 Adam Glanzman/NASCAR photo Race Advance by Souza Media
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. – For the first and only time in 2023, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will run a mid-week event this Wednesday, August 16. Justin Bonsignore and the Kenneth Massa Motorsports team will make the trip to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Connecticut for Wednesday’s Thompson 150 presented by FloSports. The 11th race of the season will come at a place where Bonsignore has historic numbers. He’s parked the No. 51 in Thompson’s Victory Lane 12 times, a number that leads all active drivers, and is third all-time. Bonsignore only trails Mike Stefanik (15) and Ted Christopher (13) for the most wins all-time on the Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson in 150 previous races. Bonsignore will enter the race second in the Whelen Modified Tour championship battle with just eight races remaining in the battle for the title. Bonsignore is eight points back of the lead heading into Wednesday’s Thompson event, the first of two at the Connecticut oval remaining on the 2023 schedule. The other will take place at the Thompson World Series in October. “Thompson has been a place where we’ve definitely had a ton of success over the years,” Bonsignore said. “Winning at Thompson usually means you had a good car on the long run and made the right adjustments on a late pit stop to put yourself in position. We’ve been lucky enough to get 12 wins there. We are just taking this race like every other and planning to come out of there with a strong run, maximizing our day. Ryan Stone and the team have prepared another great car for Wednesday.” Bonsignore has top-five finishes in all but one race on the Whelen Modified Tour this season. Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Important Times: 4-5 p.m. - NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Practice 6:20 p.m. - NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Qualifying 8 p.m. - NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150 presented by FloSports For more information on three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook.
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 Photo: Tom Morris LANCASTER, N.Y. – Justin Bonsignore drove the Ken Massa Motorsports No. 51 to a solid fourth-place finish on Saturday night in the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster Motorplex. Bonsignore won the pole in qualifying, his fourth of the season driving the Phoenix Communications, ClearCom IT Solutions machine.
The pole was the 27th career for Bonsignore on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, giving him sole possession of fifth all-time for poles. In the race, Bonsignore ran in a podium spot for the first half of the 150 laps. After a mid-race restart, Bonsignore was running at the bottom of the top-five, fell to sixth and then had to pit for a second time. After pitting, he then rallied back to fourth before the checkered flag. The finish was his ninth top-five in the 10 Whelen Modified Tour races this year. He remains second in the series points standings heading for the final eight races of the season. Next up for Justin Bonsignore will be a trip to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Wednesday, August 16. For more information on three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook for the latest news.  Photo: Tom Morris Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 Set For Saturday With NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Race Advance by Souza Media HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. – Justin Bonsignore heads across the state of New York this weekend, as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will roll into Lancaster Motorplex for the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 on Saturday night, August 5. In what has become the 10th race of the season due to the rain at Claremont Motorsports Park last weekend, Bonsignore is still the most recent winner on the series, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15. The three-time series champion is ready to begin a busy August this weekend on the Whelen Modified Tour - with events at Lancaster (August 5), Thompson Speedway (August 16) and Langley Speedway (August 26) marking upcoming events. Once August ends, the true battle for the championship will be on during a stacked September and October as Bonsignore chases his fourth title with Kenneth Massa Motorsports. The series veteran knows every race matters. But, as it has been for his entire career chasing wins and championships, he just takes it one race at a time, and aims to get the best out of each race day. “We ran there back in 2021 and we had a good finish with second,” Bonsignore said. “It’s another track we don’t have a ton of laps on with the Whelen Modified Tour, but we always enjoy the efforts of figuring out different tracks in our series. Some guys have more laps there in other divisions, so they will be tough to beat. We’re looking forward to the challenge ahead of us heading into Lancaster.” Saturday’s schedule for race day at Lancaster includes one Whelen Modified Tour practice session from 2:20-3:20 p.m., followed by Mayhew Tools qualifying at 5 p.m. and the green flag for the race is set for 8 p.m., live on FloRacing.TV. For more information on three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook for the latest news.  Claremont Clash 150 Set For Saturday Night
Race Advance by Souza Media HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. – As the second half of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season draws near, Justin Bonsignore is looking to carry some momentum to another New Hampshire track this weekend. Less than two weeks ago, Bonsignore topped Doug Coby in a photo finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to win his second Whelen Modified Tour race of the season. Now, after a week off, the three-time series champion is moving across the state of New Hampshire to Claremont Motorsports Park for Saturday’s 150-lap Tour race. The 10th race of the season, Bonsignore will be looking to continue a hot streak of top-five finishes. The Holtsville, New York, native has been inside the top-five in eight of nine Tour races this year, including three straight races of either winning or finishing second. He enters the race second in the series championship standings as well - as he trails Ron Silk by only eight points. Last year, Bonsignore qualified second and finished sixth at Claremont. The Kenneth Massa Motorsports team also enters the race seventh in the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup standings. This three-race series will conclude at Claremont and Bonsignore is looking to at least knock into the top-three to earn the team some bonus cash. He’s currently 12 points off the lead and just eight off third. “Having momentum on your side off a big win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is always a positive for the entire team,” Bonsignore said. “Last year we went to Claremont for the first time. Now that we know a bit more about the track and how it races, we will make some adjustments and go back there this weekend ready to go. The summer stretch is going to be busy for the Whelen Modified Tour and it’s important we come away with a strong finish on Saturday.” Tickets for Saturday’s race at Claremont are available online at JDVProductions.com. Fans can watch the race live on FloRacing.TV at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night if they can’t make it to the track. For more information on three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook.  Career Win Number 37 Comes in Mohegan Sun 100
LOUDON, N.H. – Justin Bonsignore scored his second win of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season on Saturday evening at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – and did it in a photo finish coming to the line. The driver of the No. 51 for Ken Massa Motorsports machine was out front when rain hit the track with just under 35 laps to go and the field pulled down pit road. It looked as though it might be over - but the rain stopped - NASCAR and track officials dried the track - and the Mohegan Sun 100 went back under the green flag. Bonsignore pitted during the caution and had to restart outside the top-10. He charged through the field and was in position to race for the lead in the final few laps in the Phoenix Communications ride. Bonsignore passed Doug Coby to take the lead when the field crossed at the white flag. Off turn two on the final lap, Coby went to the outside of Bonsignore for the lead with Ron Silk looking three-wide to the bottom. Bonsignore led through the middle of turn three before Coby crossed to the bottom and got inside coming off turn four to the finish line. Bonsignore and Coby drag-raced to the line and made a little bit of contact, with Bonsignore coming out on top by a small margin. It was the 37th career win for the Holtsville, New York, native and his second points-paying win at New Hampshire. “It was just crazy,” Bonsignore said. “The way we were able to drag-race back to the line and beat Doug, it was amazing. This is our Super Bowl, our Daytona 500. There’s nothing like racing a Modified here. I’m glad we got the race back going and the fans stuck it out. Coby, Silk and I have a good rivalry but there’s a ton of respect involved. I knew where I wanted to be on the last lap.” Bonsignore will be back on the track at Claremont Motorsports Park for the next NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event on Saturday, July 29. For more information on the three-time series champion, visit JustinBonsignore.com.  NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Set For Mohegan Sun 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Race Advance by Souza Media HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. – With top-five finishes in all but one race so far this season to his credit, Justin Bonsignore is heading to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend looking for win number two on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2023. Bonsignore will drive the No. 51 Phoenix Communications, ClearCom IT Solutions machine around the ‘Magic Mile’ for 100 laps in the Mohegan Sun main event on Saturday evening. The race comes as part of a full NASCAR New England weekend at the track that will also include the NASCAR Cup Series (Sunday) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (Saturday) racing around the 1.058-mile oval. In his career at New Hampshire, well-known as one of the top Whelen Modified Tour events of the year, Bonsignore does have one career win in a points-paying event (2016) and also one in the non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout. In his last 12 starts at New Hampshire, Bonsignore has been in the top-10 in all but two, and top-five in seven of them. He’s excited to have another shot to win the crown jewel event for NASCAR’s oldest touring series. “It’s a totally different animal compared to what we have been running the last few races at some of the bullring tracks,” Bonsignore said. “We’ve had some really good speed at New Hampshire the last few years and I’m excited to go back there and have a shot at winning. With pit stops and everything involved with drafting and racing at New Hampshire, everything has to play out in your favor to be in Victory Lane. Ryan Stone and the Ken Massa Motorsports team have prepared a great car for us to go there and try to score another big win.” The Mohegan Sun 100 includes a two-day schedule of racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. On Friday, Bonsignore and the Kenneth Massa Motorsports team will practice from 3:15-4:30 p.m., followed by qualifying at 6:45 p.m. The drop of the green flag for the Mohegan Sun 100 will be on Saturday evening after the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. The race is slated to begin at 6 p.m. and will air live on FloRacing.TV. For more information on the three-time series champion, visit JustinBonsignore.com.  Photo: Tom Morris Late Duel in 200th Career Start Brings Another Top-Five
WALL, N.J. -- Justin Bonsignore had the lead with just a few circuits remaining in the Jersey Shore 150 at Wall Stadium Speedway on Saturday night. After a late dash to the finish with Ron Silk – one that included the two former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champions battling side-by-side yet again this season – Bonsignore would bring the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. machine home in the second spot. The second-place finish came in Bonsignore’s 200th career Whelen Modified Tour start. On the final restart, Silk made the move for the lead and picked up his third win of the season. Bonsignore has finished second to Silk in all three of his wins, to go along with one of his own – a race where he beat Silk in the late laps to win at Riverhead in May. The finish for Bonsignore, driving the Kenneth Massa Motorsports machine, was his seventh top-five in eight races so far this season. “We were throwing haymakers at each other,” Bonsignore said of the battle with Silk. “It’s been like that all year, with Ron and I putting on some great battles for the fans. We’re about as aggressive as you can be without crashing each other. We snuck by and got the lead a few times there and even though we lost it, this was a good run for us. We don’t have a lot of experience here (at Wall) as a team. We’re keeping pace with Ron, but we just need to get a little bit better and work on it to get up there with him on the long runs. Just want to thank everyone involved that makes this deal happen.” Justin Bonsignore will return to the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 15 for the Mohegan Sun 100 with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. For more information on the three-time series champion, visit JustinBonsignore.com.  Three-Time Series Champion Ready For NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Jersey Shore 150
Race Advance/Story by Souza Media HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. – With 36 career wins, ranking him fourth on the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins list, Justin Bonsignore will hit a milestone this Saturday night when the Tour visits Wall Stadium Speedway. The three-time series champion will make his 200th career start on the Tour – spanning from his first in 2007 to 2023. Bonsignore has started at least one race in every season except 2008, and has been full-time since 2010. He’s been driving for the same team - Ken Massa Motorsports - for the entire time. The team has accomplished three championships (2018, 2019 & 2021) with countless wins, top-fives, top-10s, poles and more. So far this season, Bonsignore has been strong in the first seven events. The Holtsville, New York, native has one victory and six top-five finishes along with two poles. His 200th career start will come at Wall, a place Bonsignore is still looking for his first win, but he only has two previous Tour starts there, with a best finish of sixth last year. Ryan Stone joined the team as crew chief in 2018. He’s been with Bonsignore for 78 of the starts and during that span and they have 24 of his 36 career wins accomplished together. When Stone decided to join the team in the offseason after the 2017 season, he left JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to do it. “When I joined the team, Justin was established doing it for over 10 years at a high-level,” Stone said. “At that time Justin had the experience to drive, understand the cars and what he needed in the car to go fast. He just knows what we need for the feeling when we go to all the different tracks we have on the schedule. Going from places like Riverhead, a small bullring, all the way to somewhere like a high-speed New Hampshire, it’s two totally different disciplines as a driver. With experience comes communication and understanding how to manage the races. When I came in, it was just a matter of making the equipment be where it needed to be.” The team has frequented victory lane at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Riverhead Raceway since Stone has joined the group, but also have wins at various other tracks including the likes of Bristol, Stafford, Seekonk, Oswego, Monadnock, Jennerstown and White Mountain Motorsports Park. “Having an eight win season in 2018 and a six win season in 2019, you don’t see it often,” Stone said. “Today, we don’t have the dominance that we may have had when I first joined the team but there have been some changes with the cars and the series. The formats are a bit different with some of the no change tire races versus pit stops, the tires are a bit different… We've been challenged just like everyone else. It shows you how hard it really is to have consistent speed at all of these different tracks. But it also shows you how incredible our years were when we first started working together. We hold ourselves to a high standard and it’s really not as easy as sometimes our team or some of the other teams make it look.” Over his 200 starts, the core group of some of the team members have been together the entire time, something you just don’t see often at this level of racing, especially with the demanding schedule the Whelen Modified Tour has this year and some of the previous seasons. Stone says it’s a reflection on owner Ken Massa and Justin Bonsignore as to why it still clicks so well. “Half of our team is from Long Island and the other half from Connecticut with maybe one or two others sprinkled in and some of them have just been together forever, far before I got here,” Stone said. “That’s a reflection on them. These guys have been racing together a long time and that’s so hard to do. I’ve been on several teams and it just doesn’t happen. It’s incredible that it’s even been six years since I started working with them. They are great to work with. Ken gives us everything we need and Justin gives us everything he has to make sure we run up front.” Justin Bonsignore will make his 200th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start on Saturday, July 8 at Wall Stadium Speedway in the Jersey Shore 150. The start will be followed by a race just seven days later at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Whelen Modified Tour - one of the many major events of the season. Saturday’s race day schedule includes practice from 3:30-4:30 p.m., followed by qualifying at 6 p.m. and the green flag for the race at 8 p.m. The event will air live on FloRacing.TV for those who can’t make it to the track. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, fans are encouraged to visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook for the latest news and updates.  RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Justin Bonsignore had a strong night at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday night with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. On a night where Bonsignore had a chance to tie Mike Ewanitsko for the most Whelen Modified Tour wins at his home track, Bonsignore started in sixth, raced up to the front and finished second to Ron Silk.
Bonsignore chased the back bumper of Silk for much of the middle portion of the race, but just couldn’t quite find enough speed to get around. The finish of second was the fourth consecutive finish in the top-two at Riverhead for Bonsignore. It was his 22nd top-five in 26 career starts at the New York oval and also his sixth in seven Whelen Modified Tour races so far this season. “We were able to run at a harder pace than we had in the past for Riverhead,” Bonsignore said. “I tried the bottom groove at around Lap 130 and I lost about six car-lengths. You’re just glued to the top, which is unfortunate. I would have loved to win with Mike Ewanitsko here tonight and I appreciate Riverhead for everything they did to honor Mike. He’s well deserving of it.” Justin Bonsignore will return to the track for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Jersey Shore 150 at Wall Stadium Speedway on Saturday, July 8. For more information on the three-time series champion, visit his Athlete page on Facebook or online at JustinBonsignore.com.  Three-Time Series Champion Looks To Make History Saturday Night
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. – Just one month ago, Justin Bonsignore parked in Victory Lane for the 10th time at Riverhead Raceway on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. This Saturday night, June 24, in a special Riverhead honors MIke Ewanitsko 200 for the Whelen Modified Tour, Bonsignore will have the chance to make history. After growing up racing at Riverhead, Bonsignore had sights set on collecting as many Tour wins as possible at his home track throughout his career, just like any other Riverhead weekly regular. Now, he has a chance to tie Ewanitsko with 11 career wins at Riverhead, the most on the Whelen Modified Tour all-time. He’s been to Victory Lane in the last two races at the New York oval and has finished fifth or better in 16 of his last 17 starts. He’s also led over 1,300 laps in his career at Riverhead on the Whelen Modified Tour alone. In the May 21 race at the quarter-mile, Bonsignore won the pole and led laps, but ran second most of the race to Ron Silk before snagging the lead away with a move late to pick up the win. He’s off to a strong start to the season with top-10 finishes in all six races, including five top-fives. “Winning at Riverhead is always important for us,” Bonsignore said. “Last month we were able to do it again and we’re certainly confident going back to our home track. It’s always tough to finish the job at the end of 200 laps. It will be a special night for Riverhead to be honoring Mike Ewanitsko and for us to have the opportunity to tie him for the record. It’s been a goal of ours for a long time and to have the opportunity to pull it off is cool.” Saturday’s Riverhead schedule includes one practice session from 3:15-4:15 p.m., followed by qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and the drop of the green flag for 200 laps at 8 p.m. All of the racing for the night will air live on FloRacing.TV for those who will not be able to make it. For more information on three-time series champion Justin Bonsignore, including his schedule of events, team partners and more, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Facebook Athlete page for all the latest news and updates, including from the track. |
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