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Race Recap by Souza Media
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – A classic short-track battle between two of the veterans of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour ended with Justin Bonsignore’s 10th career Riverhead Raceway win on Sunday afternoon in the Buzz Chew 200. Bonsignore started from the top spot after scoring his 25th career pole in qualifying and ran second for much of the race but was able to roll the outside lane by Ron Silk on a late restart to get back to Victory Lane.
Silk led much of the race – but a caution late stacked the field up and gave Bonsignore another shot. The two battled side-by-side, beating and banging during a short-track battle in New York. Off turn four, Bonsignore was sideways on the outside lane, but a caution flew for a multiple-car accident and Bonsignore was out front, holding the advantage for the final restart of the 200-lap race.
Bonsignore drove off turn four to the checkered flag. The victory places Bonsignore just one short of the Whelen Modified Tour wins record at Riverhead – 11 – held by Mike Ewanitsko. Bonsignore will have a chance to tie when the series returns to Riverhead on June 24.
The win was also Bonsignore’s 36th career – giving him sole possession of fourth place on the all-time wins list on the Whelen Modified Tour. He now sits just seven wins short of Ted Christopher for the top-three.
“Ron and I have been beating the heck out of each other all year,” Bonsignore said. “The caution towards the end was good for us. You just have to keep yourself in these races and it fell our way today. It’s unbelievable to get number 10 at Riverhead. I can’t thank everyone on this team enough. It’s a cool way to get to Victory Lane. All of these are special. Tying MIke has been a goal of ours for a long time and to get this close to the record is special. These races never get any easier to win.”
In just six days, Justin Bonsignore will return to the track with the next race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule – the Granite State Derby at Lee USA Speedway – on Saturday, May 27. For more information and tickets for the race, visit JDVProductions.com.
For more information on Justin Bonsignore and the Kenneth Massa Motorsports team, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook for the latest news and updates.
