Pit Box: Slugfest Awaits The Whelen Mod Tour Field At Eddie Partridge 256 At Riverhead

(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)

Five races remain in the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, and the battle for the championship is as close as ever.

The championship fight, which includes Justin Bonsignore, Ron Silk and the surging Patrick Emerling, continues Saturday with the third running of the Eddie Partridge 256 at New York’s Riverhead Raceway (8 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

Saturday’s race marks the 74th visit to Riverhead for the Modified Tour dating back to 1985. No driver has won more races at the quarter-mile bullring than Mike Ewanitsko and Justin Bonsignore, who are tied with 11 career Riverhead wins, five more than the next closest driver.

Other notable winners include Mike Stefanik, Donny Lia, Ryan Preece, Doug Coby, Ted Christopher, Reggie Ruggiero and the most recent winner, Ron Silk.

Tickets to Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256 are available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about Saturday’s race.

Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway

If you’re going to win a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Riverhead Raceway, odds are you’re going to have to beat Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore.

The pair that’s in the midst of another championship battle has won the last five Modified Tour events at Riverhead dating back to September of 2022. Bonsignore has won three times, and Silk has won twice, making them the obvious favorites ahead of Saturday’s 256-lap adventure.

Hot on their heels, however, is the surging Patrick Emerling. The winner of the last two Modified Tour events, at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Oswego Speedway, Emerling is also a Riverhead winner. He captured his lone Riverhead win in 2021 and could very well play the role of spoiler Saturday night.

Not to be counted out are the local contenders at Riverhead. Among the contingent to file entries is Timmy Solomito, a three-time winner in NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competition this year at Riverhead who also happens to be a nine-time Whelen Modified Tour winner.

Other local entrants include J.R. Bertuccio and Jack Handley Jr., all of whom have won Weekly Series events at Riverhead this season. Also entered is Mark Stewart, who was runner-up in the Eddie Partridge 256 one season ago, as well as his uncle, Roger Turbush.

Another notable entry comes in the form of Boehler Racing Enterprises and the Ole Blue No. 3, which will have Tyler Rypkema behind the wheel for the first time.

The full entry list for Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256 is available here.

RACING REFERENCE

• Previous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Riverhead
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers at Riverhead

Schedule: Saturday, September 14… Final practice from 3:30 to 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 nine (9) 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 per caution period.