Merrick's Beatty Jr. back behind the wheel

NASCAR opener set for June 21 in PA

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Entering his third season as a driver for the MSM Elite Motorsports operation, Merrick’s John Beatty Jr. has been itching to get back behind the wheel, and will finally get to do so on June 21.

Just hours after a highly successful test session at the Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut on June 4, MSM Elite’s team owner, Mark S. Mina, announced Beatty Jr. would race in the long-anticipated 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (WMT) opener at Jennerstown Speedway. Beatty Jr. last raced in October.

“Mark invested heavily in our team over the off-season and it showed at Stafford, plus, honestly, we just wanted to turn some laps for the pure fun of it,” said Beatty Jr, who earned seven Modified Division feature wins at Riverhead Raceway since 2017 after capturing eight Legends Division features.

“After we got on the track at Stafford with both of our new cars, we turned some phenomenal laps right off the trailer,” Mina boasted. “We got plenty of good notes for Jennerstown, and off that data we made the decision to enter so John Beatty Jr. can do what he does best: drive.”

The Long Island-based MSM Elite team will venture to western Pennsylvania a day before the opening race, dubbed the Wade Cole Memorial 133, presented by Dunleavy's Truck & Trailer Repair.

“We are all eager to head to Jennerstown for the WMT opener to see how we stack up against the best of the best in asphalt modified racing,” said Beatty Jr., who began his racing career at Riverhead and various other East Coast tracks in 2008. “Plus, we get to race in an event that remembers a true WMT legend in Wade Cole. It's a win-win for us.”

Heading into the 2020 NASCAR Modified season, MSM Elite had mapped out a vastly different approach to their racing plans, including opening night at Riverhead in early May. However, Covid-19 put everything on hold.

“Riverhead has been and will always be our home track, but our plans were to hit the road for several NASCAR WMT races also,” Mina said. “What races those might be moving forward really depends on how and where the rest of the WMT schedule shakes out. We'll have our eyes on what Riverhead does later in the summer too.”

According to its website, Riverhead Raceway is scheduled to open Saturday, July 4. June 21 will mark the 14th career start on the WMT for Beatty Jr., who along the way has posted two top fives and four top 10s in 13 previous starts. While the opener will not have fans in the stands due to pandemic guidelines, every lap of the event can be viewed on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold free of charge. Race time is 2:30 p.m.

“There should be upwards of 40 entries,” Beatty Jr. said. “The goal is always to win.”