Solomito Muscles Way to Langley Victory

By admin May 14, 2017 Langley, NASCAR WMT

Reclaims Whelen Modified Tour Points Lead with Second Win of 2017

HAMPTON, Va. — Timmy Solomito muscled his way past Doug Coby with seven laps to go to score the victory in Saturday night’s City of Hampton 150 at Langley Speedway – his second victory of the season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Coby had dominated much of the event, leading all but six laps, but Solomito closed in on him in the closing stages of the 150 lap race at the .396-mile oval in Hampton, Virginia. When Solomito finally got to Coby’s rear bumper, he began to press the issue, looking to the inside and the outside and repeatedly giving shots to Coby.  With seven laps to go, and the third and fourth place cars of Max Zachem and Eric Goodale joining the battle for the win, Solomito executed the bump-and-run, which resulted in Coby spinning.

Solomito then survived a restart with two laps to go and survived overtime to clinch the win.

“I hate to race that way,” Solomito said. “We had a really fast car tonight. I pressed him and tried to get him to slip up. He slipped up a few times. I showed my nose a couple times. I have a lot of respect for Doug but he’s trying to win a race and I’m trying to win a race. Unfortunately, tight quarters, you’re racing on a small track, I hate to win races that way but it happens, contact happens.

“Unfortunately, it’s racing. It is a contact sport here and there and sometimes things happen. We didn’t want that to happen but it’s hard racing. Two guys going for the same piece of real estate for the win. If I could go back, would I have done anything different? Probably not. Everybody’s here to win.”

The win at Langley marks Solomito’s second of the season. Earlier this year, he won the Whelen Modified season opener at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway and backed it up with a second-place finish at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Despite an 11th place finish at Stafford, the strong start to the season has Solomito thinking big picture.

“We just have to keep it rolling and keep running strong and having good finishes,” Solomito remarked. “At the end of the day, every position counts.  You have to play your cards right and be there at the end. You just have to finish every race.  It’s not always about winning as many races as you can, it’s about finishing up front and running well.”

Doug Coby, who led 134 laps, ended up being relegated to a 15th place finish after the contact with Solomito.

“Timmy made his car faster, and we were just a tick tighter,” Coby said. “We still had a fast race car, a controllable race car. It was a good race, that’s what the fans deserve to see. They don’t want to see somebody walk away by a straightaway.”

As Solomito closed in, Coby said he expected the race to come down to paint trading.

“I was expecting the bumper shots, the crossovers, and stuff,” Coby explained. “No matter what he was trying to do, if I don’t give up the bottom, he can’t get by me. That’s short track racing. You’ve got the outside to go around, you’ve got the way bottom to go around.  If I’ve got a fast car and I’m on the bottom, find another way around.”

Eric Goodale finished in second, his best result of the season. Kyle Bonsignore finished third while Max Zachem and Justin Bonsignore rounded out the top-five.

Rob Summers, Rowan Pennink, Danny Bohn, Kyle Ebersole and Matt Swanson completed the top 10.

Solomito took over the points lead with his victory, leading by nine points over Rowan Pennink following the race at Langley Speedway.  Eric Goodale sits third in points while Justin Bonsignore and Max Zachem sit fourth and fifth.

The next race for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be held at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on June 14th.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-The City of Hampton 150 Results
Saturday
At Langley Speedway
Hampton, Va.
Lap length: 0.396 miles
(Start position in parentheses)

  1. (3) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Ford, 156 laps, 48.452 mph.
  2. (2) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156.
  3. (13) Kyle Bonsignore, Bay Shore, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156.
  4. (10) Max Zachem, Preston, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.
  5. (9) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 156.
  6. (4) Rob Summers, Manchester, CT, Chevrolet, 156.
  7. (5) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 156.
  8. (6) Danny Bohn, Freehold, N.J., Chevrolet, 156.
  9. (18) Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, PA., Chevrolet, 156.
  10. (17) Matt Swanson, Acton, Mass., Ford, 156.
  11. (15) Brendon Bock, Franklin Square, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156.
  12. (14) Craig Lutz, Miller Place, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156.
  13. (21) Calvin Carroll, Newton, N.J., Chevrolet, 156.
  14. (7) Dave Sapienza, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156.
  15. (1) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.
  16. (12) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.
  17. (20) Gary Putnam, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.
  18. (8) George Brunnhoelzl III, West Babylon, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156.
  19. (23) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Ford, 154.
  20. (25) Walter Sutcliffe Jr., East Haven, Conn., Chevrolet, 123, handling.
  21. (24) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 119, engine.
  22. (16) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 109, accident.
  23. (19) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Chevrolet, 88, distributor.
  24. (11) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 51, accident.
  25. (22) Lauren Edgerton, Chesterfield, VA., Chevrolet, 43, handling.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 1 hour 16 minutes 30 seconds

Margin of Victory: 0.806 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: D.Coby (92.004 mph, 15.495 seconds)

Caution Flags: 9 for 44 laps.

Lead Changes: 5 among 3 drivers.

Lap Leaders: D. Coby 1-54; T. Solomito 55; D. Coby 56-99; R. Summers 100-107; D. Coby

108-143; T. Solomito 144-156.

Standings: 1. T. Solomito, 170; 2. R. Pennink, 161; 3. E. Goodale, 148; 4. J. Bonsignore,

147; 5. M. Zachem, 143; 6. M. Swanson, 134; 7. W. Pitkat, 132; 8. R. Summers, 131; 9. D.

Coby, 119; 10. D. Sapienza, 117.

Sources: Jason Christley/NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

NWMT Langley 5-13-17 Results
Whelen Modified Tour
Race: NWMT Langley 5/13/17
PRINTABLE VERSION (PDF)

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 3 16 Timmy Solomito Starrett Tools Ford 156 47 4 Running
2 2 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing Chevrolet 156 42 Running
3 13 22 Kyle Bonsignore Snap-On Tools Chevrolet 156 41 Running
4 10 20 Max Zachem MPZ Motorsports/Lu-Macs Chevrolet 156 40 Running
5 9 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet 156 39 Running
6 4 64 Rob Summers Hoosier Tire East/Fast Track Elect/Hughes Motors 156 39 1 Running
7 5 3 Rowan Pennink Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet 156 37 Running
8 6 40 Danny Bohn Dunleavy Truck & Trailer Repair/Will I Am South 156 36 Running
9 18 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Chevrolet 156 35 Running
10 17 89 Matt Swanson Starrett Tools Ford 156 34 Running
11 15 29 Brendon Bock Meadow Brook Collision Chevrolet 156 33 Running
12 14 56 Craig Lutz Lutz Motorsports Chevrolet 156 32 Running
13 21 39 Calvin Carroll * Power with Prestige/Cruising w/Betty Chevrolet 156 31 Running
14 7 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprise Chevrolet 156 30 Running
15 1 2 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools Chevrolet 156 31 2 Running
16 12 46 Woody Pitkat Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet 156 28 Running
17 20 77 Gary Putnam Curb Records Chevrolet 156 27 Running
18 8 6 George Brunnhoelzl III T.S. Haulers Chevrolet 156 26 Running
19 23 33 Wade Cole Perf. Engines/Kendall Oil Ford 154 25 Running
20 25 78 Walter Sutcliffe Jr. * Last Minute Racing Chevrolet 123 24 Handling
21 24 01 Melissa Fifield Eastern Propane & Oil Chevrolet 119 23 Engine
22 16 11 Andy Seuss LFR Chassis Chevrolet 109 22 Accident
23 19 82 Spencer Davis Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet 88 21 Distributor
24 11 85 Todd Szegedy Montanari Fuel/Stuarts Auto/J&R Pre-Cast Chevrolet 51 20 Accident
25 22 72 Lauren Edgerton * Precision Powder Coating Chevrolet 43 19 Handling

RACE STATISTICS
Estimated Weekend Attendance:0
Fastest Qualifier: Doug Coby, Time: 15.495 Seconds, Speed: 92.004 mph
Failed to Qualify:
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 16 mins, 30 secs Average Speed: 48.452 mph Margin of Victory: 0.806 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 15-20; 49-54; 57-59; 79-83; 96-102; 110-114; 122-125; 145-147; 149-153. 9 for 44 laps.
Lap Leaders: Doug Coby 1-54, Timmy Solomito 55, Doug Coby 56-99, Rob Summers 100-107, Doug Coby 108-143, Timmy Solomito 144-156.
Total Laps Led: Doug Coby 134, Timmy Solomito 14, Rob Summers 8. 5 changes involving 3 drivers.
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
Top 10 Driver Points: Timmy Solomito 170, Rowan Pennink 161, Eric Goodale 148, Justin Bonsignore 147, Max Zachem 143, Matt Swanson 134, Woody Pitkat 132, Rob Summers 131, Doug Coby 119, Dave Sapienza 117
Top 5 Rookie Points:
Next Race:Thompson

* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender