Justin Bonsignore (Photo: Jim DuPont)
STAFFORD – The positive adjectives one can use to describe the season Justin Bonsignore has had on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour are basically endless.
In 14 events this year Bonsignore has seven victories, 11 top-five’s with a worst finish of eighth. Not much more one could ask for.
But when it comes to this weekend, there’s a big empty box in the to-do list that the Holtsville, N.Y. driver is looking to fill as completed.
Stafford Motor Speedway has long been a place Bonsignore could fairly call a house of horrors. In 33 career Whelen Modified Tour starts dating back to 2010, Bonsignore has no wins at Stafford.
“We want to win here,” Bonsignore said. “I want to check it off the list. I think it’s more mental than anything now when we come here. I just know I’m going to run bad. But we’re getting there.”
That quest for victory at Stafford will start in the best place possible in Sunday’s NAPA Fall Final 150.
Bonsignore led the way in qualifying Saturday to win the pole for the NAPA Fall Final 150. Bonsignore toured the half-mile oval with a fast lap of 18.157 seconds (99.135 mph).
Even with one event remaining on the schedule after Sunday, Bonsignore is looking to clinch his first Whelen Modified Tour championship Sunday at Stafford.
Carrying a 74-point lead in the standings over Chase Dowling into Sunday’s event, Bonsignore needs to finish 22nd or better on Sunday to clinch the title.
“We’re in a comfortable spot with the points so we can go out and race,” Bonsignore said. “We can’t do nothing stupid, but we can go out and race the race and not just have to have a solid day.”
Dowling, coming off his first career Whelen Modified Tour victory Saturday in the Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last week, was second in qualifying with a fast lap of 18.273 seconds (98.506 mph).
Dowling won the pole for the other two Whelen Modified Tour events at Stafford this year.
“I’m a little disappointed that we couldn’t sweep the poles here,” Dowling said. “But we have a really good car. I’m excited to see what we can in the race. I know we’ve got a really good car and I think we can win this race.”
Dowling understands that Bonsignore’s cushion is such that he doesn’t even really need to worry about giving in to the press of big picture racing.
“I think these last two races he’s going to drive balls to the wall because he’s really got nothing to lose,” Dowling said. “We have to lock him in the port-a-potty, that’s really the only way for us to win the championship.”
Dave Sapienza of Riverhead, N.Y., will start third after posting a qualifying lap of 18.292 seconds (98.404 mph).
Eric Goodale of Riverhead, N.Y. (18.308 seconds, 98.31 mph) and Burt Myers of Walnut Cove, N.C. (18.322 seconds, 98.234 mph) rounded out the top-five in qualifying respectively.
Doug Coby, Ron Silk, Craig Lutz, Rob Summer and Timmy Solomito filled out the bottom half of the top-10 in qualifying respectively.
Where did Dave Sap come from? Is dareal his crew chief this weekend?
LFR Chassis, not that dareal would agree with LOL
Jeffrey is crew chief lol. Good run for Dave though!