Published: Friday, Jul. 14, 2006

LOUDON – Jimmy Blewett blasted his way to the outside of the front row for Saturday’s New England 100 at New Hampshire International Speedway, but in a field that featured Nextel Cup regulars Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, his fast lap wasn’t the only thing he had to brag about.

“To go out there and beat Tony or Carl,” Blewett said, “at the end of the day you feel like you did something extra.”

It was a sensation Blewett shared with a dozen other drivers Thursday night, including pole-sitter Zach Sylvester, whose speed of 125.595 mph beat both of the moonlighting modified drivers by more than a mile an hour.

starting in the middleboth of the moonlighting modified drivers by more than a mile an hour.

And with Edwards and Stewart starting in the middle of the pack Saturday – 14th and 21st, respectively – there could be many more among the 42-car field who have a chance to make a minor name for themselves.

“If we can beat them, we beat Cup drivers,” said Todd Szegedy, who’ll start sixth. “If they beat us, well, they’re Cup drivers.”

Either way, many in the open-wheel garage believe the participation of two pilots with such presence and prowess in the Cup series will be nothing but a boon to everyone involved with the Whelen Modified Tour.

For a veteran like Blewett, it’s a chance to beat two of the best drivers in the world. For a semi-seasoned pilot like Sylvester, it’s an opportunity to learn a lesson. And for a rookie like James Civali, it’s a shot to turn eyes toward him.

“It gives it a lot more exposure,” Civali said. “Not just for exposure with the fans, but exposure with them. You run a guy clean, or you help a guy out, and he’s going to notice. ‘Hey that kid was helping me out and pushing me past this guy.’ It’s better exposure.”

There’s a caveat attached to that, of course. Civali warns that if they’re going to notice the positive, they’re just as likely to notice the negative. But he claims that won’t make him more conservative; it’ll make him safer.

“We’ve got a lot of pressure to not screw up, and not do anything stupid to him or around him where he will notice it,” said Civali, who starts 23rd, directly behind Stewart. “On the track with a guy like that, he could come into the pit and say, ‘That kid in that other car is a numb nut.’ If you do something like that, it’s going to stick with you.”

Rookie Jon McKennedy, though, isn’t going to be timid or tread lightly when the Cup stars are competing with him for track position. Rather, he’ll ride with respect – just like he would with any other driver.

“Race them clean,” he said, “and if I can take the position, I’ll take it.”

And if he can’t take the position, he can at least fall in line and learn something from one of the drivers. Not only will the opportunity be there to study which are the preferred lines, and to observe general strategy and etiquette, but because the open-wheel cars are limited by restrictor plates at the NHIS race, drivers will be looking for drafting partners.

That should lead to useful long-term lessons for whichever drivers can get themselves in a teamwork tandem with either Edwards or Stewart.

“If anybody can get with Carl or Tony and run with them, or pay attention to them,” the 24-year-old McKennedy said, “they can really learn a lot.”

Sylvester, of course, hopes to avoid that situation altogether. He may not need to pit in the 100-lap race, so as the polesitter his objective is leading wire-to-wire.

To do so he’ll need to hold off Blewett, who was followed in qualifying by six-time NHIS winner Reggie Ruggiero and defending series champion Tony Hirschman. Ted Christopher, who has won four straight Modified races here, will start eighth before what is expected to be a bigger-than-usual crowd.

Stewart and Edwards are to thank for that. Among other things.

“To race with them is cool,” McKennedy said. “They’re pretty much the best in the business