, birthday parties and anniversaries – it’s
quite a sacrifice and commitment. Now that I’m not
doing it all of the time, I realize even more the
sacrifice and commitment. I admire him for his
perseverance.”
Rick Fuller –
1993 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titlist, fourth on
all-time starts list
“[Jokingly] The first thing that comes to mind is,
holy crap he must be old! Six hundred modified races
– that’s a long time. It’s amazing that he’s
withstood the test of time because the modifieds
have gone through quite an evolution over the years
since 1985. That’s just incredible.”
Tony Hirschman –
five-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, 10th
on all-time starts list
“We started our careers about the same time back in
the day. We raced against each other quite a bit at
the local tracks, including his home track Wall
Stadium, and we moved up to the tour where we raced
together for a lot of years. It’s quite impressive,
that many starts and to dedicate that many years to
the modified tour. It’s quite an accomplishment.”
Mike McLaughlin
– 1988 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion,
started the first 132 races in tour history
“He’s always been a good racer. He definitely loves
what he does. It just shows his dedication to the
sport. My hat’s off to him. I moved around a lot,
but when I look back the modified series is probably
where I had the most fun. He’s been able to enjoy
that all of those years and that’s pretty cool.”
Jason Myers –
record holder for NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified
Tour career starts with 136
“That is huge! I’ve known of Jamie from back in the
day when my dad was driving. I grew up knowing that
name and seeing him race at Martinsville and other
places. I had no idea he had that many starts.
That’s phenomenal, unbelievable actually. The fact
that he’s still going and still a big part of the
Whelen Modifieds is amazing.”
Mike Stefanik –
NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee, seven-time NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour titlist, second on all-time
starts list
“It’s one of those things you can’t do without
packing a lunch. You’ve got to be there a long, long
time and Jamie has certainly done that. He was on
the tour before I was, was on the tour with me, and
now I’m gone and he’s still on the tour. My hat’s
off to him. It’s been a lifetime commitment, but he
obviously can’t do it without the support of his
family. His wife has been with him through all of
it. The whole family has been active in racing.
Realistically the only way you could achieve that is
to have that family support. But that’s a lot of
racing.”
Tomaino has attended all 604 events since the Whelen
Modified Tour’s inaugural 1985 season. Four times he
did not qualify into the show. The last time he
wasn’t able to participate in the feature was at New
York’s Spencer Speedway in 2009 when he experienced
an engine failure in practice.
In between those five instances of missed
participation he’s compiled starts streaks of 243
and 199. His active run of consecutive starts will
reach 97 with the next event at Waterford, just five
behind Eric Goodale’s current mark.
And yes, he’s participated in all previous 21 Whelen
Modified Tour events at the Speedbowl.
To see Tomaino’s 600th start and the third race of
the Whelen Modified Tour season, please visit
http://speedbowlct.com for New England Cycle
Center 161 event and ticket information.
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Source:
Jason Cunningham /
NASCAR
Posted:
May 6, 2016 |
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