Late Pass Grabs Justin Bonsignore Whelen Modified Win at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. — Three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore rocketed to his 32nd career series victory on Friday evening at Richmond Raceway.

Bonsignore won his 20th career Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole in qualifying – and ran inside the top-five for most of the race – however — in the final 20 laps — Bonsignore was looking out the windshield at Tommy Catalano, who was looking for his first win. Bonsignore closed the gap in his No. 51 Coastal Fiber LLC machine for Ken Massa Motorsports — made the pass — and drove away to Victory Lane in the final laps.

The win gave Bonsignore sole possession of 5th place on the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins list — jumping him ahead of Doug Coby and Jeff Fuller. Bonsignore finished last in the Whelen Modified Tour opener at New Smyrna Speedway in February, after a mechanical failure, hurting his chances of becoming a four-time champion early. But the Holtsville, New York, native intended to begin his climb out towards the top on Friday — scoring his first career win at the Virginia oval in the process.

“We just had that long-run balance we needed,” Bonsignore said. “We really appreciate Coastal Fiber coming on board and Phoenix Communications, our primary sponsor, along with all of our product sponsors and our whole team. This is a small step in digging out of the whole we have, but it’s a good way to put everyone on notice that they’re going to have to put us down if they want to beat us.”

Coastal Fiber, LLC, is a local Virginia business that is a full-service fiber optic construction and splicing company. Owned by Mark Langevin, the owner of Phoenix Communications Inc. – Bonsignore’s normal primary sponsor – Coastal Fiber, LLC, was excited to be back on the car.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday, May 14. That event at Bonsignore’s home track will be the next stop on the veteran’s 2022 racing schedule. For more information on Justin Bonsignore, visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his athlete page on Facebook for the latest updates.