STEPHEN KOPCIK LEADS WMT CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE TO RIVERHEAD RACEWAY FOR MILLER LITE SALUTES DON HOWE 200 SATURDAY MAY 30TH

The 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship chase will find its way to the tight confines of Riverhead Raceway Saturday May30th for the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200 with Stephen Kopcik of Newtown, Ct. leading the charge from atop the championship standings having won two of the first four races of the season. The race pays tribute to Don Howe of Water Mill, a former five-time NASCAR Modified champion at Riverhead.

When the 78th WMT event at Riverhead Raceway rolls to the track Saturday, Stephen Kopcik will bring an 11-point advantage over defending WMT champion Austin Beers of Northampton to the starting grid for the 200. After a 13th place showing in the season opening event at the New Smyrna Speedway, Kopcik hit his stride with wins at Martinsville Speedway and Thompson Motorsports Park before settling for second behind Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Ma. at the most recent WMT event at Seekonk Speedway. Beers comes to the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200 as the most recent series winner at Riverhead after he scored his first career win at the bullring last September in the Eddie Partridge 256.

Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, NY ranks third in the WMT title chase heading to Long Island 21-points back of Kopcik with Patrick aiming for his second career Riverhead WMT win. McKennedy sits fourth minus 26 markers to the championship leader with former multi-time champion Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville fifth 29-point out of the lead. Bonsignore, the all-time leading WMT at his home track with 12-triumphs is the defending race winner after winning the Miller Lite Salutes Steve Park 200 last June. 

Tyler Rypkema of Owego, NY, Criag Lutz of Miller Place, Eric Goodale of Riverhead, Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa and Tommy Catalano of Orchard Park fill out the WMT top ten in the current WMT standing heading to Riverhead. Additionally, a few of the Riverhead Raceway weekly tour type Modified teams are expected to enter and compete in the 200. 

While humbled in being honored at the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200, the soft-spoken 28-time winner at Riverhead Raceway will not stand idly by Saturday as he competes in the 15-lap Eddie Partridge Vintage All Stars event. In that race Howe will race the same RE chassis that he and car owner the late Carl Zeh won the 1984 Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modified championship with. Howe very early in his career won the 1973 Modified title as an understudy to Jim Malone Sr. in a Carl Zeh fielded machine. Howe's final three championships came driving for owner Joe Bertuccio with the tandem winning three straight track titles in 1993, 1994 & 1995. They also scored one NASCAR WMT win in June of 1994 winning the Miller Genuine Draft 201. 

Completing the May 30th program are the NASCAR Local Racing Series powered by O'Reilly Auto Parts Super Pro Trucks and Street Stocks, joined by the INEX Legend Race Cars. 

A full race day itinerary for will be available early next week, but plans are for the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200 to start at 8:00 PM. The race will be streamed live on Flo Racing for those unable to make it to Riverhead Raceway in person.

The race day schedule along with the 2026 track schedule and other information are available at http://www.riverheadraceway.com, emails reach us at [email protected], the phone number is 631-842-RACE