Bonsignore Breaks The Ice At Thompson
First Icebreaker Win; 4th In Whelen Modified Tour Career
THOMPSON, Conn. – Wins at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park don’t come easy and Justin Bonsignore earned a hard-fought one on Sunday.
The 26-year-old from Holtsville, N.Y., outdueled pole sitter Woody Pitkat for the win in the Icebreaker 150 presented by Town Fair Tire. Pitkat was poised for his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, but Bonsignore made the decisive pass through Turn 4 with just nine laps to go en route to the season-opening triumph.
“We had a great car, I was just hoping I wasn’t going to be the guy to mess it up in the last 25 laps,” Bonsignore said. “I knew I had a little bit better car and I kind of had to be aggressive, but everybody knows how it goes here at Thompson – the bottom shot is the only way you’re going to get by.”
[Photo Gallery] by Paul Fohlin
Pitkat, who won his first Coors Light Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying, came up just short in his bid for a first Whelen Modified Tour win and finished second for the third time in his career. Doug Coby, last season’s runner-up in the championship standings, crossed the line in third followed by rookie Timmy Solomito in fourth. Eric Goodale rounded out the top-five finishers in the kick-off event for the tour’s 30th season.
Ron Yuhas Jr., Ron Silk, 13-time Thompson winner Ted Christopher, defending tour champion Ryan Preece and rookie Jimmy Zacharias completed the top 10.
Sunday marked Bonsignore’s first Icebreaker 150 victory, and the fourth of his Whelen Modified Tour career overall. Bonsignore’s second tour victory also came at Thompson in September 2012. His previous best Icebreaker finish was a fifth-place effort in 2011.
Despite once again coming up one spot shy of that elusive first Whelen Modified Tour victory, Pitkat kept a positive attitude following the race.
“I think there was a little more added pressure maybe because we came out and led practice and won time trials, and now you want to go out there and win the race,” Pitkat said. “We tightened it up just a little bit too much. We’re here to learn – we’re a new team – and that’s what we learned.”
The cars of Bonsignore and Pitkat were both powered by the NASCAR-approved spec engine. Sunday marked the third time in the last three seasons a Whelen Modified Tour victory was earned with the engine package, including the last two Thompson races.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action on Sunday, April 27 for the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
RESULTS | RACE CENTRAL LIVE REPLAY | POST-RACE AUDIO: WINNER JUSTIN BONSIGNORE | POST-RACE AUDIO: THIRD-PLACE DOUG COBY & SECOND-PLACE WOODY PITKAT
Sources: Shon Sbarra/NASCAR WMT PR
NWMT Thompson 4/6/14 Official Results
Whelen Modified Tour
Race: NWMT Thompson 4/6/14
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 2 51 Justin Bonsignore chem3.com Chevrolet 150 47 4 Running
2 1 88 Woody Pitkat Buzz Chew Chevrolet Inc. Chevrolet 150 43 1 Running
3 14 2 Doug Coby Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Const. Chevrolet 150 41 Running
4 12 89 Timmy Solomito * Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet 150 40 Running
5 10 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet 150 39 Running
6 13 64 Ron Yuhas, Jr. Fast Track Electric/Hughes Motors Chevrolet 150 38 Running
7 17 6 Ron Silk TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet 150 37 Running
8 11 13 Ted Christopher J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet 150 36 Running
9 4 16 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford 150 35 Running
10 15 3 Jimmy Zacharias * Cape Cod Copper/Central States Chevrolet 150 34 Running
11 7 52 Matt Hirschman B.C. Brennenstuhl/LI Mod Maniac Chevrolet 150 33 Running
12 21 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Ford 150 32 Running
13 16 15 Rob Fuller 15-40 Connection Chevrolet 150 31 Running
14 20 99 Jamie Tomaino Dunleavy’s Repair/Atlantic Sprinkler Chevrolet 150 30 Running
15 19 8 Glen Reen Sypher Construction Chevrolet 150 29 Running
16 22 33 Wade Cole Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 150 28 Running
17 6 7 Patrick Emerling Emerling Chevrolet Inc. Chevrolet 148 27 Running
18 9 44 Bobby Santos Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet 142 26 Running
19 24 1 Melissa Fifield * Allstate Insurance Chevrolet 136 25 Running
20 8 48 Keith Rocco Wheelers Auto/Mr. Rooter Chevrolet 135 24 Steering
21 3 4 Donny Lia Mystic Missile Racing Dodge 123 24 1 Accident
22 5 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet 116 24 2 Running
23 25 22 Tommy Barrett, Jr. * Canto Paving/Ferguson Water Works Chevrolet 100 21 Ignition
24 18 1 Mike Stefanik Cady’s Tavern Chevrolet 95 20 Engine
25 23 71 T.J. Zacharias * Central States Used Clothing Chevrolet 19 19 Oil Pressure
RACE STATISTICS
Race Comments: Justin Bonsignore won the Icebreaker 150 pres. by Town Fair Tire, his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory overall, and second at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Prior to the green flag to start the event, the following car dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: No. 22 (back-up car).
Fastest Qualifier: Woody Pitkat, Time: 18.724 Seconds, Speed: 120.167 mph
Failed to Qualify: (2) Dave Salzarulo * (#38), Gary McDonald (#26).
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 16 mins, 33 secs Average Speed: 73.481 mph Margin of Victory: 0.589 Seconds
Caution Flags: [Beneficiary in brackets] Laps 8-16 (Car #01 spinout (Turn 1) [07] (Red Flag 7 mins.)); 57-59 (Car #3 spinout (Turn 2) [18]); 63-67 (Car #8 spinout (Frontstretch) [33]); 97-103 (Car #93 accident (Turn 3) [33] (Red Flag 7 mins.)); 114-116 (Car #48 spinout (Turn 2) [3]); 124-128 (Car #4 accident Turn 1 [none]); 134-137 (Cars #33, 07 spinout Turn 1 [none]). 7 for 36 laps.
Lap Leaders: Woody Pitkat 1-16, Justin Bonsignore 17-20, Rowan Pennink 21-78, Woody Pitkat 79-99, Justin Bonsignore 100, Donny Lia 101-123, Woody Pitkat 124-141, Justin Bonsignore 142-150.
Total Laps Led: Rowan Pennink 58, Woody Pitkat 55, Donny Lia 23, Justin Bonsignore 14. 7 changes involving 4 drivers.
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
COCA-COLA MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Doug Coby, 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Const. Chevrolet
COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Woody Pitkat, 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet Inc. Chevrolet
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Timmy Solomito *, 89 Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet
WHELEN WINNER OF THE RACE AWARD: Justin Bonsignore, 51 chem3.com Chevrolet
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender