Justin Bonsignore Tops
Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modifieds; Tom Rogers Jr. Takes 2010
Championship
Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville the leading rookie driver on
the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour enjoyed some home cooking
Saturday night when he topped the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature
event at Riverhead Raceway posting the
$1,425 victory. With a 5th place finish Tom Rogers Jr. of
Patchogue sewed up the 2010 NASCAR Modified championship giving
him two titles in the class with his first coming in 2004.
Amber Fortin paced the race for the first two circuits before
Chris Young made an outside pass for the lead on lap 3 to take
over the lead with Amber holding down second until lap five when
a faulty MSD box started to affect her effort. Justin Bonsignore
moved to second on lap 6 and would chase Chris Young for the
lead over the following 14 laps, including several double file
restarts. Young, looking for his second win in a row was able to
thwart the efforts of Bonsignore each time but on lap 21 a
lapped car would play havoc with the race leader. As he exited
the second corner Chris Young, lapping a slower car got clipped
ever so slightly by the right front wheel of Frank Saladino
sending him into a spin of the second corner which effectively
ended his bid for victory. That turn of events moved Bonsignore
out front with John Fortin now sitting second with 15-laps
remaining
When the green flag waved Fortin tried to gain a run on
Bonsignore to the outside on the double file restart, but Justin
was having none of it and was able to hold John off not only on
the lap 20 restart, but also five laps later on lap 25. Fortin,
who came to the race with championship hopes still alive chased
Bonsignore for the remainder of the race, but with Tom Rogers
Jr. moving into fifth those title hopes were being dashed.
At the finish it was Justin Bonsignore crossing the line
first for his third career victory to which he commented
afterwards, "I'm so happy to give my new M3 Technologies team
our first win together. This one is for Ken and my entire crew
who have worked so very hard to run on the tour as well as the
races we ran here this year."
John Fortin of Holtsville was runner-up in the SGS Stone
Works Chevy and although he didn't win the Riverhead title he
still leads the New York State rankings for the NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series which does not recognize the three double
point races contested at the quarter mile oval in 2010. Bill
Park of Manorville was third in the JAD Carpet Showcase Chevy
with Wayne Anderson of Yaphank and Tommy Rogers Jr. of Patchogue
fifth.
After Bonsignore was done taking photos Tom Rogers Jr. moved
his HR Promotions entry in victory lane and praised his team for
their efforts towards the title, "my guys, most of whom have
been with me for my Figure Eights and Late Model championships
stepped it up this year. After last year I had something to
prove and I think we did that with this championship".
For the first time since 2004 Shawn Patrick of Brightwaters
was a Late Model winner as he topped their 25 lap main event.
After Artie Pedersen showed the way for the first three laps
Patrick moved out front on lap 4 with Roger Oxee racing his way
to second two laps later. Oxee glued himself to Patrick's rear
bumper with Mike Bologna close behind with this duo trying to
track down Kevin Metzger for the championship. On lap 5 disaster
struck the tandem as Bologna got into Oxee for Roger into a spin
in turn two, with NASCAR Officials placing Bologna to the rear
for aggressive driving. That turn of events moved Kevin Metzger
alongside Patrick for the double file restart with Patrick out
running Metzger to the first turn for the race lead, a lead the
driver of the Steve Mehner Race Engines Chevy would not
surrender as he drove to his third career win. Kevin Metzger of
Massapequa was runner-up in the VJ Auto Body Chevy, while Scott
Kulesa of Georgetown, Ma crossed the line third in the Ranco
Sand & Stone Pontiac. Metzger leads Oxee by 18 points and
Bologna by 20 with one race to go in 2010.
Just minutes after celebrating his Modified title, Tom Rogers
Jr. jumped into the Ralph Tasso owned Chevy and drove to his
second Figure Eight win of 2010 in a 15-lap contest. Tom Graff
led the first lap of the tilt before he was passed by Mike
Mujsce on the second lap of the race dropping Graff to second.
Tom's night would get worse on lap 4 during a yellow flag when
he was forced to give up second to make a visit to the pits
moving Arne Pedersen to second alongside Mujsce. Arne who came
to the race as the point leader and Mujsce who is third in the
standings battled hard for the lead and that fight got too close
as they got together in turn one drawing a yellow light. That
moved Tom Rogers Jr. to the race lead in the S&H Welding
machine, a lead he not give up over the final half of the race
to post his 16th career win in the class. Scott Pedersen of
Shirley moved by his brother Arne for the points lead with his
second place finish giving him a 4-point lead going into next
Saturday's double point race. Ken Hyde Jr. of Medford was third
in the Gershow Recycling Dodge.
Brian Doyle of Ronkonkoma notched his second Charger win of
2010 when he won the 20-lap main event for the class for his 3rd
career win. Daryn Miller jumped out front of the field leading
Eric Zeh over the first 8 circuits of the race before Zeh was
passed by Doyle on lap 9. Brian went right to work on Miller for
the race lead as the duo entered a game of cat and mouse with
Miller protecting the inside lane forcing Doyle to take a look
outside from time to time. With the laps waning down Doyle
entering turn three gave Miller a nudge moving Daryn up the hill
some which allowed Doyle to slip underneath for the race lead.
Once out front Brian Doyle in the Creative Craftsman Chevy never
looked back and drove to victory lane a multiple time winner in
2010. Point leader Chris Turbush of Riverhead was second in the
National Fire Safety Pontiac with Daryn Miller of Franklin
Square third in the Business Brokers Chevy. With one race to go
Chris Turbush has a 14-point margin over Chris McGuire for the
championship.
Rob Bader was in the right place at the right time to win his
second consecutive Blunderbust main event for his third win of
the season. "Racing" Ray Shannon and Gary Caldwell ran one-two
for the first 8 laps before Tommy "The Wildchild" Walkowiak
slipped under Caldwell for second on lap 9. Tommy not only
looking to win the race but also clinch the 2010 championship
went right to work on Shannon for the race lead. Ray was
protecting the inside lane on Tommy which forced the challenger
to look outside from lap to lap but on the 14th lap contact was
made in turn four slowing the two long enough to allow Rob Bader
to slip by for the lead. Walkowiak remained second with Shannon
unfortunately dropping the infield with a left rear flat. Over
the final five laps Rob Bader in the Robert's Express Oil entry
would lead the remainder of the race to score his 6th career
victory. Tommy Walkowiak of Ridge seemingly finished second to
secure the 2010 championship, but NASCAR Officials placed him
last of the lead lap cars for his incident with Shannon on lap
14. That moved Scott Maliszewski of Deer Park to second in the
FB Transmission Chevy, with Tom Pickerell of Huntington third in
the Pickerell Clam Buick. Walkowiak still has a healthy lead, 38
point over Pickerell going into the finale next Saturday.
The 20-lap Super Pro Truck event turned out to be a Dumicich
family affair with Frank Dumicich Jr. of E. Quogue out gunning
dear old dad Frank Sr. for the 20-lap victory. For the entire
first half of the race and then some the Dumicich tandem ran
side by side for the race lead, a position they'd swap numerous
times over the first 12 laps. On lap 13 Frank Jr. moved out
front in his Gregg's Landscaping Chevy with father Frank giving
chase in his Wesemann's Sand & Mason Supplies Ford over the
final seven laps. Moving to third to break-up the Dumicich
family reunion was point leader Roger Turbush, who in turn had
the third member of the racing Dumicich family Erin not too far
behind in fourth. When the dust settled youth was served with
Frank Dumicich Jr. posting his 11th career win moving him into a
tie with Pat Smith for fourth on the all-time win list. Frank
Dumicich Sr. was second with Roger Turbush of Riverhead third in
the Allied Air Conditioning Chevy.
That finish gives Roger a 26-point lead over Frank Dumicich
Jr. going into the Golden Auto Body finale Saturday.
The 20-lap Legend Race Car main event featured a battle
between 68-year old Silas Hiscock Sr. and "The Natural" Timmy
Solomito for the race lead with youth once again prevailing as
Solomito scored his third win of 2010.
Hiscock broke out front at the throw of the green and the
winner of a Modified feature on July 8th, 1961 was out to take
his first Legend Race Car triumph. Chris Turbush chased Silas
for the first two laps before Jimmy Byrne moved by on lap 3, a
position Byrne would hold down for the following 6 laps as at
the halfway point Timmy Solomito moved by Byrne and set sail for
leader Hiscock. Silas did not go away without a fight as Timmy
had to try multiple times to race his way by for the lead which
he finally did for good on lap 14 with an inside pass in turn
three. Once out front Timmy Solomito in his Riverhead Building
Supply racer drove to the popular win.
Jim Byrne of Selden had his best effort of 2010 with second
in the First Class Video Productions entry, while Silas Hiscock
Sr. of Bridgehampton held on for third in the Hampton Tank Gas
Service machine. Kevin Nowak of Medford clinched the 2010
Legends championship when he crossed the line 6th in his Racing
Creations racer, his first career track title.
Source: Bob Finan/Riverhead
Raceway PR
Posted: September
13, 2010