Storming Again: Justin Bonsignore Wins Whelen Mod Tour Bud 150 At Thompson Speedway

Justin Bonsignore celebrates victory in the Whelen Modified Tour Bud 150 Wednesday at Thompson Speedway (Photo: Jim DuPont/RaceDayCT)

THOMPSON – The chances look very likely that when Justin Bonsignore arrives at Thompson Speedway in October for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s season ending Sunoco World Series he’ll be in perfect position to celebrate his first series title.

And the Holtsville, N.Y. driver will also be looking for a season sweep at Thompson in the Sunoco World Series 150 on Oct. 14.

Bonsignore, of Holtsville, N.Y., won the Bud King of Beers 150 Wednesday at Thompson Speedway.

Matt Swanson of Acton, Mass., who was filling in for Rowan Pennink with the Boehler Racing Enterprises team, was second. Doug Coby of Milford was third.

It was the fifth victory in 10 Whelen Modified Tour events this season for Bonsignore and his third in three starts at Thompson. He also won the Icebreaker 150 on April 8 and the Thompson 125 on June 14.

“Things are unbelievable right now,” Bonsignore said. “Everything is clicking on eight cylinders. [Crew chief] Ryan Stone brings great cars to the race track every week. Guys are killing it on pit road. It’s just a total team effort. … We’ve just got to keep it going here through this next stretch. Hopefully we come back in October and talk about points then.”

Of Bonsignore’s 17 career Whelen Modified Tour victories, eight have come at Thompson. He said it will be interesting to see how the team will have to handle points racing versus chasing a win in October. With six races remaining Bonsignore holds a 56-point lead in the standings over second place Chase Dowling. Bonsignore is looking for his first series title.

“When we get to that point we’ll see if that’s something that we can go for,” Bonsignore said. “There’s still a long way to go in the season. You can lose points in a heartbeat in this series. We’ve got a few wild cards coming up with Bristol, Riverhead, 250 laps at New Hampshire [Motor Speedway], anything can happen there. Long way to go before we get there. But if we just keep doing what we’re doing, obviously the points will take care of themselves. It would be nice to go for the sweep, but if the championship is the big picture that day obviously we’re going to play it smart.”

Bonsignore started on the pole but it was Dowling who went to the lead on lap 15. On lap 77 Bonsignore went back by Dowling for the lead as lightning strikes could be seen in the distance.

“We were racing for halfway for a while,” Bonsignore said. “You could see a lot of lightning off in the distance.”

Caution flew on lap 89 and all the leaders pitted except for third place Coby. Bonsignore led the race off pit road and took the lead from Coby on the lap 96 restart.

On lap 124 Coby spun in turn two while running 12th. After pitting Coby blasted back through the field but it was Swanson holding him off over the closing laps.

Comments

  1. “Watching” the race online, the Coby spin appeared to be suspicious …

  2. Wakeuptroyer says

    Man o man. So when is the last time a Troyer didn’t finish in the top 5 at Thompson. LFR is unbelievable man. The 3 is even showing up Troyer. Spafco has to be proud that the kid that drives their house car gets in the 3 and has his best career finish. Spafco and Troyer need to team up to catch LFR. Time to do something guys!

  3. wmass01013 says

    The Coby Spin was a blatant by himself 360 in the grass spin to change tires with 25 laps left since he didn’t pit at almost the same spot Preece did 2 yrs ago at the exit of turn 2, NASCAR didn’t call Preece nor Coby so I guess ok move!

  4. I was wondering who would cause the yellow. LOL!!!

    The 2 is off… perhaps they need new tubes. All that “winning” has taken a toll.

    The 6 hasn’t had the speed it is known for, end of straight speed is not impressive.

    By the third lap, they were single file, the 2 was hung out on the inside losing spots. This race was the antithesis of the Stafford race.

  5. Crew chief on radio: “We need a yellow.”

    Driver: “I’m working on it.”

  6. Inside info from dareal
    This guy is someone who i want to invest with!!!!!
    The man is a genious

  7. Funny how a 5x champion just spun out like that when he was all by himself! There should be a rule to not let him pit.

  8. Did not know the 89 was a SPAFCO house car. When did this happen? Thought the car was owned by Matts father……………

  9. If those top 5 were running Troyers, they’d still be the top 5. The top 5 are the best combos of drivers and crew chiefs.

  10. Humphry,
    It’s a family owned team, not a SPAFCO house car.

  11. dareal lets see top 5 cars 3 LFRs 1 home built 1 TROYER I guess the LFRS have the field covered AGAIN
    now what does that do to your stats dareal

  12. dareal
    lets see top 5 cars 3 LFRs 1 home built 1 TROYER I guess the LFRs had the field covered AGAIN
    dareal now what does that do to your LFR hating stats

  13. How many wins does the LFR house car have? That’s over how many years?

    The actual SPAFCO house car, the legendary 21, has numerous wins and championships. I believe it still holds the lap record at Loudon.

  14. Dareal, gotta agree concerning the 2. Maybe the chassis is just worn out, after all it is a couple years old. We went through that with our late model, and spent nearly the whole season chasing the car, similar to what it seems Coby is going through. As for the chassis war, LFR seems to have the upper hand, but don’t count the others out. Many times in the past we’ve seen certain chassis have an advantage, and sooner or later the others catch up, and someone else gains an advantage. Still think the championship is Bonsignore’s to lose.

  15. What happened to the 6? It was in the pits for a while and finished a bunch of laps down.

  16. Darealgoodfella,
    I was told motor issues.

  17. Shawn, I personally know that, just wish people who post had half a clue what they are talking about and just not throwing crap out there.

  18. moonglum, consider this.

    The following teams trade cars:

    51 trades with the 77

    2 trades with the 54

    15 trades with the 75

    44 trades with the 14

    I maintain that the teams will finish where they normally would. The top crew chief/driver combos would still finish well above the other mid-packers, and the mid-pack teams would finish in the mid-pack using the cars of the top crew chief/drivers.

  19. Rob, I would have had the motors to the builder numerous times already, it just doesn’t have the life it had before this season, even on the straights. A new flux capacitor might help. And maybe the chassis has hairline cracks developing in the welds, allowing for more flex, which throws off the set up and behavior. If the chassis stiffness changes, the setup notes are worthless. I’ve known some cars to have very old chassis and they were top competitive cars, but they were in the hands of the better crew chiefs and drivers. When you try to get the chassis light, this sort of thing happens.

    The driver/crew chief combos of the cars that are leading the standings are what determines the standings. Keep this in mind… no track records are being set. Nothing is getting faster. The better talent is performing better. Just wait until the chassis gets in the hands of the regular ham & egger teams and they do no better than their usual mid-pack and red lantern positions. If the product is supposed to be that good, it should make all users winners.

  20. Great comments dareal
    You are the reason i go on this site..
    Beilliant minds think alike kins sirr

  21. Dareal, put down the pipe. What the hell are you talking about? Your saying that it’s not the cars but the teams? It appears that LFR has an advantage, and the teams running LFR chassis are at the top right now. Your saying these teams would run the same in TROYER or SPAFCO cars? In some cases I’d say yes, in others no, but we’ll never know. Can’t you just accept the fact that LFR is on top right now

  22. Wait till CHASSIS DYNAMICS reveals their new design. Mike ain’t gonna be able to build them fast enough.

  23. The 6 did not have it’s Yates built Spec Motor in for Thompson. It had a Yates Spec Motor built from an engine builder on Long Island. It looked like it was down on power.

    Maybe someone else can confirm this, but I think the 2 LFR was a brand new chassis which made it’s first race @ Loudon.

  24. Rob, take 10 cars with identical parts, give them to the teams that are currently the top 5, and P16 – P20, let them set those cars up any way they want. No changing parts, just settings and adjustments.

    Tell those 10 teams they can set those cars up as they normally do, can’t change parts. The teams that are in the top 5 will end up in the top 5 and the teams in the P16 – P20 will end up in those positions.

    Rob, we are cookie cutter racing now. We are almost SPEC racing. It’s a matter of who knows what to do. The equipment is not all that different. Heck, I’d be inclined to say that with a crew chief that knows what he’s doing, a chassis is nothing more than a fungible commodity.

  25. So what do you think dareal, these top teams all wanted more of a challenge to run up front and that’s why they chose LFR , and don’t tell me they got them for free Rob P why is it that Mike doesn’t have any CD chassis on tour,maybe dareal can answer that he seems to have all the answers

  26. Hillary 2028 says

    BS move by the 2. Announcers even said he stayed out in hopes of a caution around 30 to go then change the right rear. But if there’s no rule against it then oh well.

  27. Agree the top teams will be the top teams. But maybe, just maybe Justin is running better because he feels more comfortable in the way the LFR handles. Also part of the #2 car issues might be they had quite a few crew member changes over the winter i.e. tire guy.

  28. Dareal. Ok. I’m calling you out. I want to see the stats on the following.
    2 car 2014. Wins and poles Troyer
    2 car 2015 wins and poles
    2 car 2016 wins and poles
    2 car 2017 wins and poles

    44 car 2015 wins and poles Troyer
    44 car 2016 wins and poles
    44 car 2017 wins and poles

    51 car 2017 wins and poles Spafco
    51 car 2018 wins and poles to date

    1 car 2015 wins and poles Troyer
    1 car 2016 wins and poles
    1 car 2017 wins and poles

    Teams listed simply purchased LFR cars. Same team, driver and hauler in most cases. The 51 changed cc because their previous cc worked at Spafco. The new cc worked at LFR. This is all that matters. The facts. Print them if you dare. Everyone in here probably already knows them but would love to see you type them. Ignorance is a disease and you are very sick my friend.

  29. Just a good ole southern boy posting on a yankee site. Y’all I saw this coming when Burt brought the LFR car to Caraway in 2015. The boy ain’t won a race here in 9 years. 9 folks. He won 7 that year. This is one time where us southerners were ahead of what the northerners were doing. I did some research and it seems Fuller lived in NC so the south had the first dose of LFR. Just a small proud moment for the southerners!

  30. dareal, you asked about the rules for the 250 lapper at New Hampshire. Here’s what Jimmy Wilson told me at Thompson. 20 tires allotment – 4 practice, 4 qualifying, 3 sets for changes. Break at lap 100 (requested by the track), which teams can do whatever they want (gas, adjustments, tires, etc.). He didn’t say how long the break was going to be.

  31. JBon has been getting better and better. JBon was frustrating a couple years ago. Like he was lazy and wanted the car to do all the work and he was just a rider. Now, he’s doing more driving and making things happen, with patience.

    Yep, tire guy left the 2 and is now with the 51. That could be a factor why the 2 is tripping up a bit and the 51 is pretty dominant. Tire guy is doing more for JBon than pipes ever could. Tire guy, any chassis, and JBon would still be having a great 2018 season.

    So in summary, Tire Guy left the 2 and is now with the 51. The 2 is not running as well as it has the last couple seasons, and the 51 is running like the 2 did in previous seasons. The difference: Tire Guy. I think Tire Guy is making JBon more comfortable. JBon makes moves with confidence, you can see it as the car moves. JBon made a couple moves last night that were pretty good, he toyed with the 15 and then left the 15 behind the dust, with ease. Whereas the 2 does not have the tires he used to have and he is not as comfortable anymore, driving just got a lot harder without Tire Guy.

  32. The tire guy from the #2 didn’t go to the #51. Timmy (#2) is taking a break to spend time with his girls. He has been helping here and there over the last few races. The #51 has the same two guys they’re had in the past few years.

  33. Just Me, thanks.

    Any word on hot pit stops? Will fuel and tires be allowed, or just one or the other per stop?

  34. Goodlord, why don’t you and the rest of the shills post this data you are demanding I do for you? Do your own work. Go ahead, post it. What are you afraid of?

  35. Can’t do gas and tires on the same pit stop lap. Most cautions last two laps or mores so change tires go around and then gas her up.

  36. Just Me, I saw Tire Guy in a 51 uniform at Thompson last night.

  37. Yep. Just what everyone thought you bag of gas. Your world is just big enough for your own drama. You are resting your head on your pillow tonight AVOIDING the truth. until you post those stats your words are meaningless. Sweet dreams.

  38. the tour stopped teams from coil binding now they need to remove shocks from cars and check them that includes taking the shocks apart

  39. Statmaster says

    I know the stats on the 51. 0 and 0 in 2017.
    2018………BOOM. Like magic.
    They simply got sick of getting beat by the 2 car and saw what they did and tried the same recipe. 51 car results…………Boom.
    Don’t need glasses to see that. Anyone who can’t is legally blind. Sorry. Anyone who cares enough to be in this BS blog knows the stats that the man is asking for. Even the dareal loser. Peace out.

  40. If indeed the 2 car was a new chassis at Loudon, would explain allot. Coby’s performance has been on the up since then

  41. NASCAR has not stopped them from coil binding, still being done by some teams. What are your concerns about shocks, just wondering.

    dareal, I don’t know who your “Tire Guy” is, but the main tire guy from the #2 has been Timmy Armbruster for the last few years and he is not helping the #51… Timmy actually did the #2 tires at Thompson because they needed help. Scott Makszin and Jr Boccanfuso are the tire guys for the #51 and has been for a few years.

  42. Crazy in NY says

    “If the product is supposed to be that good, it should make all users winners.”
    LOL funniest stupid statement of 2018 in dareals big bag of ignorance. Yeooow!!!

  43. Goodlord, I don’t have to do anything for you. You have a point to make, go ahead and make it. Until then, you are just shilling, a carnival barker. Present what you think are facts and stats. Go ahead, at your peril.

    Goodlord, Statmaster and the rest of you shills, please list ALL of the LFR cars that have run the Tour this season. ALL of them. LOL. You don’t want to do that, do you? LOL!! Just keep yapping about the couple cars run by the better crew chiefs. Go ahead Goodlord, list ALL the LFR cars and their stats. LOL. Go ahead Statmaster… what is this recipe you speak of? What teams are running this recipe? What is the list of ingredients in this recipe? Do all LFR chassis teams use the same recipe? LOL!

    Just Me, Timmy was NOT the real tire guy. The real Tire Guy is now on the 51 team, and that is an important factor, asset, talent and performance edge that moved from one team to another. The 2 has hit upon some hard times without Tire Guy, the 51 with Tire Guy is now doing better than the 2.

  44. Again the narcissist knows it all……….

  45. Just me I was understanding they could not coil bind anymore the shocks can be made to not rebound from the inside under pressure it’s an involved process also NASCAR has NEVER in five years weighed a car after the race.Some teams are finding what they can to win and I don’t take anything from them every fast car sense NASCAR started has had secrets.Remember how everyone reads the rule book may be different

  46. Hey dareal remember back in March after Myrtle beach when you posted Troyer 1 2 3 , well now it’s back to bite you in the ass and you can’t handle 4 out of top 5 are LFR out of a total 7 in race every time you put something on here you make a bigger idiot of your self anybody can back check on dareal idiot just go to archives at bottom of page

  47. Just Me, look carefully at the springs, then consider the chassis travel needed for the chassis/tin to hit the track. Will the tire crush and suspension travel make the spring go solid before the car bottoms out? I don’t think so. Add up all the gaps between coils and that looks to be more than the ride height at the corresponding corner, then add in tire crush. However, I do think shocks need to be tech’d every race for travel limiting. Look for the remote flux capacitors. Some cars might think they are coil binding, but they aren’t. Some might think they are making it look like they are coil binding to take attention away from the shocks.

    There was a car, about five years ago, that looked like it was possible to coil bind. I do not remember the car. It was a competitive car. The front springs had the most coils I ever saw, and the space between coils was less than the diameter of the spring wire. The springs were so flimsy, adjacent coils were tie wrapped together to keep the springs from buckling. I think they only tried this in one race. It was allowed to race. How would NASCAR prove coil binding was happening? There is a rule that says no coil binding, but how is that actually and conclusively checked and verified? I don’t think NASCAR has a clue or will make an effort.

    It is very impressive how a couple cars can get the nose into the track perfectly and consistently, every time.

  48. I guess in March it’s the chassis, in August it’s the crew chief and maybe some 5 HR energy drink for jbon since he was lazy last year. What a piece of work

  49. Personally I don’t root for driver based on who’s chassis they run. When you look at the NWMT website cars are listed by make ie Ford Chevy ect… Most fans haven’t got a clue who’s running what chassis, it’s a matter of liking the driver and or team. Chassis builders enjoy periods of success every now and then. It wasn’t long ago when at Stafford in the SK’s CHASSIS DYNAMICS we’re the cars to beat. Now it’s TROYER, and I for see it being LFR.

  50. Rob, there is no ‘make’ of NWMT car, such as Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc. The roof is a generic panel, the SPEC engine is based off a GM design. Kinda crazy labeling a car Ford or Dodge when you are running rules specified generic roof panel and a GM SPEC engine. But hey, that’s capitalism for ya.

    Nobody but the shills care about what chassis is being used.

  51. Again you speak of what you do not know dareal. Go to the NWMT web page and look at the roster. It lists the make of each car. Timmy Solomito for example is listed as driving a Ford, Doug Coby a Chevy, no mention of chassis builder

  52. Just checked out drivers roster through NASCAR HOME TRACKS/ REGIONAL/ MODIFIED TOUR they list car number driver, hometown, make and sponsors. In some cases the chassis builder is shown, but in all cases the make ie Chevy, Ford ,Toyota and dodge is shown

  53. Rob p., there is no make of a modified, such as Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc. There is no part from any of those manufacturers on a modified, other than the GM SPEC engine. There is no resemblance, semblance or other of a modified to a Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, etc. Years ago, the roof panel from an actual production car was used on a mod, but that hasn’t happened for many years. For the last several years, it has been a generic rules mandated roof panel. It’s just capitalism, promoting a brand.

  54. Dareal. Get on the interweb, go to NASCAR home tracks, click. Now go to regional, click. Now go to whelen modified tour, click. Now on the menu find drivers, click. What do you see? Drivers listed in alphabetical order with hometown, car number, make and sponsors. Sometimes even lists chassis builder. It’s all there in black and white. Just because your small mind can’t accept that teams still identify to a specific make, sorry…they do.

  55. Beg to differ. Refer to section 20D 3.8 of NWMT rulebook and roof specs are given with manufacturers part numbers.

  56. “D. The roof panel must be from an approved manufacturer and be made of
    magnetic steel. All roof panels and their installation must be acceptable to
    NASCAR Officials. Unless otherwise authorized, the following are the only roof
    panels approved for competition:
    MANUFACTURER PART NUMBER
    General Motors 22699260
    Ford F8RZ6350202AA
    PTM Corporation NMT-111”

  57. Thanks for the clarification Doug, but still don’t think dareal will comprehend.

  58. dareal, please tell me the name of the Tire Guy that went from the #2 to the #51. I gave you the name for the people I know.

  59. You guys worked Dareal over real good see how he will not answer and pulls his disappearance act

  60. Go try to buy the GM of Ford roof panels… discontinued. LOL!

    Go ahead, make like you want to buy the GM and Ford roof panels. DISCONTINUED. LOL.

    Although the rulebook is the rules, it has plenty of stupid stuff in it. Stuff that can not possibly apply. Like discontinued roof panels.

  61. Here’s something from the rulebook:

    “Window openings should remain stock appearing and should
    maintain the original manufacturers’ window opening configuration.”

    How does one enforce “should”? LOL!!!

  62. Read the rule approved manufacturer by NASCAR like it’s been Troyer for years

  63. The roof panel turned into a SPEC part years ago. LOL!!!

    Just like the SPEC motor obsoleted the built motor, the SPEC roof panel obsoleted any other roof panel. Many, many, years ago. LOL!!!!!

  64. What’s going on here?

    Anybody have any luck procuring the obsolete and discontinued GM and Ford roof panels?

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