Justin Bonsignore said he’s always on the hunt for seat time behind the wheel of a Modified.
Justin Bonsignore celebrates a Whelen Modified Tour win in 2012 at Thompson International Speedway (Photo: Travis Barrett)
Preston team owner Art Barry will be giving him that time he’s been looking for this season on the Valenti Modified Racing Series.
Bonsignore, a regular on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, will also drive full-time for Barry on the Valenti Modified Racing Series this coming season.
“It’s been something we’ve been talking about for a while,” Bonsignore said. “I know Ken [Barry] and Art [Barry] pretty well. … I have a good relationship with [them]. One thing led to another. We talked a little bit and I’m always looking to get more seat time and that was a big deciding factor for me. I look at guys like Ryan Preece that race so much more, it can’t hurt, it can only help.”
Bonsignore has two career starts with the Valenti Modified Racing Series. Barry, a former Whelen Modified Tour team owner, won his first Valenti Modified Racing Series championship in 2012 with driver Jon McKennedy, who raced part-time for the team in 2013.
“It’s going to be a learning a curve learning [the Valenti Modified Racing Series] tire,” Bonsignore said. “It’s definitely championship equipment, I just hope I can be a championship caliber driver.”
Bonsignore goes into his fifth full-time season behind the wheel of Ken Massa’s owned Whelen Modified Tour ride in 2014. In 60 career starts on the Modified Tour he has three victories and 21 top-five finishes.
Last year Rowan Pennink won the Valenti Modified Racing Series championship while also running full-time on the Whelen Modified Tour. The 25-year old Bonsignore, from Holtsville, N.Y., likes what he sees from the Valenti Modified Racing Series.
“It’s a little bit more laid back maybe than the [Whelen Modified] Tour, but the racing is really hard-nosed, but at the same time real clean with a lot of respect that’s forced upon by their officials,” Bonsignore said. “They stick to their calls and their guns and it’s good. And they do a lot of good things to keep the costs down. It’s definitely something I’ve been wanting to do for some time now.”
little by lillte.try are coming in
Let’s hope they will also be teamed up at the 3 “Open” Modified races at Lee, Star and Seekonk also.
the score.. whelen tour maybe 10 at a race …true value series…30 plus at a race sending teams home ,,,,wake up nascar ..wake up….
Top spotter needs to learn how to read…..Where does it say he is leaving the Mod tour?????????……and I go to True value races, since when do they have 30 + ? 27,28 sure but half of them don’t belong on a race track.
since when? Well how about the last 5 consecutive races of 2013.
Stafford (twice), Seekonk, Lee and Thompson all had over 30 cars for VMRS
The August race at Thompson had 21 cars………21 !!!! wow what an awesome series. Again 1/2 of them would be lapped in a 30 lap SK race……He called himself Selective reading for good reason.
1/2 the field would be lapped in an SK race, seriously? I guess you haven’t been to many VMRS races lately. By the way, one of the slowest and most lapped cars is headed to the WMT, so have fun with that.
He gave you the facts. He told you the LAST FIVE races not a race in August. You should go to your local elementary school and have the students help you with your reading and arithmetic.
Btw genius the Thompson race was in the middle of a stretch where they had 3 races in a 7 day period. So as far as I’m concerned 21 cars was good for the time frame they had to work with.
Well its clear that Fred, Deans list and company will only see the facts that align with their opinions and ignore the facts that don’t…….One question though, If the VRMS or true value or whatever they are calling it this hour is such a great series why then are they having 3 races in a 7 day span?? That doesn’t seem like it would be in the best interest of the teams?…..and I’ll take genius over Blind loyalist any day.
You have a memory a politician could only dream of. Thompson had rain outs week after week and already had cancelled one event. Do you even go to the races? Or are you just guessing? You say “look at ALL the facts” take some of your own advice and do that. Go to some cup races and tell me honestly you we able to stay awake the entire time. It’s like watching paint dry 90% of the time.. No more from me I’m done talking this brick wall
Well ya got me Fred, I was only at 9 True Value races last year. and the only Cup race I will got to is the Daytona 500 because I am down there to see the Mods at New Smyrna. I love Modified racing and the more the better in my book, I am just blown away at the people like yourself that come on here and talk like 1 series is sooooo much better than the other and offer ZERO facts to back it up….if Ignorance is bliss, then fred you are one happy man……. I’ll remember you the next True value race I am at that has 2 lead changes.
I have watched and loved the mods for over 40 years including the 60’s and 70’s glory period. Both the Valenti and Mod Tour have their share of great as well as boring features of which I see all Ct. events each year. In my opinion the Tour is pricing itself out of reach of many owners with expensive events (Daytona, Bristol) and reduced purses. Read the Phil Smith column in AARN about mod races 20 years ago at NHIS and Bristol that paid $20K+ to win. Now we have more travel, more expensive cars, and reduced purses. NASCAR seems to only REALLY care about the Cup and Nationwide series unfortunately.
This is for all the guys that left comments about the vmrs. They kept calling it the true value series.It hasn,t been that in a couple of years. I guess that they don,t even pay attention to wha series they are watching
Thsnks William glad someone is actually reading the article before commenting. Pretty sure it was 04 when the change began. I could be wrong though cause I’ve been told I’m full of inaccuracies… Sorry couldn’t help it.
Sorry fred. You’re not full of inaccuracies, you just see what you want to see and ignore whatever doesn’t let you tell yourself you’re right……..By the way, I thought you said you were done talking to this brick wall ??? You are without a doubt the sharp knife in the drawer……..Remember fred, ignorance is bliss and you will be happy for 100 lifetimes. The last word is all yours….By the way, How is that ” I’m not wrong, its the rest of the world that is ” approach working out for you??
Funny I wasn’t talking to you, someone who can’t even post his real name. So maybe I’ll try one out. In this column I made one comment that ” I thought 21 cars was good for the time frame they had to work with”. Nothing else other than to call you a ” genius” for which , I again am wrong about. Then you decided to show your complete and utter lack of intelligence by continuing to argue your point while calling the series by the incorrect name EVERY TIME. I’ve already proven myself to be less inteliigent by continuing to post back and forth with someone that is just looking for an argument.
I have never said the Valenti tour is better, it’s different. I’d much rather watch heat races than glorified hot laps. But that’s my opinion not yours not anyone else’s Other than that they both have there share of guys that should hang it up, and guys that belong there.
I never believe I am 100% percent correct nor will I ever. Everyone is correct in some way shape or form. You have your opinions I have mine. You believe you are correct in your mind and maybe you are. Good luck to you. I’ll be flying incognito thanks to my new friend who changes his name to suit. So I must follow cause clearly I’m overmatched by someone else’s superior knowledge, meaning you, having gone to 9 true value series races last year. I hope you find yourself in good health and enjoy new smyrna.
Just so we are clear Fred… I came on this site, gave an opinion that you didn’t agree with ( which is 100 % ok with me, the world is full of differing opinions )…. and your response Fred was to start insulting me referring to me as a “brick wall ” and having the “memory of a politician “….only after my follow up responses did you become ultra sensitive……..Its just racing man. Not worth getting all upset about to the point where you need to lower it to the levels you did…….We get it. You hate the Modified tour and clearly have an axe to grind, and to do it you elevate the VMRS to a Godly level….and all I’m saying is it isn’t all that…….Best of luck and health to you also.
So I guess will agree to disagree. I will tel you the best tour race I saw last year was the whelen mod tour race at Stafford when preece spun and won. Beyond that I’m not upset with you I have so much in my life to be happy about a texting arguement is hardly something for me to get all riled up about. I invite you to read all of the comments again and decide for yourself. Just fir the record I really don’t care who started it. I simply stated facts in my first comment with admittedly some sarcasm but you turn this into something diffrent. If you can’t see it then I can’t help you. Respond if you want I wont be responding any more.
I will also concede I did keep the sarcasm going so for that I apologize. Have fun in Florida.
Truth be told Fred I’m sure we both dislike the same things about Nascar. New Smyrna is good for 1 thing only these days and that’s escaping the cold. I think the Mods are only running 5 nights there this year and I don’t expect fields bigger than 12 or 13 cars…..No apology necessary, My friends and I say a lot worse to each other when we are arguing about sports we are passionate about.
Yea I waant planning on responding but you said what I was thinking after I wrote the last message. We probably do. There’s a lot of problems in racing today but I guess this would be an example that the fan passion is not one of them. Sorry my passion for the mods came off wrong.