Justin Bonsignore Grabs 41st Career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Win at Richmond Raceway
Capitalizes on Late Restart To Win Virginia is For Racing Lovers 150
RICHMOND, Va. – For the 41st time in his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career, Justin Bonsignore was celebrating in Victory Lane on Friday night.
Bonsignore bested defending series champion Ron Silk in a final dash to the finish to score his second career Richmond Raceway victory and first of the 2024 season driving the No. 51 Modified for Kenneth Massa Motorsports.
Bonsignore started from the second spot, and swapped the lead back and forth with Silk for most of the race. But, the real battle started on the final restart, with just three laps to go, when Silk restarted first and Bonsignore second.
Bonsignore got behind Silk coming off turn two coming to the white flag and crossed underneath him going into turn three. The two drivers raced side-by-side for the final lap with Bonsignore on the bottom of Silk coming to the checkered flag, edging out for the win.
The victory – his 41st career – all driving for Kenneth Massa Motorsports – places Bonsignore just one win away from tying the late Ted Christopher for third all-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins list. He is also just three away from tying Reggie Ruggerio for second on the all-time list as the series heads for Thompson Speedway next weekend.
“The last restart went pretty smooth, it was a wild finish,” Bonsignore said. “Ron and I have had a rivalry going and tonight was some good, hard racing. For 150 laps, we just battled our guts out. Anytime our series gets to run at a NASCAR Cup Series venue – it’s huge. These facilities are unbelievable and we’ve been able to win at a handful of them. The trophies definitely stay out front and center when you get home.”
The win came with Coastal Fiber LLC on the side of the Kenneth Massa Motorsports machine. Coastal Fiber, LLC, a local Virginia business that is a full-service fiber optic construction and splicing company, is owned by Mark Langevin, the owner of Phoenix Communications Inc. – Bonsignore’s normal primary sponsor.
Justin will return to the track at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Icebreaker 150 on Sunday, April 7.
For the latest information on three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, fans are encouraged to visit JustinBonsignore.com and follow his Athlete page on Facebook for updates.
ABOUT JUSTIN BONSIGNORE
Justin Bonsignore, 36, is a three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion driver for Ken Massa Motorsports. Bonsignore picked up his first championship in 2018, and followed it up with two more in 2020 and 2021. Over 17 years of competing on NASCAR’s oldest touring series, Bonsignore has amassed 41 career wins, along with over 115 top-fives. His 41 wins rank him fourth all-time on the series win list, just one behind the late Ted Christopher for third. Bonsignore also has 30 career Tour pole awards – also fourth on the all-time list. In the last six years with crew chief Ryan Stone, Bonsignore has 29 of his 41 wins.
Sources: Kyle Souza/Souza Media
Noah Watts/Souza Media photo: #51: Justin Bonsignore, Kenneth Massa Motorsports, LLC, Coastal Fiber LLC. FURY Race Cars