Solomito Scores Crucial Win at Riverhead
Fourth Win of 2017 Keeps Him in Whelen Modified Title Hunt
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Timmy Solomito needed a win to keep pace in the frantic NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship race. He got it at his home track.
The 25-year-old from Islip, New York, powered by Doug Coby with four laps left to take the Miller Lite 200 checkered flag Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway.
Solomito, dominant for the first two-thirds of the event in the No. 16 Starrett Racing Ford, was outmaneuvered by Coby in lap traffic for the lead on Lap 155. The four-time tour titlists Coby was poised for his first career win at Riverhead, but Solomito recaptured the lead on the frontstretch on Lap 196 and drove to the checkers.
It marked Solomito’s fourth win of the season and eighth of his career. Earlier in the day, he captured the Coors Light Pole Award.
Coby held on for second with rookie Kyle Soper third, Ryan Preece fourth and Justin Bonsignore fifth. CJ Lehmann, Dillon Steuer, Kyle Ellwood, Eric Goodale and Rob Summer brought home the top 10.
Solomito had finished 15th or worse in two of his last three starts, and hadn’t been to Victory Lane since the last time the tour was at Riverhead in June. After leading the points after the first 10 races, he had slipped back to fourth.
The win brought Solomito to within nine points of the championship lead, still maintained by Preece with 500. Coby is second at 494 with Solomito at 491.
Prior to green flag, news broke that 2008 Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ted Christopher passed away in a plane crash en route to Riverhead, and his impact on the sport was recognized in an impromptu pre-race ceremony. Christopher had been scheduled to compete in the event in the No. 82 Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet.
STORY: Champion Christopher Passes Away
The Whelen Modified Tour will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 23 with the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 14th of 16 races on the 2017 calendar.
The Miller Lite 200 will air on NBCSN on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.
NWMT Riverhead 9/16/17 Results
Whelen Modified Tour
Race: NWMT Riverhead 9/16/17
PRINT VERSION (PDF)
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 1 16 Timmy Solomito Starrett Racing Ford 200 48 5 Running
2 4 2 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools/Dunleavy/AJ Romano Chevrolet 200 43 1 Running
3 2 15 Kyle Soper * Eastport Feeds Chevrolet 200 42 1 Running
4 13 6 Ryan Preece TS Hauler Chevrolet 200 40 Running
5 15 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet 200 39 Running
6 12 74 CJ Lehmann * IGA Food Markets Chevrolet 200 38 Running
7 3 45 Dillon Steuer * Northeastern Office Equipment Chevrolet 200 37 Running
8 6 38 Kyle Ellwood Perf Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s Chevrolet 200 36 Running
9 17 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing Chevrolet 200 35 Running
10 10 64 Rob Summers Hoosier Tire East/Fast Track Elect/Hughes Motors 200 34 Running
11 8 21 Ronnie Williams * Gershow Recycling Chevrolet 199 33 Running
12 23 78 Walter Sutcliffe Jr. * Last Minute Racing Chevrolet 198 32 Running
13 19 33 Wade Cole Perf. Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 197 31 Running
14 5 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprise Chevrolet 197 30 Running
15 7 20 Max Zachem Anytime Realty/Robert B Our Chevrolet 197 29 Running
16 16 14 Cory Oslund * Keith Grimes Excavating Ford 197 28 Running
17 18 39 Calvin Carroll * Power with Prestige/Cruising w/Betty Chevrolet 197 27 Running
18 14 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet 196 26 Running
19 20 89 Matt Swanson Starrett Tools Ford 194 25 Running
20 21 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape /TRC Electric Chevrolet 193 24 Running
21 11 3 Rowan Pennink Cape Cod Copper/JDL Environmental Chevrolet 163 23 Accident
22 9 88 Roger Turbush * Kennedy LI Realty Chevrolet 132 22 Rear End
23 22 1 Melissa Fifield Eastern Propane & Oil Chevrolet 6 21 Handling
24 24 82 Ted Christopher Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet 0 20 DNS
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Timmy Solomito, Time: 12.017 Seconds, Speed: 74.894 mph
Time of Race: 0 hrs., 55 mins, 58 secs Average Speed: 53.603 mph Margin of Victory: 0.610 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 16-21; 28-35; 63-69; 71-77; 96-105; 167-174. 6 for 46 laps.
Lap Leaders: Timmy Solomito 1-22, Kyle Soper * 23, Timmy Solomito 24-154, Doug Coby 155-195, Timmy Solomito 196-200.
Total Laps Led: Timmy Solomito 158, Doug Coby 41, Kyle Soper * 1. 4 changes involving 3 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Ryan Preece 500, Doug Coby 494, Timmy Solomito 491, Justin Bonsignore 476, Rowan Pennink 467, Eric Goodale 453, Dave Sapienza 417, Matt Swanson 405, Max Zachem 402, Rob Summers 394
Next Race:New Hampshire
* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender