SEEKONK, Mass. — It had been nearly four years — 1,387 days to be exact — since Jon McKennedy last won a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race.
That win, which came at Claremont Motorsports Park, was the only triumph of McKennedy‘s 2022 championship season that also doubled as his most recent full season with the series.
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McKennedy’s winless drought officially ended on Saturday night when he stormed past Stephen Kopcik on the outside to win the J&R Precast 150 at Seekonk Speedway.
“We just had a really good car to be honest,” McKennedy said. “As the race went on it seemed like the top got better and my car was definitely better on top.”
RELATED: Complete J&R Precast 150 results
Starting sixth after the redraw, McKennedy methodically worked his way to the front in barnburner of a race that took just 38 minutes and 49 seconds to complete.
McKennedy was running second when the second and final caution flag of the race waved for a spin by Trevor Catalano on Lap 92. When the race resumed McKennedy hounded Kopcik on the bottom before shifting gears and going to the top.
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The top lane was exactly what the doctor ordered for McKennedy, who powered past Kopcik on the outside on Lap 129 after a multi-lap fight.
during the J&R Precast 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Seekonk Speedway on May 16, 2026 in Seekonk, Massachusetts. (Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)
“When I ran the bottom, I was too loose in and at times it was a handful,” McKennedy said. “I could Stephen there at the end, it looked like he was getting real tight. A few times I tried to like work the outside and sneak under him and give him a little trick there, but he was good enough to know what I was doing.
“I was finally able to just keep rolling the top and once I got a wheel on him, he gave me all the room I needed.”
Kopcik, who was attempting to become the first driver in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history to win his first three series events in consecutive races, led a race-high 81 laps but had to settle for second.
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Despite the runner-up result, Kopcik was able to pad his Modified Tour championship lead. He now holds an 11-point advantage on reigning champion Austin Beers through four events.
RELATED: Hear from Jon McKennedy after his victory
“We were pretty good. Started maybe a little too tight,” Kopcik said. “This is all new to us, racing on this tire on a bullring track like this. All in all, couldn‘t be happier with our performance. Three in a row really would have been something, but Jon just turned the middle a little better than me.
“Towards the end of the run there that‘s what it comes down to. It‘s a fine line between being too free and still being able to turn the middle.”
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Chase Dowling came from 10th to finish third and Austin Beers overcame an early spin to finish fourth and keep his now 34-race top 10 streak alive.
Tommy Catalano, Patrick Emerling, Teddy Hodgdon, Jayden Harman, Doug Coby and Andrew Molleur were fifth through 10th, respectively.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action in two weeks with the running of the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200 at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday, May 30. The action gets underway live at 8 p.m. ET exclusively on FloRacing.
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