(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
For the third time this year and the 73rd time in series history, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to New York’s popular quarter-mile bullring known as Riverhead Raceway for the running of the Eddie Partridge 256 (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
While the Modified Tour is no stranger to Riverhead, Saturday’s race marks just the second running of the Eddie Partridge 256, an event held in honor of the late Modified Tour car owner and Riverhead Raceway owner Eddie Partridge.
Unlike most Tour events held at Riverhead, the Eddie Partridge 256 will feature live pit stops thanks to a specially constructed, temporary pit wall in the infield. Justin Bonsignore, a 1o-time Tour winner at Riverhead, is the defending winner of the Eddie Partridge 256.
Tickets to Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256 are available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the 15th race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway
What to watch for:
The battle for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship returns to Riverhead Raceway for the third time this season as both Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk look to find an edge in the title battle.
Silk narrowly leads Bonsignore with four races remaining, and both drivers have reason to be excited to race at Riverhead. Bonsignore, coming off a victory at Monadnock Speedway last weekend, is the active wins leader at Riverhead. Silk, meanwhile, is the most recent Riverhead winner in June.
Both are expected to contend for victory, but they won’t be the only contenders.
Austin Beers, who started from the pole and led 63 laps at Riverhead in June, has been fast all season and could be a threat to Silk and Bonsignore on Saturday night.
MORE RIVERHEAD: Watch live Saturday on FloRacing
Eric Goodale returns to action aboard his own No. 58 at the same track where in 2014 he earned his first Modified Tour victory. Timmy Solomito, a three-time Modified Tour winner at Riverhead, is also in the field as he looks to score his first series win since 2017.
Langley Speedway Modified Tour winner Kyle Bonsignore will look to register his second victory of the season and third of his career. Craig Lutz will look to shake off a difficult season with a victory of his own.
Local drivers John Beatty Jr., Mark Stewart, Matthew Brode and Roger Turbush will look to give the Long Island fans something to cheer about Saturday night.
The complete entry list for Saturday night’s Eddie Partridge 256 is available here.
RACE FACTS
| Race | Eddie Partridge 256 |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 |
| Track | Riverhead Raceway |
| Layout | Quarter-mile paved oval |
| Location | Riverhead, New York |
| Start Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Laps | 256 |
| Posted awards | $88,495 |
| Live stream | FloRacing (Live) |
Schedule: Saturday, Sept. 16 … Final practice from 3:15-4:15 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6 p.m. ET … Eddie Partridge 256 at 8 p.m. ET (FloRacing).
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. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Eddie Partridge 256 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.
Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is ten (10) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is two (2) tires, any position.
Series has become a joke with car count and quality of drivers going for championship that’s why nobody goes or cares it’s pathetic!!!! Melissa almost top 10 in points? Series is toast that’s why Stafford sk’s and tri- track rule !!!! Stop the tour it’s dead !
If the fields of cars are going down and the fans restless that serves a purpose. Ben Dodge or anyone else can say the tour modified schedule was too aggressive last January but until promotors experience shorter fields they won’t be motivated to do anything.
The tour is at the end of a string of races less then two weeks apart some with big travel. August 16, August 26, September 2, September 9 and September 16. 5 races in 31 days. Two weeks off, whoopie but then they travel all the way down south again.
Riverhead is $40 dollars but you pay that on anyone 13 and older. 6 to12 $20. The MMTTS race coming up $30 over 14, $20 6 to 14. What’s the better value? Doesn’t make any difference in the short term but over the course of a season it makes a difference.
Riverhead has 18 cars signed up. Some really good cars, pit stops and a points battle in progress adds up to a great event. But 18 has to be making an impression. MMTTS has 24 ten days out. Considering it’s status not anything to write gramps in Arizona about either.
Hopefully NASCAR will figure out 1 + 1 = 2 and allow more breathing room between races as well as dialing back the travel.
Nascar hasn’t even put new points on their web site after mad dog.
Tony L,
Looks like they updated the statistical columns but for some reason did not update the actual points. Check this link for updated points: Whelen Modified Tour Standings After Monadnock
Doug, talking about the value of a $40 Riverhead ticket vs a $30 Tri Track ticket. Can argue about the quality of the field, how how about,
Riverhead is 256 laps vs 100 laps for Tri Track. Does that not add some value? Having a longer race.
Doug, kids are $10 at Stafford Fall Final
https://staffordmotorspeedway.com/store/NAPA-Fall-Final-p581866511
you also have to account for the track’s normal ticket prices due to the area they are in.
A normal show at Riverhead is $30. Tour show $40. Tour show is 33% more over a weekly show.
A normal show at Stafford is $20. Tri track is $30. TT is 50% more than a normal show.
Both are fair value in my book.
Only thing i would say is that i know exactly what im getting with the tour show. i dont exactly know what ill get with TT. with their own fall in car counts lately they dont have as many heats and consis like they used too.
Zig13,
You say you don’t know what you will get with a Tri-Track event. Not understanding what that means? Tri-Track puts out entry lists for every event, typically at least a week before the event takes place. They still have heat races at every event. You obviously know before going to an event that if there are 26 cars on the entry list there likely won’t be a consi.
No I don’t. I can get a decent idea by looking through past races because I know how to internet. But it’s a guess at the end of the day, especially at the car count level they have been this year.
As far as I can tell, Tri Track does not list their thresholds for 3,4 or 5 heats. Or 1 or 2 consis anywhere on their website. Nor do they have field size listed for each track.
Obviously, it’s a tad early for Stafford’s info to be out. But I see 0 info on any of this in the “race preview” posted here for Waterford. Nor do I see any of it in the 2023 historical race central section of the website.
I see info on that in 2022 race central archive, from the driver/spotter notes. Maybe they’ll post it there when Stafford come out. But if I’m a fan, not a driver/spotter, why would I click that?
I see a preliminary 30 car entry list, but no info on how that relates to the race schedule. It’s basically 8 days to race day. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to at least see the different options on what the race day format will be, depending on how many show.
Even if they did post the format, with cars counts usually in the upper 20’s low 30’s this year, idk if they are going to forgo the consi they were supposed to run, so they don’t 1 or 2 cars home. (which is a move I support in general). It’s also pretty darn close to the threshold of 3 vs 4 heats. One or two no shows can be a big difference. Heck, even a practice issue or heat race wreck can change things.
With the tour, I don’t have to worry about how many heats or if they will have a consi or start them all if they are just over a full field. I get time trials aren’t for everyone, but i love them.
Personally, if everyone is starting, i prefer TT over heats even more. Heats in that case usually settle out after a lap or two and turn into a train. At least they try their guts out in TT.
One google search and I can find the world of outlaw heat format for 5 different tiers of car counts spelled out very clearly. tri track should have a section like that on their website.
Hey zig, on the TriTrack site there is a specific entry list for Stafford. I would bet there are variables ralating to track size and weather as well as car counts that guide the decisions regarding heats and consis, which might be why there are no “carved in stone” rules for them. Most times if there is going to be a consi, the heats make a big difference no matter how many there are, as no one wants to have to run in the consi. If the cutoff in the heat is 5 cars to the feature, don’t watch the leaders so much as the battle for 5th. Usually that becomes a great 2-3 car battle for the final transfer spot. If there is a top 3 redraw then there’s sometimes a battle for that position as well. I would much rather watch 3-4 heats and maybe a consi than time trials. TriTrack does do time trials to a degree; practice times determine heat lineups.