 Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR STORY BY: NASCAR.COM
It’s not as easy as just having to show up, but the math favors Justin Bonsignore wrapping up his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship on Sunday. The 32-year-old from Holtsville, New York, enters the Sunoco World Series 150 with a 27-point lead over six-time champion Doug Coby. Bonsignore has to finish 23rd or better to clinch the championship regardless of what Coby does. There are tickets available to see this race in person, and the race will also be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold. Sunoco World Series 150 WHAT TO WATCH FOR Bonsignore will be looking for his fourth World Series win in the last five seasons, and has finished no worse than fifth in eight races this season — a performance that has pushed him to the brink of the Whelen Modified Tour crown. In his 2016 title season, Bonsignore won eight of 16 races and tallied 12 top fives. He won six more times last year, including the finale at Thompson, but came up eight points short of Coby. This year, he won the first two races and has held the points lead the entire shortened-season. RELATED: Justin Bonsignore Career Stats | Clinch Chart Coby needs to finish at least eighth to have a shot (or sixth and lead the most laps). Bonsignore, though, may not be the driver carrying the most momentum into Thompson. That would be Ron Silk, who has won two of the last three races — including the Sept. 3 race at Thompson. It was Silk’s fifth win at the .625-mile oval, second only to Bonsignore and Coby in wins among active drivers. Jon McKennedy, who was third at Thompson in September, leads Craig Lutz by 16 points for third place in the standings, while Silk has moved into the top five despite missing a race. RACE FACTS: RACE: SUNOCO WORLD SERIES 150 PLACE: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, Conn. DATE: Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020 TIME: 4 p.m. ET LIVE TV: Trackpass on NBC Gold (live), 4 p.m. ET; TAPE DELAY: NBCSN — Thursday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m. ET TRACK LAYOUT: .625-mile paved oval EVENT SCHEDULE: Saturday, Oct. 10 — Garage opens: 9:30 a.m. ET; Practice: 1-2:15 p.m.; Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 — Garage opens: 10 a.m.; Sunoco World Series 150: 4 p.m. TWITTER: @ThompsonSpdwy, @NASCARRoots HASHTAG: #NWMT RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE SCHEDULE CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Thompson 150 is limited to 36, including provisional positions. The field will be set by qualifying (1-30) and provisional process per the entry blank (31-36) for the Thompson 150. In the event that qualifying as stated on this entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2020 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book. QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race set up. The Thompson 150 will be 150 laps (93.75 miles) and is to be run in one (1) segments. The tire change rule is three (3) tires, any position. To utilize the third change tire, teams will designate a practice tire purchased at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park to be the third change tire. The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) for qualifying and to start the race, plus an additional four (4) for a total of eight (8) tires.
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 (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR) STORY BY RACEDAYCT.COM
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Justin Bonsignore has put together another dream season in 2020 with the series. In seven events this year the 2018 series champion from Holtsville, N.Y. has three wins, two seconds and two fifth place runs. And the perfect addition to that gaudy 2020 highlight reel for Bonsignore awaits him Saturday at Stafford Speedway with the running of the NAPA Auto Parts 150. Saturday’s event at Stafford will mark the only series visit to the track for 2020. Stafford was forced to cancel its two other scheduled Whelen Modified Tour events this year because of restrictions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Bonsignore has 29 career victories in Whelen Modified Tour action since 2007, but none at Stafford. Bonsignore is 0-for-37 in Whelen Modified Tour events at the historic half-mile. And it’s become a topic that the social media producers from the track certainly have fun reminding Bonsignore of regularly on Twitter. “I see all the stuff, I read all of it, obviously when you’re tagged in it it’s hard not to see it,” Bonsignore said. “I’m really excited. I was kind of bummed that we lost the races we did there even though I don’t have any wins there. Just because I feel like we’ve been getting really close and we could finally knock that door down. “I’m very optimistic that we can have a good run. I could care less about the points or anything like that. I just want to go out and finally win Stafford so I can get the Arute’s to stop busting my chops on Twitter.” To hear more from Bonsignore on Stafford and the 2020 season listen to the latest episode of Unmuffled by RaceDayCT.  (Photo: Billie Weiss/NASCAR) STORY BY NASCAR.COM
THOMPSON, Conn. — In a surprise to no one, Justin Bonsignore was fastest at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Thursday. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points leader paced the one-hour practice session for the evening’s Thompson 150. The event marks the tour’s 2020 return to the historic .625-mile paved oval. Bonsignore drove the No. 51 Phoenix Communications LLC. Chevrolet to a fast lap of 18.974 seconds (118.583 mph). RELATED: Complete Practice Results The Long Island driver has 12 career wins at Thompson, including seven wins and a second in the last eight races. Doug Coby, the only other winner at Thompson in the last two years, was second quick at 19.013 (118.340). Timmy Solomito, the 2016 Icebreaker winner at Thompson, was third quick at 19.015 (118.328). Chris Pasteryak and Ron Silk were fourth and fifth, respectively. Ronnie Williams, Eric Goodale, Craig Lutz, Ryan Preece, and Jon McKennedy rounded out the top 10. Preece, the former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion and current NASCAR Cup Series driver, is making his first tour start of the year.  Photo: (Kathryn Riley/NASCAR) WINCHESTER, N.H. — That didn’t take long.
After a pair of races out of Victory Lane, Justin Bonsignore found himself right back on familiar ground as he executed a late pass on Ron Silk to capture the Advanced Gas Distributors Inc. 200 Wade Cole Memorial Sunday afternoon at Monadnock Speedway. It was Bonsignore’s third win in five races on the season and his sixth in the last 10 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events dating back to last Aug. 31. To cap his 29th career win, he wheeled the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet in a slide across the finish line — 1.085 seconds ahead of Silk. Jon McKennedy won the Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award in qualifying and led the first 61 laps before Silk, who was fastest in practice and qualified third, got past him. Bonsignore tracked him down and the two swapped the top spot before Bonsignore took it for good with 25 laps remaining. Bonsignore’s 29th career tour win moved him back into a tie with six-time champion Doug Coby, who finished third, for sixth on the all-time wins list. More importantly, it bumped Bonsignore’s championship points lead back up to 16 over Coby. After winning the first two races of the season, back-to-back fifth-place runs had chipped away at the Long Island driver’s lead. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which significantly altered the 2020 Whelen Modified schedule, Monadnock was a late addition. But the return to the quarter-mile for the first time since 2016 was a welcome addition for Bonsignore, who won there in 2013 and ’14. RELATED: Complete Results | Justin Bonsignore Career Wins The Advanced Gas Distributors Inc. 200 Wade Cole Memorial, which streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold, was postponed from Saturday to Sunday by weather. Anthony Nocella finished fourth and Ronnie Williams fifth. Matt Hirschman, Woody Pitkat, Sam Rameau, McKennedy and Craig Lutz completed the top 10. Lutz and McKennedy are tied for third in points, 30 points back of Bonsignore. The Whelen Modified Tour will have a quick turnaround, racing at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Connecticut on Wednesday, Sept. 2.  Justin Bonsignore (right) celebrates his Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole award with crew chief Ryan Stone. (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR) STORY BY NASCAR.COM
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. — Justin Bonsignore started on the pole and led every lap in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener at Jennerstown Speedway back in June. He’ll get the chance to try to do it again Saturday night. Bonsignore piloted the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet to the Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award in qualifying Saturday at Jennerstown. He posted a lap of 18.238 seconds (103.038 mph) as the last car to take time for the Laurel Highlands 150 (7 p.m. ET, TrackPass on NBC Gold). It is Bonsignore’s 14th career pole. RELATED: Complete Qualifying Results | Justin Bonsignore Career Poles He knocked Dave Sapienza off the top spot with his run. Sapienza, who was fastest in practice, qualified second at 18.292 (102.733). Doug Coby qualified third at 18.294 (102.722). Coby trails Bonsignore by nine points heading into the fourth race of the season. Anthony Nocella and Craig Lutz qualified fourth and fifth, respectively. Matt Swanson, Patrick Emerling, Jon McKennedy, Woody Pitkat and Timmy Catalano completed the top 10.  Justin Bonsignore & team are heading back to Jennerstown Speedway following a win at the New York oval in June. (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR) STORY BY NASCAR.COM
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s first trip to Jennerstown Speedway in more than a decade could not have gone better for Justin Bonsignore. The tour will return to the Pennsylvania track Saturday for the Laurel Highlands 150 after just two months away, and the Holtsville, New York, driver will look for a repeat performance to pad his tour championship points lead. It’s six-time champion Doug Coby, however, who won the most recent NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers and there are a host of new names that have started 2020 with strong runs as they look to break into the title picture. Unlike the opener, which was held with empty grandstands, fans will be allowed for Saturday’s Laurel Highlands 150. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Bonsignore won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and led every lap in the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet in the first race at Jennerstown. He’ll look to keep that perfect streak alive Saturday, as the race distance goes from 133 to 150, and will feature live pit stops instead of a halfway break. It wasn’t necessarily as easy as the box score indicated, though. Craig Lutz and Jon McKennedy both put together strong runs to finish second and third, respectively. Kyle Bonsignore, Calvin Carroll, Dave Sapienza and Chris Pasteryak are among a host of drivers who have put together several strong runs over the tour’s first three races. Lutz, McKennedy and Bonsignore each have one career win apiece, while the others are looking for that first victory. And then there’s Coby. The defending tour champion scored his first win as a driver/owner when the tour made its second stop of the season to New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park. He’ll look to make similar gains after an uncharacteristic seventh-place run in the opener. RACE FACTS: RACE: LAUREL HIGHLANDS 150 PLACE: Jennerstown Speedway, Jennerstown, Pa. DATE: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020 TIME: 7 p.m. ET LIVE TV/RADIO: Trackpass on NBC Gold 7 p.m. ET TAPE DELAY TV: NBCSN — Monday, Aug. 31, 3 p.m. ET TRACK LAYOUT: .522-mile paved oval EVENT SCHEDULE: Saturday, Aug. 22 — Garage opens: 1:15 p.m. ET; Practice: 3:45-4:30 p.m.; Qualifying: 5:45 p.m.; Laurel Highlands 150: 7 p.m. TWITTER: @jtownspeedway, @NASCARRoots HASHTAG: #NWMT RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE SCHEDULE CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Laurel Highlands 150 is limited to 30, including provisional positions. The field will be set by qualifying (1-24) and provisional process per the entry blank (25-30) for the Laurel Highlands 150. In the event that qualifying as stated on this entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2020 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book. QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race set up. The Laurel Highlands 150 will be 150 laps (78.3 miles) and is to be run in one (1) segments. The tire change rule is three (3) tires, any position. To utilize the third change tire, teams will designate a practice tire purchased at Jennerstown Speedway to be the third change tire. The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) tires for practice and four (4) for qualifying and to start the race, plus an additional two (2) for a total of 10 (10) tires.  Justin Bonsignore picked up his second win of the Whelen Modified Tour season at White Mountain Motorsports Park. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR) STORY BY NASCAR.COM
NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. — The first win was a dominating performance. The second was a late pass with a little help from the front bumper. In the end, Justin Bonsignore is 2-for-2 on the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. The Holtsville, New York, driver used a bump-and-run to wrestle the lead away from Matt Hirschman with seven laps to go and then withstood a challenge from Hirschman and Doug Coby on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Independence Day 200 in the tour’s inaugural visit to White Mountain Motorsports Park. Bonsignore led every lap in winning the season opener at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway. Saturday night, he dogged Hirschman in the closing laps before pushing him out of the way and claiming the lead. A late caution pushed the race to 205 laps and Bonsignore edged Hirschman by .127 seconds at the line. It was Bonsignore’s 28th career win, moving him into a tie with Mike Ewanitsko and defending tour champion Doug Coby for sixth all-time in tour history. RELATED: White Mountain Results | Justin Bonsignore Career Statistics Hirschman, who won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award earlier in the day, crossed the finish side-by-side with Coby. Tommy Catalano finished fourth and Woody Pitkat made a late run to finish fifth. Dave Sapienza was sixth, followed by Chris Pasteryak, Craig Lutz, Jon McKennedy and Chase Dowling. Bonsignore opened up an 11-point lead on Hirschman and a 17 point advantage on Lutz and Coby in the championship standings. The Independence Day 200 aired live on TrackPass on NBC Gold, and will re-air on Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 11 p.m. ET.  Justin Bonsignore celebrates victory in the opening race of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR) STORY BY NASCAR.COM
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. — It was 253 days between NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races, but Justin Bonsignore still ended up in the same place. After closing out the 2019 season with a win, and then waiting through the delay brought upon by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Holtsville, New York, driver put forth a dominating performance in the 2020 season opener at Jennerstown Speedway. Bonsignore won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and then marched virtually unchallenged to the win in the Morocco Welding/Wade Cole Memorial 133 presented by Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair. Bonsignore’s No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet finished 1.76 seconds ahead of runner-up Craig Lutz. Only the top four finished within 10 seconds of Bonsignore on the .522-mile oval as he claimed his 27th career win. The victory moved him to within one of Mike Ewanitsko and defending tour champion Doug Coby for sixth all-time in tour history. RELATED: Jennerstown Results | Justin Bonsignore Career Wins More importantly, it have Bonsignore the early leg up in the championship chase after he finished just eight points shy of Coby last year. Jon McKennedy overcame a mid-race flat tire to charge up to third, followed by Matt Hirschman and Calvin Carroll. Ron Silk finished sixth and Coby, who qualified second, was seventh. Kyle Bonsignore, Matt Swanson and Rob Summers rounded out the top 10. The Morocco Welding/Wade Cole Memorial 133 presented by Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair aired live on Trackpass on NBC Gold, and will re-air on Saturday, June 27 at 12am ET on NBCSN. The Whelen Modified Tour will return to action on Saturday, July 4, with its inaugural visit to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.  Justin Bonsignore scored the Mayhew Tools dominator pole award for the Jennerstown season opener. (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR) STORY BY NASCAR.COM
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. — Justin Bonsignore was the last car out in qualifying, and the last driver who could keep Doug Coby from winning yet another Mayhew Tools Pole Award. Bonsignore did just that. The 32-year-old from Holtsville, New York, posted a lap of 18.191 to claim his 13th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour pole in qualifying for Saturday afternoon’s season opening Morocco Welding/Wade Cole Memorial 133 presented by Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair. The lap knocked Coby off the provisional pole. Coby had the fastest lap to that point at 18.278 and will start second. RELATED: Jennerstown Qualifying Results | Justin Bonsignore Career Pole Awards Coby has 30 career poles, including winning them in eight of last year’s 16 races. Patrick Emerling qualified third at 18.281, followed by Dave Sapienza and Jon McKennedy. Matt Swanson, Craig Lutz, Ronnie Williams, Matt Hirschman and Eric Goodale rounded out the top 10. Hirschman had been fastest in the morning practice session. The opening Morocco Welding/Wade Cole Memorial 133 presented by Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. live on Trackpass on NBC Gold.  Justin Bonsignore celebrates his sixth win of the 2019 season in the finale at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR) A STORY BY NASCAR.COM/Kyle Souza
THOMPSON, Conn. — Celebrating on the highest stage of modified racing for the sixth time. Doug Coby sealed his sixth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship on Sunday, completing a season that put the Milford, Connecticut, driver back on top after one year away from tasting glory. The title was the sixth in the last eight years for the 40-year-old, and also helped him break a tie with Tony Hirschman with five series titles. Coby now only trails Mike Stefanik (seven) for the most Whelen Modified Tour titles in the modern era. RACING-REFERENCE: Sunoco World Series 150 Race Results "It’s just hard to put into words," Coby said. "We try to come out to have the best season of anybody, and win every race, everyone out there does. My team just finds a way to do it." Coby finished seventh in the Sunoco World Series 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, but it was enough to win him the title by eight points. It didn’t come without a bit of drama. Coby started third, but during a red flag for a multiple-car crash on lap 12, received some crucial information over the radio — oddly enough, from a fellow competitor. Woody Pitkat told Coby’s team the left-rear tire looked low on air pressure, and he was right. Coby pitted during the caution, changed the tire, and restarted deep in the field. It wasn’t long before he was back up inside the top 15, positioning himself where he needed to be to keep his points lead. By the end, seventh was enough to seal the deal. Justin Bonsignore won the season-finale, his sixth victory of the season, which helped him close the gap to just eight in the championship standings. Even though he came up short of his second consecutive Whelen Modified Tour title, Bonsignore scored victories in three of four races at Thompson this season — extending his active drivers lead to 12 wins at the Connecticut oval. "We spotted them way too many points in the beginning of the year. I’m really proud of our effort — we won a handful of races at the end of the year, and we didn’t get the championship, but we backed up our eight wins last year with six this year. Great car and a great pit stop (today)." Ron Silk finished second, while Matt Swanson, Bobby Santos III and Woody Pitkat finished the top five. Eric Goodale was sixth, followed by Coby, Chase Dowling, Rob Summers and Timmy Solomito. Behind the top two in the championship standings, Silk finished third, 62 points back, while Craig Lutz and Swanson finished the top five. The Sunoco World Series 150 will air on NBCSN on Thursday, October 17, at 7 p.m. |
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