Riverhead Victory

Making the most of his hometown advantage, Justin Bonsignore led the M3 Technology Race Team to a first place finish on Saturday night at the Lighthouse Mission 200 held at Riverhead Raceway. The win is Justin’s first on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

After posting the fastest time in practice, Justin qualified in second place, slotting in just behind Coors Light Pole Award Winner Howie Brodie. Brodie led for the first 17 laps, but could not hold back Bonsignore for long. The 2010 Sunoco Year took over first place on lap 18, and held on for the remainder of the 175 lap race.

Fending off challenges and avoiding the wrecks that knocked out several competitors throughout the night, the M3 Race Team took the checkered flag, followed by Todd Szegedy, Ron Silk (current points leader), Ryan Preece, and Doug Coby.

With the win, Justin moves from 19th to 15th place in the Driver Standings, and will look to capitalize on the momentum to move into the top 10 over the next few weeks.

The race for the finish picks up again on Friday August 5th, when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour moves to the Stafford Motor Speedway for the Town Fair 150.

Riverhead Raceway

By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will go from the largest track on its schedule to the smallest when it heads to Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway on Saturday, July 30 for the Lighthouse Mission 200.

Coming from New Hampshire Motor Speedway – which measures a little more than a mile – the Whelen Modified Tour will head to Long Island for its 50th all-time running at the quarter-mile bullring. The first race at Riverhead took place on July 10, 1985 and was won by Jimmy Spencer.

For the Whelen Modified Tour drivers from Long Island that regularly cross the sound on the ferry for the vast majority of the schedule, Riverhead is always a welcomed event. Of the 30 entries in for the race, 10 are drivers from across Long Island that relish the opportunity to compete at their home track with friends and family in attendance.

While the locals will be on home turf, and perhaps have an edge in experience, there are plenty of other competitors that have had success at Riverhead through the years. Mike Stefanik has six wins to his credit at the tight quarter mile while Ted Christopher has three. Season points leader Rowan Pennink got his first career win there last year, but will face an uphill battle in his bid to repeat as the last time a driver won two in a row at Riverhead was Stefanik in 2001.

Riverhead will also be a good midseason test for the championship hopes of Pennink. Last year’s performance was his first top five in four starts at Riverhead, while his main competition in this year’s championship chase – Ron Silk – has finished on the podium in three of the previous four events there. Silk trails Pennink by just 10 tallies after six races.

The Lighthouse Mission 200 includes a 25-lap qualifying race and a 175-lap feature, the second and final race with this format in 2011 following the Monadnock 200 in June that was won from the pole by Todd Szegedy.

Selected Driver Highlights:
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 Chevrolet)
• The 2010 Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
• Has two poles and eight top 10s in 22 career starts.
• Is 19th in the standings with two top 10s.
• Has two top-five finishes in three NWMT starts at Riverhead.
• Began his career at Riverhead, where he is two points out of the Modified division lead after 10 races this season.

Monadnock 200

Following up on the momentum build over a series of strong weeks at Riverhead Raceway, Justin Bonsignore and the M3 Technology Race Team took home second place this afternoon at the Monadnock 200.

After rain pushed back the start of the race to Sunday, Justin was strong in practice, ending the session with a fast lap of 12.452 seconds (72.278 mph), best among all drivers in the field. This strong showing was followed up with a seventh place qualifying run.

Never looking back, Justin stayed among the race leaders all afternoon, and secured his second top five finish of the season behind race leader Todd Szegedy. M3 Racing now sits at 13th in the Tour standings, and looks to build on this promising start over the remainder of the season.

The Whelen Modified Tour moves to Thompson International Speedway next, with the Budweiser ‘King of Beers’ 150 coming up on June 30th.

M3 Racing

Getting off to a fast start on the first weekend of the Whelen Modified Tour, driver Justin Bonsignore and the M3 Racing team earned a strong fifth place finish in the 150 lap Icebreaker at Thompson International Speedway. Avoiding multiple wrecks and building on a strong qualifying run, Justin picked up on the momentum built during last season’s impressive campaign, securing a top-5 spot in the standings early.

The 2010 Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner looks to improve over last year’s promising start on the Tour and will be shooting for a Championship this season.

M3 Racing and The Whelen Modified Tour will be at the Stafford Motor Speedway on May 1st for the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST. Be sure to check back here often for the latest news and updates.

M3 Racing

With the M3 Race Team hard at work and the 2011 season coming on fast, M3 Technology is happy to announce the launch of the latest addition to the M3 website.

Check back all season long here or click on the “M3 Racing” tab above for the latest news and notes live from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and 2010 Rookie of the Year Justin Bonsignore.

Be sure to follow the M3 Race Team on Twitter and Facebook, and stop by driver Justin Bonsignore’s official site.

M3 Technology

Can’t get enough M3 Technology? Make sure to follow us around the web.

Connect with us on LinkedIn.

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And make sure to connect with M3′s leaders on their own personal Twitter feeds:
President Janine Massa, Vice President Ken Massa, General Manager James Yannaco, and Director of Operations Mike Caton.

And stay tuned for updates to this site in the near future. M3 is busy getting ready for the next season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and will be unveiling new content dedicated to the team coming this spring. In the meantime, learn more about the team on Facebook and driver Justin Bonsignore’s website.

M3 Racing

With just four races left, the M3 Technology Race Team arrived in Bristol Tennessee today to begin preparing for the UNOH Perfect Storm 150, scheduled for Wednesday August 18th at 6 PM.  After a day of practice and qualifying, driver Justin Bonsignore will lead the charge for his first Tour victory of the year tomorrow night.

For the first time this season, the race will be covered live on the Speed Channel, as Justin looks to cement his Rookie of the Year Status, and to regain a top 10 sport in the Tour Standings.

Justin Bonsignore

Driver Justin Bonsignore and the M3 Technology Race Team will start first tonight at the Budweiser King of Beers 150.  Currently tenth in the Whelen Modified Tour Standings, the rookie driver is enjoying a strong season, and is the favorite to win the Tour’s Rookie of the Year title.  Fresh off a strong qualifying run with an average speed of 119.579 MPH, Justin looks to capture his first tour race victory of the year.

Follow the race live here at the NASCAR.com website, and make sure to check back for results and news throughout the season.

Make sure to cast your vote for Justin as the Tour’s Most Popular Driver.