WINCHESTER, NH :: Since the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returned to Monadnock Speedway in 2010 every race had at least six cautions. But not this year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 200. This year’s event saw Justin Bonsignore score the victory in a caution-free affair.
Bonsignore left Monadnock a year ago with his number atop the leaderboard and things didn’t change much to this year as would start from the pole position.
But he didn’t stay in first for long as Ryan Preece quickly took the lead on the second lap of the race, which apparently was all part of the plan for Bonsignore.
“I told Ryan right before the race I just wanted to lead one lap and then he (could) go,” said Bonsignore. “And he didn’t believe me.”
Preece, the 2012 winner here, set a blistering pace for most of the event. At one point Preece’s lead over Bonsignore was half a lap. Only the top six cars remained on the lead lap by the halfway point. And then the handling started to go away on Preece’s car.
Bonsignore started to slowly chase Preece down. He’d brought the gap back down to a straightaway with 50 laps remaining.
Then Preece’s car really went to the loose side. He was running higher in the corners than he had all race and started sliding off the turns as well.
“We held on for second and led the most laps tonight,” said Preece. “We may not have led the last lap, but second place is the best finish of our year.”
Bonsignore got underneath Preece in turn three with 26 laps to go. He completed the pass going into turn one and after that he took off. Bonsignore’s margin of victory over Preece was 3.939 seconds, and is the largest margin of victory ever at Monadnock. Bonsignore is now the first ever two-time winner in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition at Monadnock.
This is the first time Bonsignore has scored multiple wins in a season, and that’s something that has him very excited for the stretch run.
“It’s cool to come back to victory lane,” said Bonsignore. “It feels good to get back to victory lane. Things got a little shaky at Riverhead and at Loudon we didn’t get the finish I felt we deserved. To come back here it seems like this is usually where we can regroup and get back on the right foot.”
The 200-lap show shattered the previous race record set by Mike McLaughlin in 1989. McLaughlin won that race with an average speed of 52.961 mph. Bonsignore completed this year’s race with an average speed of 66.882 mph.
Results:
1. Justin Bonsignore
2. Ryan Preece
3. Eric Goodale
4. Tommy Barrett Jr.
5. Doug Coby
6. Matt Hirschman
7. Patrick Emerling
8. Ted Christopher
9. Ron Silk
10. Ron Yuhas
11. Bobby Santos
12. Glen Reen
13. Timmy Solomito
14. Ken Heagy
15. Gary McDonald
16. Dave Salzarulo
17. Andy Seuss
18. Donny Lia
19. Jamie Tomaino
20. Woody Pitkat
21. Wade Cole
22. Jimmy Zacharias
23. Melissa Fifield
Top 10 in Points:
1. Doug Coby 285
2. Justin Bonsignore -4
3. Bobby Santos -8
4. Ted Christopher -13
5. Ryan Preece -33
6. Ron Silk -41
7. Eric Goodale -51
8. Timmy Solomito -52
9. Matt Hirschman -56
10. Woody Pitkat -58