RPW Exclusive: Power Rankings Of The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series
Column By: STEPHEN DURHAM / RPW – DERRY, NH – We are in the final days of May, and we are two races into the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series season. It has been a battle versus Mother Nature for many local tracks and series across New England.
The first two races on the season for the Monaco Modifieds have been a race against the weather, with rain threatening at the Icebreaker weekend, and then cold and damp conditions in the middle of May. Hopefully Mother Nature can turn the heat up soon, as we approach June.
To get the season rolling though, it has been Ron Silk, back-to-back wins at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. He is the early season championship points leader as the series heads to ‘The Green Mountain State’, where they will race at Thunder Road Speedbowl for the Granite City 100. Jake Johnson has had a hot start, along with Jon Mckennedy, Austin Beers, and others.
Two races are coming up over the next two weeks, with Thunder Road this Sunday, May 25th, and then June 7th, the Monaco Modifieds head to the White Mountains of New Hampshire at White Mountain Motorsports Park on June 7th.
Who will be able to slow down Ron Silk as we head into June? Kopcik is the defending winner from Thunder Road in 2024, while it was Jake Johnson who was victorious at White Mountain Motorsports Park.
Here is our second round of Power Rankings for the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series.
- Ron Silk (previous: NR):
- Silk made only two starts last season with the Monaco Modifieds Tri-Track Series, but in 2025, he is 2 for 2, in races, and in wins. Silk won’t be at Thunder Road for the Granite City 100, but has made mention that he will be at White Mountain Motorsports Park in a couple of weeks. Silk has led 48 laps between the two races, leading a race high Icebreaker weekend, where he led 43 laps, after charging to the front from a 9th place starting position. Expect Silk to be a contender as always for the win when the series heads to New Hampshire in June
- Jake Johnson (previous: NR):
- Jake Johnson is off to a hot start in 2025 with the Monaco Modifieds, as he’s been in contention for the win at both Thompson races. John has led laps in both races, leading a race high of 52 laps on May 14th race, before being passed by Ron Silk in the final laps. Johnson finds himself sitting 2nd in the early season championship standings, and will look to take over the top spot after Thunder Road, with the absence of Silk. The last time Johnson raced with the Monaco Modifieds at Thunder Road, he came away with an 8th place finish in 2022, while Johnson is the defending winner at White Mountain Motorsports Park from a year ago.
- Woody Pitkat (previous: 2):
- It has been a steady start for Woody and JETT Motorsports, coming away with one top 10 with the May 14th Monaco Modified race at Thompson. Pitkat will look to pick up momentum when the series heads north into Vermont and New Hampshire. Pitkat is familiar with Thunder Road, as he finished 2nd behind Kopcik last season. Pitkat finished runner-up as well at White Mountain Motorsports Park behind Jake Johnson. Pitkat will look to finish one spot better in these next two races.
- Jon McKennedy (previous rank: UR):
- It has been a strong start to the season for the 2014 Monaco Modified champion. A pair of top 5’s at Thompson has McKennedy sitting 3rd in the championship standings behind Silk and Johnson. Mckennedy had a DNF last season at Thunder Road, but had a strong run at White Mountain Motorsports Park, coming away with a 7th place finish. McKennedy is a 3 time winner on the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, and he will look to build momentum as we get deeper into the season.
- Stephen Kopcik (previous rank: 3):
- The first race on the season was not friendly to Kopcik on Icebreaker weekend. Kopcik, though, rebounded nicely here in May, coming back and picking up a podium finish, coming home in 3rd, along with a heat race win. Kopcik will look to build off of that 3rd place finish at Thunder Road, where he is the defending winner from a year ago. Kopcik also had a strong run at White Mountain Motorsports Park a year ago, coming home with a 3rd place finish. Expect Kopcik to build momentum heading into a couple of tracks where he has shown speed.
On the Radar: Austin Beers:
It has been a strong start to the season for Austin Beers, a top in the Icebreaker, followed by a 9th place finish in mid May. Beers didn’t run a full season with the Monaco Modifieds in 2024, but appears to be a strong contender this year. In 11 race starts in the series, he has four top 5s. Keep an eye on Beers, as he will look to continue the momentum into summer.
On the Radar: Patrick Emerling:
Emerling is off to a strong start as well in 2025, finishing 7th in the Propane Plus Heating & Cooling 75, and then finishing 5th in the RaceChoice.com 75. That fifth place finish, is Emerling’s first top 5 with the Monaco Modified Tri-Track series. Emerling sits 4th in the early championship standings heading into Thunder Road.
The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series heads to Vermont this weekend at Thunder Road Speedbowl for the Granite City 100. This is the series’ 3rd race of the 12 race schedule for 2025. Racing starts at 1:30PM at Thunder Road Speedbowl on Sunday, May 25th. After Thunder Road, the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series heads over to the White Mountains of New Hampshire on June 7th. They head to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the fourth race of the season.
