Bonsignore Returning to SK Modifieds® at Stafford
LOUDON, NH — Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY will return to SK Modified® competition for NAPA Fall Final weekend at Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway next weekend.
“Spoke to Art yesterday and we’re going to come back and run the last race there,” Bonsignore said. “Probably do some other stuff before the end of the season with the SK as well, we’re just not 100 percent sure on what races yet.”
Bonsignore has two top fives and eight top tens in 12 starts this season. Bonsignore’s last race was the NAPA SK 5k where he finished ninth.
“Art was in the hospital with some complications, but he’s doing a lot better now. He’s been getting the car ready. He’s the hardest working 81 or 82-year-old man that you’ll ever meet. He does it all, so it means a lot and we didn’t really want to go to the racetrack without him anyways. And Kenny had a lot going on with the business and it just kind of everything kind of fell into place there that week to take some time off. So, but looking forward to getting back with them.”
Bonsignore will race the North-South Shootout at Concord (NC) Speedway for Kenneth Massa in the M3 Technology No. 51. He expects to know within a week or two if they will be bringing the No. 21 SK Modified® to enter both races.
Bonsignore teamed with NEAR Hall of Famer Art Barry to win the Valenti Modified Racing Series championship in 2014. They raced an SK Modified® this season at Stafford, and will try something new in 2016.
“We’re not really sure what our plans are. We’re definitely not going to do an SK again. That just wasn’t something that either of us halfway through decided that we were enjoying, so we’re going to do something. We’re just not sure yet what it is. He’s winding down his career and I really don’t have the chance to travel as much as I was, so we’ll do something.”
New Hampshire Motor Speedway has not been kind to Bonsignore. In 12 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts, he has one top five and three top tens. He also had two engine failures and DNFs due to crashes.
“We’ve just had a lot of engine failures and in the last year or so, the last couple of years. It’s just a lot of bad luck. The spring race here, we had a good car. I thought we could’ve raced our way, maybe had a good top 10 finish and got caught up in that wreck. So got a really good car today and I think as long as we can stay in that top five or six all day, we’ll be alright when it gets down to it.”
Drafting is an essential part of racing Modifieds at the 1.058-mile oval. With restrictor plates on the engines, drivers stay grouped together, often executing passes exiting the flat corners. Five races have been won from outside the top 20.
“With the intermission and the way that we stay in the pack, for the most part, you can always come back through the field if you got the car right at the end. So hopefully we could just make it an easy a day as possible and stay in that top five and put ourselves in a good position with 10-15 to go to get to the lead.”
Bonsignore is tenth in the standings with two wins, five top fives, and six top tens. Bonsignore was 20th or worse in the other six races, averaging a 24th place finish. Bonsignore would like to add a victory in the remaining races at New Hampshire, Stafford, and Thompson.
“They’re all marquee events in our series these last three. So to win any of them would be a huge accomplishment. We already got two wins. It would be nice to get a third.”
Today’s F.W. Webb 100 will be the 600th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race. The track has hosted 62 races since 1990, often paired with headlining events for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or Verizon IndyCar Series.
“It worked out perfect that New Hampshire’s going to be the 600th race for the series. We always put on great shows here over the years and I couldn’t think of a better place to have the 600th ’cause it will probably be a very exciting race and it’s special that they’ve kept this going for as long as it has and hopefully they can get to 700.”
Bonsignore, the 2011 Riverhead (NY) Raceway Modified champion, swept both races at his home track earlier this season.
“It was really cool. We’ve had a tough season, so to get the first win at Riverhead meant a lot. And then the season kind of continued in a rough fashion until we got back and to at least salvage that. To get two wins this year, especially at home, is special and especially being the Cromartys are selling the racetrack to get the last two under their banner ship is pretty cool and look forward to getting back there next year with the new owners.”
The historic quarter-mile oval opened in 1949. Barbara and Jim Cromarty promoted the sole surviving oval track on Long Island for the last 31 years before selling to Ed Partridge earlier this year.
“They’re up there in age and they didn’t have to continue to work and go through the headaches and the stresses of running a racetrack. But they were persistent to make sure that they got the owners to continue having racing on Long Island. That’s a tough thing on the island to get property and everywhere is closed. So they did us a huge favor and everybody kind of owes them a debt of gratitude, I think, for continuing to keep going and plugging along all those years and I know Eddie. He’s going to step in and do a great job and probably make some improvements to the place.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com
Racing-Reference.info
RiverheadRaceway.com
Hometracks.NASCAR.com
Photos by Paul Fohlin, Michael Jaworecki, and Nicholas Teto