CLICK HERE TO VOTE – RaceDayCT Poll: How Many Whelen Modified Tour Wins Will Ron Silk Have In 2024
The champion’s reign for Ron Silk on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2024 continued to be a reign of power on Sunday at Riverhead Raceway.
Silk dominated much of on the way then held off the charges of Austin Beers on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Whelen Modified Tour Miller Lite Salutes Wayne Anderson 200 Sunday at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway.
The race was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to rain.
Silk led 174 of 208 laps at Riverhead. It was the third victory in five Whelen Modified Tour events for the 2023 series champion.
“This car was awesome,” Silk said. “It’s another win on the season and we’re just going to try to keep picking them off.
“… I have all the confidence in the world. We haven’t gone anywhere this season where we haven’t had a chance to win.”
Silk, of Norwalk, also won the season opening event at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway on Feb. 10 and was victorious in the Icebreaker 150 at Thompson Speedway on April 7. Silk was second at Richmond (Va.) Raceway on March 29. He was battling for the lead late in the Granite State Derby at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. on May 4 before contact with the wall dropped him to a 10th place finish.
Saturday’s win was Silk’s 25th overall on the Whelen Modified Tour and his second with the series at Riverhead.
Beers, of Northampton, Pa. was second and Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, N.Y. was third.
Beers got past Bonsignore for second on a lap 182 restart and he was stalking all over the bumper of Silk out front by lap 190. That pursuit happened lap after lap until caution flew on lap 199 for the spinning car of Tom Rogers. It set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish.
On the green-white-checkered Beers stayed outside of Silk for the first lap and much of the second lap. Going into the final corners Beers got behind Silk, and gave Silk a hard shot in turn four, but it wasn’t enough to change the order.
“Being on the bottom really helped,” Beers said. “That’s where our car really worked. I just got stuck on the top. … It was kind of bumper cars at the end. We went across the line for another good points day for us.”
Pole-sitter Trevor Catalano held the spot early. The first caution flew on lap eight for a left rear flat for Jake Johnson.
On the lap 14 restart it was Patrick Emerling going by Catalano for the lead, with Craig Lutz moving to second. Caution was back out quickly following the restart for a multi-car crash near the back of the field in turn one.
On the restart it was Lutz easily going by Emerling to take over the top spot.
On lap 30 it was Silk making the move to get by Lutz to take over the lead.
Caution was back on lap 58 for the stopped car of Tommy Catalano on the backstretch.
Silk held the lead through the lap 71 restart. Caution was back out for a wreck in turn one with Silk leading, Lutz in second, Emerling third and Justin Bonsignore in fourth.
On the lap 88 restart it was Silk fending off the challenges of Lutz. On lap 89 Lutz got sideways and nearly spun but somehow saved the car from wrecking.
On lap 98, contact from Anthony Sesely sent fifth place Trevor Catalano spinning off of turn two, piling in multiple cars to the wreck and necessitating a red flag. Before the race went back to green fourth place running Emerling was forced to go to pit lane to have something removed from his rear bumper.
The race went green again on lap 107, but the yellow was back out within four laps.
On the lap 119 restart it was Lutz challenging Silk on the outside lane. Lutz led at the line to complete lap 119 and 120. The side-by-side battle with the pair swapping the lead went on for laps 121, 122, 123 and 124 before Silk cleared Lutz for the lead on lap 125.
With Silk leading, Justin Bonsignore in second and Lutz in third, caution flew on lap 148 for the stopped car of Trevor Catalano.
On the lap 154 restart it was Silk holding while Lutz got by Justin Bonsignore for second place.
On lap 159 what looked like a header pipe was rolling down the track in turn four and was struck by race leader Silk just as caution flew. The debris did noticeable damage the front of Silk’s car.
Silk showed no issues in holding the lead on the lap 167 restart. Behind him Justin Bonsignore moved to second and Austin Beers to third as Lutz faded to sixth.
Caution returned on lap 173 with Sesely hard into the wall off of turn four.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE – RaceDayCT Poll: How Many Whelen Modified Tour Wins Will Ron Silk Have In 2024
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