STAFFORD, Conn. — While Kyle Bonsignore was celebrating his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win on Sunday, another member of the Bonsignore family, his cousin Justin, was celebrating clinching his first championship.
Kyle Bonsignore took the lead from Doug Coby with just four laps remaining in the NAPA Fall Final 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway and went on to capture his first checkered flag in Whelen Modified Tour competition.
Justin Bonsignore, who has seven wins in the first 15 races of the season, clinched his first championship with one race still remaining on the schedule. The Holtsville, New York, driver may have finished 12th, but he left Stafford with a 64-point lead in the championship point standings. The maximum amount of points a driver can earn in one event is 48.
“This is great,” Kyle Bonsignore said. “To come up here in their backyard, it’s so tough to run these races. Everything has to work out perfect, and today it did. We had a great car at the end, and that’s all that we needed.”
Kyle started 12th, but worked his way up through the field in the midst of a green flag run just past the halfway point. After pitting for tires during a late caution, Kyle had to climb back through the field and pass Coby, an 11-time Stafford winner, in the process. He rolled the bottom of Coby in turn three and completed the pass in just enough time.
The Bay Shore, New York, driver was celebrating in just his 11th career start.
Justin Bonsignore, who started from the pole position, ran inside the top five for much of the race. However, in the midst of the green flag run where Kyle was charging through the field, the two cousins made contact and Justin went high in turn three, losing multiple positions.
Even though his quest for another checkered flag was over, he collected the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Chevrolet, holding it off the outside wall and crossing the line 12th.
“Lot of hard years, and a lot of hard work over those years,” Justin Bonsignore said. “It’s been an unbelievable season. We had a ton of speed right from the first practice at Myrtle Beach.”
Craig Lutz, driving a brand new LFR Chassis, finished second to Bonsignore, while Coby crossed the line third after leading 13 of the final 18 laps.
Chase Dowling, who led a race-high 84 laps, didn’t pit for tires during the race and faded late, finishing fourth, while Ron Silk rounded out the top five.Rob Summers was sixth, followed by Dave Sapienza, Chris Pasteryak, Timmy Solomito and Burt Myers.
The NAPA Fall Final 150 will air on NBCSN on Saturday, October 6, at 11 p.m.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track for the season-finale at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Sunday, October 14.
2018 NAPA Fall Final 150
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race number 15 of 15
Sunday, September 30, 2018 at Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, CT
150 laps on a .500 mile paved track (75.0 miles)
Time of race: 1:17:23
Average speed: 58.152 mph
Pole speed: 99.135 mph
Cautions: 9 for 50 laps
Margin of victory: 0.636 sec
Lead changes: 5
| Fin |
St |
# |
Driver |
Sponsor / Owner |
Car |
Laps |
Status |
Led |
Pts |
| 1 |
12 |
22 |
 Kyle Bonsignore |
Chalew Performance (Kyle Bonsignore) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
5 |
47 |
| 2 |
8 |
46 |
Craig Lutz |
Riverhead Building Supply (Russell Goodale) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
42 |
| 3 |
6 |
2 |
Doug Coby |
Mayhew Tools (Mike Smeriglio III) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
13 |
42 |
| 4 |
1 |
15 |
Chase Dowling |
15-40 Connection / S&S Paving (Rob Fuller) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
131 |
42 |
| 5 |
7 |
85 |
Ron Silk |
Stuart’s Automotive (Kevin Stuart) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
39 |
| 6 |
9 |
64 |
Rob Summers |
Hoosier Tire East / Fast Track Elect / Hughes (Mike Murphy) |
|
150 |
running |
0 |
38 |
| 7 |
3 |
36 |
Dave Sapienza |
DSR Racing (Judy Thilberg) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
37 |
| 8 |
15 |
75 |
Chris Pasteryak |
Dawley’s Collision & Custom (Charles Pasteryak) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
36 |
| 9 |
10 |
16 |
Timmy Solomito |
Starrett Racing (Eric Sanderson) |
Ford |
150 |
running |
0 |
35 |
| 10 |
5 |
1 |
Burt Myers |
Dunleavys Truck & Trailer (Eddie Harvey) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
34 |
| 11 |
14 |
21 |
Ronnie Williams |
Empower Financial / Gershow Recycling (Joseph Bertuccio) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
33 |
| 12 |
2 |
51 |
Justin Bonsignore |
Phoenix Communications Inc. (Kenneth Massa) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
32 |
| 13 |
18 |
92 |
Anthony Nocella |
Nocella Paving / Airgas / A&D Associates (Anthony Nocella) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
31 |
| 14 |
19 |
76 |
Jimmy Blewett |
Starrett Racing / John Blewett Inc. (John Blewett Sr.) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
30 |
| 15 |
17 |
54 |
Tommy Catalano * |
Catalano Motorsports (Amy Catalano) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
29 |
| 16 |
23 |
25 |
Calvin Carroll |
Power with Prestige / Cruising w / Betty (Joe Carroll) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
28 |
| 17 |
22 |
14 |
Blake Barney * |
Atlantic Sprinkler (Richard Barney) |
Chevrolet |
150 |
running |
0 |
27 |
| 18 |
20 |
82 |
Woody Pitkat |
Horton Avenue Materials (Pamela Hulse) |
Chevrolet |
149 |
running |
0 |
26 |
| 19 |
31 |
35 |
 Andrew Molleur * |
Racechoice.com / Bud’s Diesel (Mike Molleur) |
Ford |
149 |
running |
0 |
25 |
| 20 |
21 |
18 |
Ken Heagy |
Buoy One Seafood (Robert Pollifrone) |
Ford |
149 |
running |
0 |
24 |
| 21 |
28 |
26 |
Gary McDonald |
Lakeland Landscape / TRC Electric (Sean McDonald) |
Chevrolet |
149 |
running |
0 |
23 |
| 22 |
26 |
33 |
Wade Cole |
Performance Engines / Kendall Oil (Wade Cole) |
Chevrolet |
148 |
running |
0 |
22 |
| 23 |
11 |
44 |
Bobby Santos III |
Sully Tinio / Olivas Market (Sully Tinio) |
Chevrolet |
147 |
engine |
1 |
22 |
| 24 |
29 |
01 |
Melissa Fifield |
Truck Stop Northeast (Kenneth Fifield) |
Chevrolet |
145 |
running |
0 |
20 |
| 25 |
4 |
58 |
Eric Goodale |
GAF Roofing (Edgar Goodale) |
Chevrolet |
141 |
running |
0 |
19 |
| 26 |
16 |
7 |
Jon McKennedy |
Accell Construction, Inc. (Tommy Baldwin) |
Chevrolet |
139 |
suspension |
0 |
18 |
| 27 |
24 |
20 |
Max Zachem |
LuMac’s / Spafco Race Chassis (Ken Zachem) |
Chevrolet |
126 |
crash |
0 |
17 |
| 28 |
25 |
24 |
Andrew Krause |
Supreme Manufacturing (Diane Krause) |
Toyota |
72 |
suspension |
0 |
16 |
| 29 |
13 |
3 |
Matt Swanson |
Starrett / Mosquito Free / USNE (Jan Boehler) |
Chevrolet |
60 |
crash |
0 |
15 |
| 30 |
27 |
78 |
Walter Sutcliffe, Jr. |
Last Minute Racing (Steven Sutcliffe) |
Chevrolet |
23 |
crash |
0 |
14 |
| 31 |
30 |
38 |
Dave Salzarulo |
Perf. Engines / Kendall Oil / Ryan’s (Richard Rodenbaugh) |
Chevrolet |
16 |
engine |
0 |
13 |
| Rookie drivers are denoted with an asterisk. |
|
| Caution flag breakdown: |
| Condition |
From
Lap |
To
Lap |
# Of
Laps |
Reason |
Free
Pass |
 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
#58 turn 2 |
none |
|
7 |
24 |
18 |
|
|
|
25 |
33 |
9 |
#78 spun turn 3 |
#01 |
|
34 |
38 |
5 |
|
|
|
39 |
47 |
9 |
#82 spun turn 1 |
#fp01 |
|
48 |
59 |
12 |
|
|
|
60 |
63 |
4 |
#35,75,3,20,21 accident turn 2 |
#82 |
|
64 |
72 |
9 |
|
|
|
73 |
78 |
6 |
#24 turn 4 |
#35 |
|
79 |
79 |
1 |
|
|
|
80 |
84 |
5 |
#7 spun turn 3 |
#82 |
|
85 |
120 |
36 |
|
|
|
121 |
125 |
5 |
#92 spun turn 3 |
none |
|
126 |
126 |
1 |
|
|
|
127 |
131 |
5 |
#7 accident turn 4 |
#92 |
|
132 |
138 |
7 |
|
|
|
139 |
141 |
3 |
#20,18,44 accident turn 3 |
none |
|
142 |
150 |
9 |
|
|
| Percent of race run under caution: 33.3% Average green flag run: 10.0 laps |
| Lap leader breakdown: |
| Leader |
From
Lap |
To
Lap |
# Of
Laps |
| Chase Dowling |
1 |
84 |
84 |
| Bobby Santos III |
85 |
85 |
1 |
| Chase Dowling |
86 |
132 |
47 |
| Doug Coby |
133 |
145 |
13 |
| Kyle Bonsignore |
146 |
150 |
5 |
|
