RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Doug Coby can be forgiven if he lost track of how many different ways wins at New York’s Riverhead Raceway slipped away.
Finally, Saturday night, the six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion would be denied no longer.
Coby wrestled the lead away from Justin Bonsignore with 25 laps to go and drove to the win in the Miller Lite 200. It was Coby’s 30th career win and the first in 20 starts at the quarter-mile billring on the eastern tip of Long Island.
Coby’s No. 10 Mayhew Tools Ford crossed the finish line 3.119 seconds in front of Patrick Emerling. Bongisnore, who was fastest in practice, won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and led the first 175 laps in pursuit of his fifth straight win at his home track, finished third.
Coby is the first driver outside of Long Island to win a tour race at Riverhead since Ryan Preece in 2013.
Kyle Bonsignore finished fourth and Woody Pitkat was fifth.
Chuck Hossfeld, Ron Silk, Eric Goodale, Dylan Slepian and Dave Sapienza rounded out the top 10.
Emerling and Goodale are tied for the championship lead after three races with 125 points apiece. Coby is seven points back, while Justin Bonsignore is nine. Kyle Bonsignore is fifth, three points behind his cousin.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, the last Connecticut driver to win a tour race at Riverhead, had a top-10 run end on lap 133 with a cut left front tire while battling with Hossfeld. Preece finished 23rd.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads west to Pennsylvania for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 at Jennerstown Speedway on May 29.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Riverhead Raceway – Riverhead, NY
Miller Lite 200 – May 15, 2021
1. Doug Coby
2. Patrick Emerling
3. Justin Bonsignore
4. Kyle Bonsignore
5. Woody Pitkat
6. Chuck Hossfeld
7. Ron Silk
8. Eric Goodale
9. Dylan Slepian
10. Dave Sapienza
11. Tommy Catalano
12. Timmy Solomito
13. Craig Lutz
14. Anthony Nocella
15. Tyler Rypkema
16. Jon McKennedy
17. John Baker
18. Kyle Ellwood
19. Walter Sutcliffe, Jr.
20. J.B. Fortin
21. Roger Turbush
22. Kyle Soper
23. Ryan Preece
24. Tom Rogers, Jr.
25. Gary McDonald
26. Melissa Fifield
