JUSTIN BONSIGNORE SCORES FIRST CAREER NASCAR WMT VICTORY IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN FANS IN RIVERHEAD LIGHTHOUSE MISSION 200 SATURDAY
By Bob Finan

August 1, Riverhead, NY--- In life it is said that timing can be everything and Saturday night the timing was right for Justin Bonsignore to post his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in front of family and friends in the Lighthouse Mission 200 by Baldwin Automotive at Riverhead Raceway. Justin's timing was also perfect as the win was worth a cool $10,318 after the purse, bonus and lap money collected was figured in for the Ken Massa owned M3 Technology team.

Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standout Howie Brode won the Coors Light Pole Award with a lap of 11.858 which was just 1/1000th better than Justin Bonsignore's circuit of 11.859 and these two would occupy row one for the 175-lap feature portion of the Lighthouse Mission 200 by Baldwin Automotive. The pole was worth an additional $200 on top of the Coors Light money courtesy of Brigandi Brothers Automotive and Christine Healy and Mike Rickert.

Prior to the main event the 25-lap NASCAR WMT qualifying race had to be contested to qualify 7 more cars to the 28-car starting grid and with a late race charge Donny Lia of Jericho in Wayne Anderson's Eastport Feeds Chevy took home the victory and $530 thanks to Jim Schaefer aka Long Island Mod Maniac who raised nearly $20,000 for the 200. Eddie Flemke Jr. of Southington, Ct. led most of the way before yielding to Lia and he'd earn $250 in lap money.

Howie Brode raced out front for the first 18-laps of the race with Justin Bonsignore giving chase. Early on it was evident that the contest was going to be testy as caution flag after caution flag waved as well as no less than three red flags, one of which waved late for a medical emergency in the spotter's stand. On lap 19 during one of many restarts Justin Bonsignore who has been saddled by a streak of rough luck on the WMT, rode the outside lane past Brode to the race lead, a lead he'd never surrender. Todd Szegedy moved by Brode for second on lap 20, but just 15-laps later Brode would reclaim the position on the 35th circuit only to have Szegedy re-pass him on the 70th lap.

With the race utilizing double file restarts for its entire distance Bonsignore and Szegedy lined-up side by side more often than not during the 200 and each and every time Justin would execute a perfect restart. This forced Todd to tuck in behind the leader before he found himself hung out to dry by third place driver Ronnie Silk who was seeking his second straight Riverhead win off his Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 triumph.

In the end however it would be hometown favorite Justin Bonsignore prevailing in his M3 Technology Chevrolet and afterwards he proudly hoisted the Lighthouse Mission trophy over his head. "This is awesome to win my first Whelen Modified Tour race here at home" Bonsignore admitted in victory lane. "After last week and some drama we had in the 77 we had a great team meeting at the shop and I can't thank Ken Massa and our team enough for all they do". Jim Schaefer made Justin's night sweeter to the tune of $3,100 in bonus money and later he was awarded $2,168 in lap money by organizer Christine Healy which was just part of his $10,318 payday. "All of us owe Jim and all those sponsors he arranged for a great big thank you" Justin concluded.

Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, Ct. would have to settle for a $2,800 runner-up effort in his Wisk Laundry Detergent Ford, while Ronnie Silk of Norwalk, Ct. came home third in the TS Haulers Chevy earning $2,300 in the process. Ryan Preece of Berlin, Ct drove the Bill Park owned JAD Carpet Showcase Chevy over the line 4th, while Doug Colby of Milford, Ct. completed the top five in his Reynolds Auto Wreckers Chevy.

Richie Pallai Jr. of Yorktown Heights, NY was named the Mike Ewanitsko Hard Charger of the Race as voted upon by a committee of Jim Schaefer, Craig Gabriele, racing writer Kevin Rice of the AARN and Mike Ewanitsko himself. Pallai earned $700 for the award sponsored by Laticrete and presented by "Mighty" Mike Ewanitsko.

After winner Justin Bonsignore, Dave Brigati of Calverton would be the highest finishing Riverhead Raceway driver as he finished 12th in the WPW Growers Chevy. Dave was running for a top five finish before he received the "chrome horn" from Ted Christopher in the fourth turn late in the race and  was forced to rally back to 12th. Shawn Solomito of Islip had a solid night going in the Acme Sanitary Services Chevy and seemed destined for a top ten finish before contact from Jamie Tomaino forced him into the wall under the starter's stand dropping him to 19th. Howie Brode saw his night take a turn for the worse while racing for fourth with his RW Truck Equipment Chevy sustaining heavy damage after a trip into the concrete in turn three, he was 23rd. Donny Lia after his 25-lap qualifying race win was also contending for a good night when he too saw his night end with a third turn crash after contact and was 26th.

Lighthouse Mission 200 by Baldwin Automotive: 1. Justin Bonsignore 2. Todd Szegedy 3. Ronnie Silk 4. Ryan Preece 5. Doug Colby 6. Rowan Pennink 7. Jamie Tomaino 8. Patrick Emerling 9. Bobby Santos 10. Richie Pallai Jr. 11. Eric Beers 12. Dave Brigati 13. Matt Hirschman 14. Ed Flemke Jr. 15. Eric Goodale 16. Eric Berndt 17. Ted Christopher 18. Ron Yuhas Jr 19. Shawn Solomito 20. Ken Heagy 21. James Civalli 22. Mike Stefanik 23. Howie Brode 24. Erick Rudolph 25. Bryon Chew 26. Donny Lia 27. George Brunnhoelzl III 28. Kevin Goodale DNQ- Chuck Steuer, Wade Cole, Gary McDonald, Jake Marosz Withdrew- Tom Rogers Jr.

CHRIS TURBUSH & TOMMY WALKOWIAK CLAIM RIVERHEAD RACEWAY BUZZ CHEW CHEVY NIGHT VICTORIES SATURDAY
By Bob Finan

August 1, Riverhead, NY--- What did Chris Turbush of Riverhead and Tommy Walkowiak of Ridge have in common on Buzz Chew Chevrolet-Cadillac night Saturday at Riverhead Raceway? The answer is both drivers, who are the defending champions in their respective divisions started on the pole and went wire to wire to claim victory with Turbush posting his third Charger win of the year, while Walkowiak laid claim to his fourth Blunderbust win.

For Chris Turbush the path to his third win of 2011 was a direct one as he set fast time in time trials with a lap of 13.310 and being the first driver among six to pick in the redraw "The Cranberry Kid" selected the pole. Right from the throw of the green flag Chris Turbush took full advantage of his front row starting berth racing his East-West Building Solutions Pontiac into the race lead. Jeremy McDermott, who came to the race second in points to Chris McGuire, tucked in behind Turbush, who was third in the standings when the race started. McDermott was able to shadow Turbush for the entire distance and late in the contest noticed the race leader's car was getting loose in the corners. Jeremy made a late race run at Chris for the victory but came up just short.

At the checker it was Chris Turbush not only scoring the race win, but leaping from third to the lead in the current Charger standings by two, 484 to 482 over Chris McGuire of Shirley who placed fifth in the 30-lap feature. Jeremy McDermott of E. Stroudsburg, Pa was runner-up in the JDP Mechanical Pontiac and he now trails Turbush by 4 and McGuire by two points in the championship chase with 480 markers. "Dynamite" Dan Turbush of Riverhead finished third in the Burt's Reliable Utilities Chevy.

Tom Pickerell of Huntington set the fast time in Blunderbust time trials with a lap of 15.000, but unlike Turbush his redraw was 6th while points rival and leader Tommy Walkowiak drew the pole. As the class has been known to do more often than not their 30-lap feature would be run off without a caution flag and that was indeed music to the ears of Tommy Walkowiak who powered into the race lead at the start. Brandon Hubbard ran second to Walkowiak for the first five laps before Scott Maliszewski passed him for position on lap 6 and with this duo racing for position Walkowiak was able to open up a very comfortable lead. However as the race hit its final five laps Walkowiak found himself in heavy lapped traffic that double filed ahead of him and that allowed Maliszewski to erase the large cushion Tommy built up. Scott made a late race run to the inside of Tommy for the race win, but his effort was thwarted.

When the race concluded it was Tommy Walkowiak in the Blaze Fuel Oil Chevy posting his 47th career win and in the process opened up a 34-point lead over Tom Pickerell in the championship chase, 494 to 460. Scott Maliszewski of Deer Park in his Thomas J. Stock Attorney at Law Chevy was runner-up while Rob Bader of Holtsville crossed the line third in his MoMo Sport's Bar & Grill Chevy.

Buzz Chew Chevy Chargers 30-laps: 1. Chris Turbush 2. Jeremy McDermott 3. Dan Turbush 4. Ray Minieri 5. Chris McGuire 6. Craig Lutz 7. CJ Lehmann 8. Frank Dumicich Jr. 9. Kyle Ellwood 10. Erin Dumicich 11. Eric Zeh 12. John Baker 13. Derek Stachecki 14. Kevin Orlando

Buzz Chew Chevy Blunderbusts 30-laps: 1. Tommy Walkowiak 2. Scott Maliszewski 3. Rob Bader 4. Jack Handley Jr. 5. Tom Pickerell 6. Brandon Hubbard 7. Bill Wegmann Sr. 8. Ed Mistretta 9. Paul Parisi 10. Bill Wegmann Jr. 11. Tom Sullivan 12. Gary Caldwell 13. Joe Seeger 14. Thomas Puccia 15. Bill Portney Sr. 16. Scott Sepe 17. Bryan Quilliam 18. Jessica Cohan 19. Tim Mulqueen 20. Fred Nolan

RIVERHEAD RACEWAY NIGHT OF ADVENTURE FEATURES TONY PETERSEN HELL DRIVERS AND SCHOOL BUS DEMO SATURDAY
By Bob Finan

July 29, Riverhead, NY--- After two weeks of hard core NASCAR stock car racing Riverhead Raceway will mix in some exciting and thrilling family entertainment events this Saturday night August 6th when Barbara & Jim Cromarty present a Night of Adventure. Tony Petersen's Hell Drivers and a Full Size School Bus Demolition Derby will headline the Night of Adventure that will be joined by the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series stock cars and a wild 4- ylinder Enduro on Miller Lite night, racing starts at 5:30 pm.

Award winning precision driver and stuntman Tony Petersen and his Hell Drivers will keep fans at the edge of their seats during their performance that will feature some great precision driving maneuvers and death defying stunts. Petersen has appeared in numerous Hollywood movie and television productions and he and his Hell Drivers will attempt crossovers, reverse spins and ramp to ramp jumps that feature cars going over the ramps at high speed just inches apart from each other. It's the first time in over a decade since a stunt show has been presented at Riverhead Raceway and August 6th is the only appearance of the Tony Petersen Hell Drivers in the tri-state area.

The second and final Full Size School Bus Demolition Derby will conclude the busy night of thrills at Riverhead and with it being the last such contest for these giant 13-ton buses all the drivers will come to the event with a no-holds barred attitude! The first Full Size School Bus Demo found Michael "Cheesebox" Rommeney" of Bay Shore having to hold off the challenges of his future father-in-law Dennis "The Menace" Scott of Riverhead for the win. Out to join the "Family Feud" on August 6th will be "Hubcap" Brandon Hubbard, "Dangerous" Dave Koenig, Ken Darch and the always unpredictable Donny Fox.

The chase for the 2011 NASCAR Modified title will resume Saturday after a week off for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and going into the Miller Lite night 35 John Fortin leads Justin Bonsignore by a mere two points with just six scheduled races left this season for the two Holtsville residents to decide the championship.

Shawn Solomito of Islip, John Beatty Jr. of Merrick and former five-time champion Wayne Anderson of Yaphank follow third through fifth, but will have to do quite a bit of work in a hurry if they are to make a run at Fortin and Bonsignore.

The Late Models are back after two weeks off and they'll be joined by the Super Pro Trucks, Legend Race Cars and a 4-Cylinder Enduro. Rain date is set for August 13th.

For further information please visit www.riverheadraceway.com or call 631-842-RACE.

I LOVE AMERICA NIGHT FIREWORKS AND 4-CYLINDER DEMO SET FOR RIVERHEAD RACEWAY AUGUST 2OTH
By Bob Finan

July 29, Riverhead, NY--- Saturday evening August 20th will be a night to gather at Riverhead Raceway and salute this great country in which we live. Promoters Barbara & Jim Cromarty will present I Love America night complete with a spectacular Fireworks show set to patriotic music, a 4-Cylinder Demolition Derby and a Free Amusement Ride for the children. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series will compete on Donaldson's VW-Subaru night and feature the NASCAR Modifieds who'll run a 35-lap feature event.

Bay Fireworks will once again provide a breathtaking display of pyrotechnics on the infield of the Riverhead Raceway and their July 2nd display earlier this summer was among the best ever presented at the race track and they promise to make the I Love America night show even more spectacular! At the conclusion of the night's racing and fireworks a bone-jarring, car destroying 4-Cylinder Demolition Derby will unfold with Jamie "The Killa" Kilkenny of Howard Beach leading the chase for the 2011 championship as of press time. Other drivers expected to compete are George "911" Astacio, "Deathwish" Jason Savoy, the Mulqueen brothers Daniel and Matt and many more ready to destroy their cars before your very eyes.

The 600 horsepower NASCAR Modifieds will rocket around the quarter mile in 12 seconds per lap or less in their feature event and they'll be joined by the "World Famous" Figure Eight stock cars that will try and avoid disaster at the intersection lap after lap. The Chargers and Legend Race Cars will complete the race card which is set to start at 6:00 pm. The turn three area of the track will feature a Free Amusement Ride for the children courtesy of promoters Barbara & Jim Cromarty who started this practice last year and it is indeed very popular among the kids.

For further information concerning the I Love America Night program or any other Riverhead Raceway event please call 631-842-RACE or visit www.riverheadraceway.com.

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