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PHOTOS: Tom Morris Racing Photography
LOUDON, N.H. – Justin Bonsignore had a busy Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – one that ended with his 42nd career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory – and a strong performance in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Bonsignore started the day early – as the Whelen Modified Tour hit the track for the Mohegan Sun 100 at 10 a.m. Bonsignore ran inside the top-three for the duration of the race after rolling off on the front row for the 100-lap event. In the final laps, he battled with his cousin, Kyle Bonsignore, for the win. Justin kept control of the race for the final restart, then drove away from Kyle on the backstretch and back to the start-finish line to rocket to Victory Lane.
The Whelen Modified Tour win was Justin’s second of the season through seven events, and tied Ted Christopher for third all-time on the series wins list. Bonsignore now sits behind Reggie Ruggerio (44) and Mike Stefanik (74) on the wins list.
“We have 16 awesome races in a year, but this is our Daytona 500,” Justin said. “Everyone wants to win this race. There’s so much that goes into putting yourself in position and having a good car. It’s mentally tough to control and understand what you need to do in these late restarts.”
Bonsignore pulled within two points of leader Ron Silk in the championship standings as the series heads for the halfway point of the season in the next race, set for July 20 at Monadnock Speedway.
After the Whelen Modified Tour win, Bonsignore moved to his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing, competing in the SciAps 200. Driving the M3 Technology, USNE No. 19 Toyota GR Supra, Bonsignore started 25th in the field after qualifying was canceled on Friday due to rain. In the early part of the race, Bonsignore pitted and stayed out at the end of the first stage, taking the lead of the race. From there, he ran in the top-five for a large portion of the day.
After a late caution, contact in turn one sent Bonsignore spinning, pushing him to a finish of 23rd in his debut. However, the result didn’t show the day the New York native had on NASCAR’s National Series stage.
“You really couldn’t have asked for a better day with Joe Gibbs Racing,” Bonsignore said. “Our crew chief played some great strategy to get us up there. I was still learning even right to the end of the race. I was getting better and better all day long and we had a really good car. I can’t thank M3 Technology, USNE and everyone else who made this possible enough for the opportunity.”
For more information on three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow him on social media.
