JB Fortin Nails Late Race Restart for East-West Marine Supply Islip 300 Victory Sunday at Riverhead Raceway
Riverhead, NY Nov. 14th — If one of many online gambling sites were to list odds for the 5th annual East-West Marine Supply Islip 300 at Riverhead Raceway, JB Fortin’s name may have been somewhere in the middle of favorites to score the win. Sunday Fortin, 27, bet on himself during a late restart, making an impressive move to wrestle the lead away from Ryan Preece of Berlin, Ct. Fortin would survive two more restarts to score what some consider an upset win. The 300 was run one day later than scheduled due to severe weather Saturday that included a tornado to the southwest of the track.
Dylan Slepian of Dix Hill was the quickest of the 28 cars that took time for the East-West Marine Supply 300 with a lap of 11.399 earning the $300 Brigandi Brothers Automotive Pole Award. Ryan Preece was second quick with an 11.417. Going into the 300 many knew Preece would be highly motivated to win the 5th annual edition of the race that was the vision and dream of his fallen car owner Eddie Partridge. Just hours after the Partridge-owned team with Ryan at the wheel won the September 17th WMT race at Richmond Raceway, Eddie took ill and passed away. Indeed when the green waved Ryan wasted little time getting the Morton Buildings entry to the lead. Jimmy Blewett who time in fourth quickly made his way to second on lap two, he too a former Partridge race team driver who was seeking to win won for Eddie.
Sitting third behind Preece & Blewett, Dylan Slepian’s car came to life passing Blewett on lap 21 for second and one lap later Preece for the lead. Dylan would lead for six laps before a double-file restart found Preece reclaiming the lead on lap 39. Back out front, Preece would begin to flex his muscles some getting away from Blewett and others. Further back in the field several drivers started to move forward in the running order including JB Fortin, John Beatty Jr., Eric Goodale, Justin Bonsignore, and Ron Silk.
With the laps clicking off when not interrupted by caution many wondered when the tire strategies of the top running teams would come into play. While some cars seem to fall off as the race moved towards halfway, others did not, primarily Preece whose car was performing as if it were the early stages of the race. As the crossed flags were displayed at halfway, things started coming into focus with Preece still leading the way with Justin Bonsignore racing to second. Bonsignore, the 2021 WMT champion was shut out of Riverhead victory lane in the 3 WMT races contested was looking to change that stat with a 300 win.
Unfortunately for Bonsignore just as the cars were doubled up on the backstretch for a restart on lap 200, the M3 Technology Chevy shut off just before coming to green forcing the yellow to be displayed. Justin fired the car back up but lost positions in the process and later on lap 223 the issue arose again ending his night with a bad alternator. That turn of events moved Ron Silk to second in a race that as of Friday he didn’t even plan on running. Ron was tabbed to drive the Kennedy Realty of L.I. entry when usual driver Roger Turbush could not make the rain date as he departed on a family Disney vacation Sunday morning.
As the field went back just past the 200-lap mark Preece was the leader with Silk, a driver who combined with Eddie & Connie Partridge to win the 2011 WMT title now second. However, neither two drivers along with 80% of the field had yet pitted for their change tires. Mattered not to leader Ryan Preece as his car still showed no tire fall off. On lap 234 the question was answered when just after a caution waved and the pits were open all but a handful of cars came to the pits. When the race resumed Preece remained the race leader with Silk second but it was upstart driver JB Fortin putting himself in position to make a run for the lead.
During a 251st lap restart, Silk would get the measure of Preece but Ryan would come back to reclaim the top spot some laps later, with Fortin waiting in the wings. When Ryan Preece chose the outside for a lap 276 restart JB Fortin was scored second over Silk when the yellow waved was ready to go for broke. When the green light came on Fortin got a good launch inside and they ran even until they got back to three and four a lap later. There Fortin made Preece uncomfortable on the outside and was able to take the race lead. Preece however was not going anywhere as he stayed glued to Fortin with sitting Silk third.
On lap 286 Preece sent his car into the first turn a ton to the outside of Fortin, attempting a crossover to slide under JB exiting the second turn. Unfortunately for Ryan he just clipped the right front wheel of third-place Silk. Preece spun and Silk fell to the infield with front-end damage. That would not be the only time that scenario would play out. Just moments later with Fortin leading “Showtime” Jimmy Blewett tried a similar crossover in the third and fourth turn with nearly the same result. When Blewett crossed over he clipped the right front of Kyle Bonsignore who had moved to third. Blewett spun but Bonsignore was able to soldier on.
After the field was reset JB Fortin would now lead Kyle Bonsignore and Patrick Emerling with just a handful of laps remaining in the event. When the race resumed both drivers attempted to close in on JB Fortin but over the closing laps the second-generation driver was able to keep his two nearest rivals at arm’s length. When the dueling checker flags waved JB Fortin in the Peerless Boilers Chevy scored the biggest of his three career Riverhead Raceway wins to date.
“I knew we could do this” Fortin proclaimed in the winner’s circle, “thanks to my guys led by Kenny Lechner Sr., they gave me a car I could run the inside with. When I got to Ryan for the lead I knew I would have to make him uncomfortable, he like all of us really wanted to win Eddie’s race”. Not only did JB win the Islip 300 but he also in the process clinched the Crown Jewel Series title and was presented the Ted Christopher Cup, “pretty cool and honored to win Teddy’s cup, he was a giant in our game” JB reflected. The race winner also took the opportunity to let his racing family in on some exciting news, “happy to let everyone know my wife Erin & I are going to have our first child, been pretty exciting”