Could one of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s cornerstone organizations be in danger of leaving the division?
In a report published in early March, RaceDayCT hinted that a long running team on the Whelen Modified was facing possible issues. Now you know which team that report was making reference to.
FloRacing reported Wednesday that four-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore has withdrawn from Saturday’s All States Materials Group 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Reached by text Wednesday afternoon, Bonsignore told RaceDayCT he had no comment.
Bonsignore has started 243 consecutive Whelen Modified Tour events for team owner Ken Massa. Bonsignore’s 48 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins ranks him second all-time with the series. Bonsignore won Whelen Modified Tour titles in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Bonsignore opened this season with a victory at New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 7. He was seventh in the division’s most recent event on April 12 at Thompson Speedway and he currently sits fifth in the series standings.
Following the 2025 season rumors swirled through the offseason that there was a possibility that the Massa owned team might not run full-time in 2026 or could even shut down unexpectedly.
A source very close to the team told RaceDayCT following the season opening event at New Smyrna that the team was running on a race-to-race basis at that point and could possibly stop competing at anytime.
Bonsignore has run full-time for Massa since the start of the 2010 season.
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You were way out in front on this ” STORY” Shawn… !!! You did what all good journalists do.. You kept one ear to the ground , and the other fully open & got ” THE SCOOP ” !! Congratulations …!!
now everyone wants to know WHY…????
Put him in the v4 Mystic Missile.
Ruh-roh!!!
You never know with these things. Driver? Team issues? Team personal issues? Owners personal issues? Anybody’s guess, and anything is speculation only right now. But I do hate to see a top tier team depart (if they do) when this season had so much promise for multiple teams that could win! Oh well…
Didn’t Ryan Newman buy the Mystic Missile 4 car?
So he withdraws, who cares,He was just a PART-TIME racer anyway, adios
I care. This is a team that has been full-time on the tour for years in an era when car counts are fairly low. Bonsignore is a 4-time champion and still a regular winner. He’s the kind of driver that should never be without a ride, but just like Doug Coby he’s stepping aside for whatever reason. Maybe the team just really feels they need a reset, or maybe Bonsignore needs a break, but a racer of his caliber should be on the track. If the tour is in danger of losing him and this team that’s bad.