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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Justin Bonsignore scores record-breaking 12th Riverhead victory on Whelen Modified Tour
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Growing up a race fan on Long Island, Justin Bonsignore was drawn to fellow Long Islander Mike Ewanitsko. Ewanitsko was a dominant force at Riverhead Raceway, now the only race track on Long Island, winning 11 times with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at the quarter-mile bullring. Advertisement For years, no one could claim to be on the same level as Ewanitsko in Modified Tour competition at Riverhead. Now Bonsignore can say he's surpassed him. RELATED: Full results from the Miller Lite Salutes Steve Park 200 The driver from Holtsville, New York scored his 46th Modified Tour win Sunday in the Miller Lite Salutes Steve Park 200. The win doubled as his 12th series victory at his home track, breaking a tie with Ewanitsko at the top of the all-time win list at the Long Island oval. 'I've been wanting to break this record for a long time,' Bonsignore said from Victory Lane. 'Mike was a childhood hero of mine.' Advertisement To secure his 12th victory at Riverhead, Bonsignore had to outlast a variety of challengers on Father's Day afternoon. Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk He qualified on the Hoosier Tire Pole, but the post-qualifying redraw saw Bonsignore draw the third starting position while Patrick Emerling secured the pole. It didn't take Bonsignore long to get to the lead; he overtook Emerling within the first 25 laps. However, he quickly found himself being challenged by Ron Silk, who entered Sunday's race as winner of three of the last four Modified Tour events at Riverhead. Silk quickly took the lead from Bonsignore and drove to more than a three second advantage, but the race was far from over. A serious of caution flags, the first coming with 90 laps left, led to a round of pit stops that saw Bonsignore beat Silk off pit road to regain the race lead. Advertisement 'Pit crew did a great job,' Bonsignore said. 'We had two really great pit stops.' The final stage of the race featured multiple caution flags, forcing Bonsignore to go on the defensive as he tried to hold the lead through repeated restarts. As the laps clicked off, Silk faded to fourth, and Bonsignore found himself trying to hold off Seekonk Speedway winner Matt Hirschman. A multi-car crash within the final five laps gave Hirschman one final opportunity to dethrone Bonsignore, but the driver of the No. 51 Ken Massa Motorsports Modified held his ground and delivered his first Modified Tour victory of the 2025 campaign. 'It was nice to beat Ron. We ran each other really hard but really clean,' Bonsignore said. 'He's been so good here the last couple years. We snuck a few in, but it was nice to outrun him today. Advertisement 'I got myself in trouble at Seekonk and caused a big wreck and tore up a lot of cars. It was mainly because I wanted to show Matt Hirschman the respect he deserves, and, you know what, I didn't have a good run there. He definitely ran me really clean on the last lap there, so things run in a full circle, and I appreciate that.' Hirschman acknowledged he could have forced Bonsignore's hand during the final restart but chose instead to race clean and settled for second. 'If you want to steal a win that's different than actually earning a win,' Hirschman said. 'We earned a good second-place finish today. Obviously they had a great car. They were up front most of the race and early they were out of sight.' With his first win of the 2025 season now behind him, Bonsignore can shift his focus to pursing his fifth Modified Tour championship. But first he wanted to spend a bit of time soaking in his 12th Riverhead win with his family by his side on Father's Day. Advertisement 'To have my family here, it's the first race that all of them have been to this year,' Bonsignore said. 'For it to be on Father's Day at home and everything we did, it's just really cool.' Emerling finished third after leading the opening laps Sunday afternoon. Silk was fourth, followed by Craig Lutz in fifth. The remainder of the top 10 included Kyle Bonsignore, Tommy Catalano, Austin Beers, Tyler Rypkema and Luke Baldwin. The Modified Tour roars back to action in two weeks when the series returns to White Mountain Motorsports Park in Winchester, New Hampshire for the running of the Thunder in the Mountains 200 on Saturday, June 28. The event will air live on FloRacing at 8 p.m. ET.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Jake Johnson seeks validation in JMA Motorsports' home race at Seekonk Speedway
More than a year has passed since Jake Johnson brought Ole Blue back to Victory Lane on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, a win that arrived at Monadnock Speedway in New Hampshire. A lot has changed for Johnson since that day, but his commitment to winning in Modifieds remains unwavering. Now part-time in the series with JMA Motorsports, Johnson is set to make his second Modified Tour appearance with the program in Saturday's J&R Precast 150 at Massachussets' Seekonk Speedway. Advertisement Johnson's first start with JMA earlier this season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park saw him qualify on the outside pole before he was eliminated in a wreck with nine laps to go. Despite the Thompson race ending in disappointment, Johnson said the cohesion he and JMA displayed that weekend has provided him plenty of optimism ahead of Saturday's race. 'We've had a pretty good year so far,' Johnson said. 'Everywhere we've shown up with my family car or the No. 07 car, we've had a lot of speed. I'm excited to get back in the No. 07, because [even though] Thompson was rough, we showed good speed. 'These guys are deserving of a good run, and I think we can put one together [at Seekonk].' Johnson was enjoying a career season on the Modified Tour last year before he sustained a hard crash in the second race at Thompson. After the wreck, Johnson parted ways with Boehler Racing Enterprises and did not return to the series for the rest of 2024. Jake Johnson driver of the #3 Propane Plus; Lin\ As Johnson was crafting a 2025 racing schedule with his family car, JMA co-owners Mike and Justin Albernaz reached out to him about competing in select Modified Tour events. Johnson jumped at the offer to race with JMA, which now assists his own program in other Modified events around the northeast. Advertisement The Albernaz family's involvement in motorsports extends far beyond Modified competition. Mike operated CJ Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 1999-00, when he fielded entries for a variety of drivers like David Starr, Lonnie Rush Jr. and 2008 Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher. Mike's hands-on approach to racing was passed down to his grandson Justin, who also serves as the crew chief for the No. 07 Modified. The addition of Johnson to JMA's program has been invaluable for the younger Albernaz, who praised the determination his driver displays both on and off the track. '[Jake] is 100 percent focused on racing,' Albernaz said. 'His mind is in it, and he's not only worried about driving it, he's worried about getting the car right. He's very talented behind the wheel. He's aggressive at times, but that's what you need to get the job done sometimes.' RELATED: Career stats for Jake Johnson Advertisement One aspect of the partnership between Johnson and JMA involves the crews from both programs working on the same car. Combining resources made the duo stronger and reinforced the expectations Johnson and the Albernaz family have for the Modified Tour, which is to win a race together. Thompson showcased that Johnson and JMA could hold their own with the full-time Modified Tour operations across the board. The two sides are eager to shake off the late-race crash from Thompson and utilize their collective knowledge by putting together a complete weekend at Seekonk. Especially since this is a hometown affair for nearly everyone involved at JMA. 'Seekonk was probably the first one that got put on the list just because [JMA's] shop is about three minutes away,' Johnson said. 'Seekonk is about 10 minutes from my house, so it's a special place for us because it's our home turf. We always run good there, and [JMA] used to run good there when we did open racing at Seekonk. Advertisement 'It made a lot of sense for us to circle Seekonk.' Jake Johnson, driver of the number 07 Lin's Propane; Propane Plus; Platinum Fire Protection; Island International; Axis Wealth Partners modified, during the IceBreaker 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 16, 2025 in Thompson, Connecticut. (Rob Branning/NASCAR) Countless trips to Seekonk over the years have provided Albernaz plenty of insight into all the fundamentals necessary to prevail. The facility only being 0.333 miles in length means laps will click of rapidly Saturday evening. That emphasizes the importance of obtaining solid track position in qualifying. Albernaz does not see qualifying being a problem for Johnson at Seekonk given how fast he was in the No. 07 at Thompson. The challenge for Albernaz will be designing a setup that responds well to Seekonk's unique characteristics and puts Johnson in the best position to upset the Modified Tour regulars. Advertisement '[Seekonk] is a very tough track to get around,' Albernaz said. 'It's very throttle-sensitive and this race is going to be all about saving tires. That's going to be the biggest talk in the garage probably for the entire race. With Jake's laps on the track and our expertise with how many races we've run there, I think we should be pretty good.' A Modified Tour win at his family's home track would be an emotional, cathartic moment for Albernaz. Mike enjoyed numerous Seekonk victories with drivers like Eddie St. Angelo, Vinny Annarummo and Mike Christopher Sr.; now Justin wants to add to his family's legacy at the track with JMA's first win. Johnson is focused on not only helping JMA secure a Seekonk checkered flag, but also on validating his talent to the rest of the Modified Tour field. Prevailing at Monadnock in Ole Blue last year was a milestone moment, but Johnson knows he can accomplish so much more. 'I don't want to be known as the guy who just won one [Modified Tour] race as a fluke,' Johnson said. 'If I could go win two or three Tour races, I think it would solidify that [Monadnock] wasn't luck. The No. 07 is overdue for a win. They've been super strong everywhere they go, so I'd like to do that for them, as well.' With their chemistry continuing to grow every week, Johnson and JMA are ready to make a statement in their second Modified Tour race together this weekend by earning a victory in front of their hometown crowd.
