 By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- With just two races remaining in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship fight, Justin Bonsignore is returning home to Riverhead Raceway this weekend. The driver of the No. 51 Kenneth Massa Motorsports entry returns to his home track in New York, where he has eight Whelen Modified Tour wins in 20 starts. In the first two stops at the quarter-mile this year, Bonsignore finished third in both races, leading a total of over 200 laps, combined. However, this race means a bit more. Bonsignore leads by 22 points over Patrick Emerling with just two events left: Riverhead and a trip to Stafford Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 25. Bonsignore is looking to seal his third championship in the last four years. “Looking forward to getting back to the home track and trying to get back to Victory Lane there,” Bonsignore said. “We’ve been close the last couple of times, but we know we need a little bit more to make it happen. We’re down to the final two races -- and we have to be conscious of the points, but our goal is still to go out there and win at Riverhead. It will be a special night in honor of Ed Partridge and I would love to hold the checkered flag when it’s over.” The race day schedule for the Miller Lite 200 includes one practice session from 3-4:30 p.m., followed by Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole qualifying at 6 p.m. The drop of the green flag is set for just after 8 p.m., with the race set to air live on NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass platform. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates.
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 By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
RICHMOND, Va. -- Justin Bonsignore’s day started off perfectly at Richmond Raceway. The driver of the No. 51 Kenneth Massa Motorsports entry was fastest in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice ahead of the Virginia is For Racing Lovers 150, then won his 19th career pole award in Mayhew Tools qualifying. He was strong early in the race, and looked to be a contender to win the Whelen Modified Tour’s return to Richmond for the first time since 2002 after leading laps. Then, a mechanical failure sent him to the garage area. Bonsignore’s night ended early, as the two-time series champion finished 24th. Luckily for Bonsignore, Patrick Emerling, his closest challenger in the series championship standings, also fell out of the race early with a mechanical failure. With just two races remaining on the championship points schedule, Bonsignore holds a 22-point edge over Emerling in search of his third championship. “What are the odds Patrick and I both had the failures,” Bonsignore said. “That’s the first mechanical part failure we have had in a long time. It’s a shame, because we had a really good car. I was just biding my time. I thought we were in good shape, but it just wasn’t meant to be tonight. I just want to thank Coastal Fiber and the rest of my sponsors for sticking behind me.” Justin Bonsignore will return to the track on Saturday, September 18 at Riverhead Raceway, his home track, in New York. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates.  Photo: NASCAR By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- With just three races left in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle, points leader Justin Bonsignore heads to Richmond Raceway this Friday, September 10, for race 12 of 14. Bonsignore will drive the No. 51 Kenneth Massa Motorsports entry in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 -- as the Whelen Modified Tour returns to Richmond for the first time since 2002. Bonsignore doesn’t have any competitive laps at the Virginia oval -- but he did complete a Hoosier tire test at the track earlier this season. Although he was the only car on the track that day, Bonsignore may have a slight advantage over some of his competitors entering the race. He leads the Whelen Modified Tour championship standings by 20 points over Patrick Emerling, as the two-time champion looks to seal his third title in the last four years. Bonsignore will carry sponsorship from Coastal Fiber, LLC, for the second time this year. As a local Virginia company that is a full service fiber optic construction and splicing company, Coastal Fiber is happy to be on the car for this event. Already an established part of the team, Coastal Fiber founder Mark Langevin also is the owner of Phoenix Communications, Inc., Bonsignore's primary sponsor on the Tour. “If we do have any advantage it will be minimal, the Whelen Modified Tour has a lot of good teams and drivers that adapt quickly to new tracks,” Bonsignore said. “But it might save us a few minutes of getting up to speed in practice. Any time we can go to a NASCAR Cup Series facility and be able to race with the Modifieds, it’s huge. This race has a lot of hype behind it. If you can win there, it will be a prominent spot in the trophy case.” On the points front, Bonsignore knows the final three races need to play out his way to win another title. “I’ve learned to be more mindful of the bigger picture all year, but we want to go out there and win the race. We can’t lose a large chunk of points,” Bonsignore continued. “We want to win all three races that are left. Mark and the team from Coastal Fiber will have multiple people in the stands and we look forward to having a good showing for them and we thank them for their support.” Following Richmond, Bonsignore and the rest of the tour will roll to Riverhead Raceway on Saturday, September 18, then Stafford Motor Speedway to close the season on Saturday, September 25. Friday’s race day schedule at Richmond will include one, 90-minute practice session from 1:30-3 p.m. Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Qualifying will take place at 5 p.m. for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150, with the green flag set to drop at 7 p.m. The race will air to a live audience on NBC Sports Gold through the TrackPass platform. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates, including on race day.  By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
OSWEGO, N.Y. -- Justin Bonsignore’s trip to upstate New York ended with a strong third-place finish at Oswego Speedway on Saturday, September 4. Bonsignore started from the third position in the Toyota Mod Classic 150 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour main event and quickly jumped out to the lead on lap three, leading through lap 13. After being passed by eventual race winner Ron Silk, Bonsignore chased the lead back and was at the point for circuits 49-60, and 62-76. However, a total of 38 laps led wasn’t quite enough to score his second win of the season. While Silk won -- and Matt Hirschman finished second -- Bonsignore’s third-place finish allowed him to open his championship lead to 20 points over Patrick Emerling, as Emerling finished 15th. Bonsignore leads the standings with three races, in three consecutive weeks, set to go before the champion of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is crowned later this month. “On the points side it was a good night for us,” Bonsignore said. “It’s getting down to crunch time, and this gives us a little bit of breathing room. We will still have to race hard for the next three races. We started just a little bit off, and we were counting on a pit stop, but it never happened. We were just a tick of Silk -- but congrats to those guys -- it was a dominating night for them. It was a really good night for our entire team.” Justin Bonsignore will return to the track on Friday, September 10, at Richmond Raceway in Virginia. Following the historic return to Richmond, the Whelen Modified Tour will visit Riverhead Raceway on September 18, and Stafford Motor Speedway on September 25, to close the season. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates.  Photo: Rob Branning By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- With four races remaining in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, Justin Bonsignore will spend Labor Day weekend in upstate New York. The Toyota Mod Classic 150 will take place at Oswego Speedway on Saturday, September 4, with Bonsignore set to wheel the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Chevrolet for Kenneth Massa Motorsports. In search of his third series title, Bonsignore leads Patrick Emerling by eight points in the standings with four consecutive weekends of racing left to decide the champion. Following Oswego, Bonsignore will head to Richmond Raceway on September 10, Riverhead Raceway on September 18 and Stafford Motor Speedway on September 25 in the chase for the crown. Oswego -- known as the ‘Steel Palace’, is a tricky oval known for the boiler plate that extends the inside wall out, towards the track. Bonsignore is the defending winner of the race, taking the checkered flag in 2019, as the tour didn’t run at Oswego last year due to COVID-19. He’s hoping that his past experience at the track, which includes the win and five starts, with a worst finish of sixth-place, will play to his advantage. “We’re in the stretch run, so we will be conscious of the points, but you can’t take your foot off the throttle, we have to try and maximize points and try not to put ourselves in a risk spot,” Bonsignore said. “It is still going to be trying to go and win the Oswego Classic. There is a lot of history, and it’s an important race. We thought we practiced well and had a good balance there in June, but we just missed it for qualifying and the race. We’ve gained some more speed back in the car with a similar package setup -- so we are going to go back there and try to be better and contend for the win.” Saturday’s race day schedule for the Toyota Mod Classic 150 at Oswego includes one practice session from 1:35-2:35 p.m., with Mayhew Tools qualifying set to begin at 4:15 p.m. The 150-lap race will take the green flag at 7:30 p.m. and will air live on NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass platform. For those in the upstate New York area, tickets will also be available at the track. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates.  Tom Morris Photo By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- Two months after a power outage forced the race to be postponed, Justin Bonsignore is hoping to capture the $10,000 check this Wednesday, August 25 at Seekonk Speedway. Bonsignore will return to Tri Track Open Modified Series competition for the fifth time this season in the 100-lap Speed51.TV Modified Madness. He will drive the No. 00 entry prepared by Jimmy Paige and Steve Lemay in the special event. In June, Bonsignore won his qualifying heat at Seekonk, earning him $300 in the Pepsi Challenge. However, a combination of a bad weather forecast and a power outage in the area postponed the race nearly two months. Since then, Bonsignore has a seventh-place finish at Star Speedway and a third-place finish at Monadnock Speedway in Tri Track action. He’s hoping to improve on those efforts and capture the big money on Wednesday night. “Starting ninth and looking forward to seeing what we can go out there and do in the battle for the $10,000,” Bonsignore said. “Thank you to the team for their hard work to get the car ready.” The schedule for a full night of racing includes practice from 5:30-6:10 p.m., followed by the drop of the green flag for the 100-lap feature around 7:30 p.m. The NEMA Lites and 350 SMAC Supermodifieds will also be in action. All tickets and pit passes that were purchased for the original Wednesday, June 30, date, will be honored on Wednesday if the ticket holder still has them in their possession. Additional tickets will also be available at the track for purchase for those who couldn’t make it the first time. The race will also be live on Speed51.TV for those who can’t make it to the track. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates.  By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
SCARBOROUGH, Maine -- Justin Bonsignore drove the Kenneth Massa Motorsports prepared entry to an eighth-place finish on Saturday, August 21 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Bonsignore ran inside the top-five for a good portion of the Rumble at the Ridge 200, but the team decided to pit late for a fresh tire and Bonsignore couldn’t quite charge to the front. The Holtsville, New York, native, maintained the championship points lead in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour chase with four races remaining in the season. “We had a pretty good car, and we had an extra tire in the pits and we wanted to try and take it late and the car just was really tight,” Bonsignore said. “You have to go for it every now and then, but it just didn’t work out for us tonight. We will be ready to go to Oswego.” Justin Bonsignore will return to the track with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday, September 4, at Oswego Speedway in New York. Bonsignore’s next time behind the wheel will be Wednesday, August 25 at Seekonk Speedway in the Speed51.TV Modified Madness, worth $10,000 to the winner. Bonsignore will wheel the No. 00 machine for Jimmy Paige Racing from the ninth starting position. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook.  PHOTO: Tom Morris Racing Photography By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- Justin Bonsignore will continue his quest for a third NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship this Saturday, August 21, at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. As the Whelen Modified Tour heads back to the Maine oval for the first time since 2005, Bonsignore leads the championship standings by 12 over Patrick Emerling. In the first nine races of the season, Bonsignore has eight top-five finishes, including one feature win at Jennerstown. In his last 50 Whelen Modified Tour starts, Bonsignore has 18 wins, 39 top-fives and 35 top-10 finishes. His grip on new race tracks is also impressive, with the Holtsville, New York, native winning in his first start at Jennerstown in 2020, winning the tour debut at White Mountain Motorsports Park in 2020, and finishing second at Lancaster Speedway just a few races ago. He’s excited to try and do it again this weekend in the state of Maine. “I’m definitely excited for another new race track,” Bonsignore said. “Not sure what to expect, but we will watch a bit of video going into it and see what we can learn. Hopefully we can have a good run and keep our momentum going. We are into that final stretch. We just have to keep doing what we are doing and we will be in contention for it.” The race day schedule for the Rumble at the Ridge 200 includes one Whelen Modified Tour practice session from 2:50-3:50 p.m., and an autograph session behind the grandstands at 5:30 p.m. The Mayhew Tools pole award will be determined at 6:30 p.m., followed by the drop of the green flag in the 200-lap event at 7:30 p.m. The race will air live on NBC Sports Gold through TrackPass, and will also be tape-delayed on NBCSN on Sunday, August 29. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook.  Photo: Souza Media By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
WINCHESTER, N.H. -- Justin Bonsignore’s day didn’t start the best, but it ended with a strong third-place finish at Monadnock Speedway on Saturday, August 14. Bonsignore drove the No. 00 Jimmy Paige machine to the podium finish in the fourth round of the Tri Track Open Modified Series season on the high-banks. The day started with a bad draw in the heat race, which forced the Holtsville, New York, native to fall to the rear of the field early in the 12-lap contest. From there, Bonsignore decided to save his tires and take his chances in the 100-lap race. At the beginning, he rode in the rear of the field and saved his equipment for when it mattered most. Bonsignore stayed out when leaders pitted at lap 42 and rode inside the top-five for the remainder of the race. A green-white-checkered finish at the end gave him one more shot at eventual winner Chase Dowling, but Bonsignore settled for third after Matt Hirschman slid by. It was the first top-five finish with Bonsignore as a combination with the Paige team. “The draw was tough for us and we couldn’t go anywhere in the heat,” Bonsignore said. “It almost worked out. Our car was really good. We had a second-place car tonight and we finished third. Steve (Lemay, crew chief) and I just keep getting better together. It was a good run for us.” Justin Bonsignore will return to the track on Saturday, August 21, with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine. Bonsignore leads the championship standings on the tour in quest for his third career championship. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook.  By Souza Media/Kyle Souza
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- A busy 2021 summer slate for Justin Bonsginore rolls on this Saturday, August 14, with another round of Tri Track Open Modified Series racing at Monadnock Speedway. Set to compete for Jimmy Paige in the familiar No. 00, Bonsignore will look to improve on his fourth-place finish at Monadnock in May. During the first stop at the New Hampshire bullring, Bonsignore started at the front, but backed up through the field to save his equipment, and charged back to the front after a pit stop late to score a top-five run. Since then, the car overheated at Star Speedway in May, and Bonsignore finished seventh in the last Tri Track event at Star on July 24. He’s hoping to get to Victory Lane this weekend at Monadnock -- a place where Bonsignore does have victories in Whelen Modified Tour action -- including in 2020. “We struggled a little bit there in May and hopefully we know where we need to start the race this time and we make the right adjustment on the pit stop,” Bonsignore said. “I’ve only worked with Jimmy, crew chief Steve Lemay and the team five or six times total. The car has been fast the whole season, and we have come a long way as a group together. Only racing six times each year, for us to get on the same page, it’s tough. But we are making better adjustments every single race and we continue to grow.” Saturday’s Monadnock 100 begins with one practice session from 2:30-3:30 p.m., followed by the start of qualifying heat races at 5:30 p.m. The 100-lap feature is estimated to take the green flag at 8:45 p.m., and will air to a live audience on Speed51.TV. Tickets will be available at the track for those who are interested in seeing the race in person. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook. |
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