JENNERSTOWN, Pa. - It was 253 days between NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races, but Justin Bonsignore still ended up in the same place.
After closing out the 2019 season with a win, and then waiting through the delay brought upon by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Holtsville, New York, driver put forth a dominating performance in the 2020 season opener at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway.
Bonsignore won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and then marched virtually unchallenged to the win in the Morocco Welding/Wade Cole Memorial 133 on Sunday afternoon.
Bonsignore’s No. 51 Chevrolet finished 1.76 seconds ahead of runner-up Craig Lutz. Only the top four finished within 10 seconds of Bonsignore on the .522-mile oval as he claimed his 27th career win. The victory moved him to within one of Mike Ewanitsko and defending tour champion Doug Coby for sixth all-time in tour history.
More importantly, it gave Bonsignore the early leg up in the championship chase after he finished just eight points shy of Coby last year.
Jon McKennedy overcame a mid-race flat tire to charge up to third, followed by Matt Hirschman and Calvin Carroll.
Ron Silk finished sixth and Coby, who qualified second, was seventh. Kyle Bonsignore, Matt Swanson and Rob Summers rounded out the top 10.
The Whelen Modified Tour will return to action on Saturday, July 4, with its inaugural visit to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Jennerstown Speedway – Jennerstown, PA
Wade Cole Memorial 133 – June 21, 2020
1. Justin Bonsignore
2. Craig Lutz
3. Jon McKennedy
4. Matt Hirschman
5. Calvin Carroll
6. Ron Silk
7. Doug Coby
8. Kyle Bonsignore
9. Matt Swanson
10. Rob Summers
11. Sam Rameau
12. Chris Pasteryak
13. Dave Sapienza
14. Eric Goodale
15. Timmy Solomito
16. Woody Pitkat
17. Jeff Gallup
18. Tyler Rypkema
19. Patrick Emerling
20. J.R. Bertuccio
21. Jeremy Gerstner
22. Ed McCarthy
23. J.B. Fortin
24. John Beatty, Jr.
25. Roger Turbush
26. Chase Dowling
27. Melissa Fifield
28. Ronnie Williams
29. Amy Catalano
30. Tommy Catalano
31. Walter Sutcliffe, Jr.
32. Timmy Catalano
33. Andrew Krause
