Sprint Cup driver Ryan Newman passed Ted Christopher on the final lap and then held him off out of the final corner to win the Whelen Modified Tour New England 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Over the years a handful of Sprint Cup Series stars, including Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards, have made starts in Modified Tour events at NHMS. Newman, a South Bend, Ind. native, became the first one to steal a victory from the division’s regulars. The victory came in the fifth career start in the series for Newman, who competes in the Sprint Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing. Christopher, of Plainville, the track’s all-time winningest driver, held on for second after leading a race-high 40 laps. Ryan Preece of Berlin was third. Newman has made all his series starts in a car owned by West Boylston, Mass. native and Sprint Cup Series crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion, a former Modified Tour crew chief. Whelen Modified Tour points leader Bobby Santos III, who had won three of the first four events of the season, was fourth.(Hartford Courant)(6-26-2010)
