Justin Bonsignore celebrates in victory lane after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Riverhead Raceway. Photo: Dakota Moyer/NASCAR
For most of Sunday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, it appeared Ron Silk would finally visit victory lane at New York’s Riverhead Raceway in his 23rd NWMT start at the track.
Instead, Justin Bonsignore ended up celebrating his 10th career tour victory at Riverhead.
A dominant performance for Silk was undone by a perfect restart from Bonsignore on the outside line with less than 10 laps remaining. Bonsignore subsequently held off Silk during an overtime restart to further establish himself as the most dominant driver at Riverhead in the last decade.
“Ron and I have been beating the hell out of each other all year,” Bonsignore said. “That caution with 15 to go was good for us, and I got a really good restart after he spun the tires bad. We were beating and banging, and I thought we were going to wreck when that yellow came out but thank God we didn’t.
“It’s unbelievable to get No. 10 here and it’s a cool way to get into victory lane after a battle like that.”
Bonsignore’s dominance at Riverhead dates to 2011 when he earned his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory after leading 158 of the 175 laps.
With accomplishments at the facility that include four consecutive victories spanning from 2018-2019, Bonsignore has set a commanding precedent for both full-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors and track regulars each time the series visits Riverhead.
Silk was confident his car was strong enough to outrun Bonsignore heading into the weekend. He quickly wrestled the lead away from Bonsignore after the initial start and methodically controlled the race while navigating his way through slower traffic.
The decision by Silk to take the inside line on the penultimate restart ultimately gave Bonsignore the opening he needed to pull ahead and deny the 2011 tour champion the opportunity to add a Riverhead win to his resume.
Despite the disappointment, Silk still considered the afternoon a success and believes the speed he showed on Sunday will carry over into the next two Riverhead events on the tour calendar.
“This is the best car we’ve had here in a while,” Silk said. “I thought I was a little bit better than Justin even after he got by me. The bottom is where you want to be on the restart, but I didn’t do a good enough job and he was able to get in front of me. This is the best we’ve run here so far, and hopefully we’ll do a little better (in the next race).”
Bonsignore said Silk’s efficiency in the race highlighted just how tough tour wins are to obtain, but he added the challenge provided by the series only made his 10th Riverhead victory even more memorable.
“Anytime you can win one of these races is special,” Bonsignore said. “We’ve won our fair share over the years, but they never get any easier because everyone is always trying harder each year to take down the previous year’s champion. We had a tough year last year but have had at least a second-place car just about every race.
“(If) you put yourself in that position, you’re going to win races.”
Bonsignore will have two more chances to add to his Riverhead win total during the 2023 season. His next triumph at the facility will tie him with Mike Ewanitsko, who claimed 11 tour wins at Riverhead from 1987 to 2000.
Defending tour champion Jon McKennedy finished third on Sunday, with Tyler Rypkema in fourth and Eric Goodale in fifth. J.B. Fortin, Patrick Emerling, Jake Johnson, Craig Lutz and Kyle Bonsignore rounded out the top-10.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be back in action on Saturday, May 27 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Riverhead Raceway – Riverhead, NY
Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 – May 21, 2023
1. Justin Bonsignore
2. Ron Silk
3. Jon McKennedy
4. Tyler Rypkema
5. Eric Goodale
6. J.B. Fortin
7. Patrick Emerling
8. Jake Johnson
9. Craig Lutz
10. Kyle Bonsignore
11. Timmy Solomito
12. Chris Young
13. Kyle Soper
14. Jack Handley, Jr.
15. John Beatty, Jr.
16. Anthony Nocella
17. Austin Beers
18. Justin Brown
19. Doug Coby
20. Gary McDonald
21. Melissa Fifield
22. Matthew Brode
23. Dylan Slepian
24. Roger Turbush
25. Ken Heagy
26. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III
27. Dave Sapienza
28. Chris Turbush
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