Story By: KYLE SOUZA / TRI TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES – SEEKONK, MA – After multiple successful years of competition with Bob Horn Racing, Ron Silk will transition to a new team for the Tri Track Open Modified Series presented by All Phases Renovations season in 2021.
Silk will drive for Haydt-Yannone Racing, owned by Tayler Haydt and Joe Yannone, in the No. 16 Modified for all six Tri Track events. The team also plans to run select Open Modified races in the Northeast during the season after success last year. Silk ran multiple races for the team in 2020 including events at Stafford Motor Speedway and additional tracks in the region, and has built the chemistry to become a major force.
“Bob had been mentioning for a while he was getting ready to slow down a bit, I don’t think he’s completely done racing, but I had an opportunity with Tyler and Joe that was good,” Silk said. “They are just getting back into it and have no plans of slowing down. They have the equipment — very similar to some of the stuff I run on the Whelen Modified Tour.”
Silk is one of just three drivers with more than one career Tri Track win under his belt. With his three career checkered flags, he is in the category alone with Matt Hirschman (12) and Chase Dowling (3). This year, Silk would like to break the tie with Dowling and begin his chase on Hirschman. But his major goal will be to just take it race-by-race, contend for the wins, and see where the points fall at the end of the year, when it comes to the championship battle.
“They have become really good friends of mine, even outside of the racing,” Silk said. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting to the track with them this year. Even though we have the equipment, it’s not going to be easy by any means. Matt Hirschman is excellent at these types of races — he’s won the most. But I think we can be there for wins. We have to do everything we can to make it happen.”
Silk’s three Tri Track wins include victories at Star Speedway and Seekonk Speedway, and he’s looking forward to returning to both of those tracks — along with the high-banks of Monadnock Speedway — in 2021.
“I’m pretty comfortable at all of the tracks,” Silk said. “For some reason, I seem to prefer Seekonk the most, but I don’t know why. We always ran that much better at Seekonk with Bob’s car. But I’m comfortable everywhere.”
With the competition level that Tri Track will offer this season, Silk knows the entire Haydt-Yannone Racing team will have to be on their game to be able to go to Victory Lane. It is anticipated that multiple drivers will not qualify for each event due to high car count, but Silk isn’t overly concerned about the team making the races. He feels like he has one goal in mind.
“My goal is to win,” Silk said. “Tri Track is more about the individual races and going there to run well. These races are hard to win, but that’s my goal. I think we can do that.”
The team is sponsored by Future Homes and Blue Mountain Machine, along with some additional partners. You can visit them on Facebook at Haydt-Yannone Racing.
