(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour couldn’t have asked for a more exciting finish to its first trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park.
They’ll be back for an encore Saturday night.
Justin Bonsignore is 2-for-2 of 2020 and will look to become the first driver in tour history to win the first three races of a season. After a wire-to-wire win in race one, he led just 12 laps in the inaugural visit to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, but they were the most important ones — the last ones.
Bonsignore heads back to the banked quarter-mile in a bid to continue his domination on the banked quarter-mile, while the field will look to end his run.
WHITE MOUNTAIN SHOWDOWN 200
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
Bonsignore joined the late Ted Christopher in becoming just the second driver to win the first two races of a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. Christopher accomplished the feat in 2009, and came up just short — finishing second to Jimmy Blewett at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway.
Christopher, however, won just once more that season and finished a distant third behind champion Donny Lia and runner-up Ryan Preece in the championship race.
Bonsignore will look to establish his own historic mark, and will look to translate his hot start into a second tour title.
He’s certainly been the hottest driver on the tour since last August, as he’s compiled five wins, two seconds and a fifth in his last eight races on the tour.
Six-time tour champion Doug Coby finished a close third at White Mountain, nearly edging Matt Hirschman at the line for second. His finish moved him into a tie for third in points behind Bonsignore and Hirschman, where he’s tied with Craig Lutz.
Tommy Catalano is coming off his first career top five, a fourth at White Mountain, while Dave Sapienza and Chris Pasteryak both turned in strong top 10 runs in the first visit.
RACE FACTS
| RACE | WHITE MOUNTAIN SHOWDOWN 200 |
| PLACE | White Mountain Motorsports Park |
| DATE | Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020 |
| TIME1 | 7 p.m. ET |
| TELEVISION | Trackpass on NBC Gold (live), 7 p.m. ET; NBCSN — Friday, Aug. 7, 12 a.m. ET |
| TRACK LAYOUT | Quarter-mile paved oval |
| EVENT SCHEDULE | Saturday, Aug. 1 — Garage opens: Noon ET; Practice: 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Qualifying: 5:30 p.m.; White Mountain Showdown 200: 7 p.m. |
| @NASCARRoots | |
| HASHTAG | #NWMT |
RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE SCHEDULE
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the White Mountain Showdown 200 is limited to 28, including provisional positions. The field will be set by qualifying (1-22) and provisional process per the entry blank (23-28) for the White Mountain Showdown 200. In the event that qualifying as stated on this entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2020 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book.
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race set up.
The White Mountain Showdown 200 will be 200 laps (50 miles) and is to be run without a break.
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.
This event should match the previous one in terms of quality of racing! Though the Hirschman-Bonsignore incident took center stage, the race had plenty of passing through the field with two grooves. I plan to head up there Saturday alone, but with two tickets. My friend had a family issue that precludes him from making it. Anyone in need of a ticket, just find me. E-mail me at [email protected]. I’d love to meet some of you from on here, and enjoy an evening of the best racing on the planet: modifieds.
I would have been in Iowa.
Just got an update! A family member I didn’t think could make it, can, so there’s no ticket. Sorry to take up space. Wasn’t sure whether things would work, so had put it out there. Apologize again! Enjoy the night, whomever you have for company!
It sure will be a good night and busy. Two races streaming concurrently so that will be fun to follow. Stafford could be a little sketchy. Counting 21 cars. 22 if Art Barry has someone else drive the 21. Back 21 if Bertuccio doesn’t find a substitute for Swanson. Only losing Goodale from past years but all the new blood from the first race will be preoccupied. This should be the weak link in the Stafford opens and the other two back up to snuff.
After seeing the Late Models at White Mountain was a little disappointed in the use of the second grove by the modifieds. The racing further back was pretty interesting for sure.. Still if Bonsignor could have contested on the outside instead of doing what he did it would have been really special. Water under the New Hampshire covered bridge.
Hopefully Coby, Silk, Lutz or anybody really can give that 51 some competition.
Speaking of Iowa, word on the street is Iowa will be no more. Chicagoland too. Roger Penske might be the only man who can save Iowa at this point. If he wants it. Not sure that he does.
Stories on Iowa Speedway
https://www.jayski.com/2020/07/21/whats-the-future-of-iowa-speedway/
https://racer.com/2020/07/21/penske-weighing-iowa-speedway-purchase/
Chicaoland
https://www.instagram.com/p/CADZZkfBrtQ/?igshid=1j7tyaqbq3c0a
I predict someone in an LFR car will win, unless Jbon “moves” them on the last lap again.
I hope Melissa has a good finish in this race and gets into the top 25 in points! Go girl go!
Bottoms up boys! 🍷🍹🍻🥃
Liz, Melissa is lucky she is so slow. She doesn’t have a chance to wreck, hence she finishes ahead of all the others that actually race and are at risk of wrecking. She’s a tricky one, for sure!!!!!!! But once those other cars get a good finish, Melissa will drop in the standings like a rock. Enjoy it while you can!!!! Get plenty of screen grabs.
Melissa doesn’t like tight tracks, and White Mountain is a very tight track. She made it only 7 laps at White Mountain, let’s see how long she lasts this time.
How many Timmy Catalanos are there? There are two of them listed in the 2020 NWMT Standings, several points apart, each having run 2 races this season. 🤦♂️
It looks like all the Catalanos multiplied, Amy tommy and timmy are all listed twice in the point standings. Its like they are gremlins. It does seem like there are a lot of Catalanos running at times. There are a couple of Tyler Rypkema Jeff Gallups Sam Ramaeus Chris Pastryaks listed in the points as well. If you look at the entry list for this weekend there are two Sam Ramaeu (6,06)and two Jeff Gallups(4,04) listed with different car numbers. So perhaps it is a multiple car number issue. Maybe the drivers listed twice switched transponders from race 1 to race 2. Not sure why some drivers are listed twice and others are not. Good catch on your part. I dont remember, did NBC grassroots show the local divisions last time?
For what it’s worth Liz, I hope mellisa has a decent finish too. Like I said before, it’s easy for the keyboard cowboys to ridicule her, but she’s out there trying, and probably having fun doing it, while they sit at their computers streaming races. Who’s the fool?
Anybody out there old enough to remember spindizzy’s?
I also hope Fifield gets a decent finish this weekend. If she makes it to 8 laps, that’s an undeniable improvement. I along with Rob p will be cheering her on from our basements.
Besides having pretty much the coolest screen ID in the history of RaceDayCt, Liz Cherokee is a bit of a congenial scamp and provocateur who loves poking bears.
Why do you say she’s poking the bears Doug. What I read was a female (hopefully) stating she hopes the only female driver has a good run. It’s 2020, time for the sexism to stop, don’t you agree. Melissa is out there doing what none of us has, she shows up, races, and more than likely has a blast doing it. But the key is, she shows up, for that I give her credit.
I can only imagine the rush, to mash the throttle on a tour mod. Something I’ll never get the chance to do
2020, I don’t have a basement, and plan on hitting the golf course Saturday. There is more to life than racing after all.
Spindizzy’s, in the 30’s through the late 60’s, they were a way for a guy who couldn’t afford a race car a way to race
Cars were 1/8 scale and we’re gas powered, tethered by a 100 ft tether and races in a circle.
Cars ranged from simple 1 cylinder 1/5 horsepower to complex multi cylinder supercharged powerplants, and some were capable of reaching 200 MPH real speed. Back then they cost from $10 to $200, today the more exotic cars, built as replicas can cost as much as $ 30,000. And believe it or not there are clubs that still race them.