Just like last year, a season-long NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points battle between Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk comes down to the season finale at Martinsville Speedway.
What is different this time around is that Bonsignore holds the advantage going into the final race rather than Silk. A dominant day from Bonsignore at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday allowed him to usurp Silk in the point standings and build a 10-point advantage with one event remaining.
Momentum is on Bonsignore‘s side after winning the last two Modified Tour races. Despite this, the veteran racer has been in this position enough times to know nothing is guaranteed when the points are so close.
“Obviously, we feel really confident,” Bonsignore said. “Our cars have been really, really good the last two weeks. We‘ve run well at Martinsville in the past, [but] we‘ve never been fortunate enough to win. To put together a whole race without any trouble, have good pit stops and keep ourselves in contention will be important.
“It‘s anything but a gimme.”
History is on the line for Bonsignore in many aspects Saturday during the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.
A victory would be Bonsignore‘s first at Martinsville and put him in sole possession of second on the all-time Modified Tour wins list. If he cannot achieve victory, then a finish of fourth or better, no matter what Silk does, gives Bonsignore his fourth series championship.
Although he has not won a title since the 2021 season, Bonsignore has been in the middle of the hunt each of the past two seasons. On both occasions, Silk has been one of, if not Bonsignore‘s primary adversary.
Silk, the defending Modified Tour champion, had narrow control over the points lead until he finished 11th to Bonsignore’s first at North Wilkesboro. The deficit Silk now faces to Bonsignore is small, but close to insurmountable, which is why he is explicitly focusing on winning at Martinsville instead of points racing.
“We really laid an egg at North Wilkesboro,” Silk said. “Really our only goal is to go win the race. The championship, it‘s certainly not over, but I think something would have to go wrong for [Bonsignore] for us to win. Even if we win the race, I can‘t see them running as poorly as we did last week.”
Even if circumstances do not fall his way at Martinsville to come away with a championship, there is still plenty for Silk to be proud of in 2024. Since joining Haydt-Yannone Racing, Silk has experienced a career resurgence on the Modified Tour with nine victories, four of which have come this year.
Silk believes he can break the tie he has in 2024 victories with Bonsignore on Saturday given how strong he and Haydt-Yannone have been all year. Prevailing over his rival in that regard would provide Silk some catharsis as he prepares to regroup for next season.
“It‘s a season-long effort to win the championship, and it‘s disheartening how we ran last week,” Silk said. “It does take some pressure off, because we‘re not really worried about the points anymore. We‘re just going to try and win the race.
“I‘ve always wanted one of those grandfather clocks. That‘s going to be our goal.”
Silk mathematically can still win the championship on Saturday, but Bonsignore historically has been better at Martinsville. Bonsignore only has one finish outside the top five in four career Martinsville events, while Silk‘s last top five at the facility occurred in 2009.
The odds may be in his favor, but Bonsignore is not showing complacency before the season finale. Bonsignore expects the grueling, year-long duel between him and Silk to persist up until the last lap, but he is ready to match his rival‘s intensity and add to his stellar record on the Modified Tour.
“Obviously [Silk] is one of the best, and I‘m sure they‘re going to go there loaded for the kill,” Bonsignore said. “So we have to go [to Martinsville] assuming that‘s what they‘re going to do and try to match that type of speed, keep ourselves in contention and have a really solid night. If we do things correctly, we should be in good shape to contend.”
The final chapter between Bonsignore and Silk for 2024 commences at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Martinsville. FloRacing will provide live coverage of every lap of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.
Patrick Emerling‘s great year culminates at Martinsville
The debut season for Rich Gautreau on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour could not have gone any better.
With Patrick Emerling as the driver, Gautreau‘s operation has amassed three victories, 11 top fives, one pole and 291 laps led. The consistency Emerling displayed in Gautreau‘s No. 1 Modified has him third in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings with one race to go — still with a mathematical shot at the title.
Prior to joining Gautreau, Emerling primarily competed on the Modified Tour with his family-owned No. 07. Despite lacking the resources of other operations, Emerling still found plenty of success in the series with four victories, three of which came during the 2022 season.
Emerling joined Gautreau knowing the program had the potential to be competitive from the opening green flag at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. The duo‘s only major blemish of the 2024 season occurred during the second race of the year at Richmond Raceway, where a crash on Lap 69 knocked Emerling out of the race.
Regardless of whether a championship is feasible for Emerling and Gautreau, Saturday‘s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville presents a perfect opportunity for the two to add one last victory to cap off a stellar 2024.
Tyler Rypkema looks to deliver Ole Blue one last top five in 2024
When Jake Johnson surprisingly parted ways with Boehler Racing Enterprises after the second race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Tyler Rypkema got the call to close out 2024 in Ole Blue.
Rypkema has proved himself to be more than worthy of continuing the iconic legacy of one of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour‘s most famous rides. His first race in Ole Blue at New York’s Riverhead Raceway resulted in a third-place finish, which he backed up with another top five at North Wilkesboro Speedway last weekend.
Although Rypkema has yet to win a Modified Tour event, he has shown improvement through every year with the series. Rypkema has recorded nine top-five finishes across 69 career starts, with his best performance being a second at Jennerstown Speedway after he led a race-high 107 laps from the pole.
The site of Rypkema‘s other Modified Tour pole was Martinsville Speedway, which occurred last year with his family-owned team. Rypkema brought home a solid fifth-place finish that day, but he is looking to improve upon that showing behind the wheel of Ole Blue on Saturday night.
Rypkema‘s 2025 plans remain to be determined, but joining an elite list of drivers who have won in Ole Blue like Ryan Preece, Tony Hirschman and Bugs Stevens would go a long way toward his finding sustainability for the upcoming year.
NOTES:
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Just like at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 will feature NASCAR Cup Series legends Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman in the field. Labonte is back in the same No. 38 he drove to eighth at North Wilkesboro Speedway, while Newman is piloting John-Michael Shanette‘s No. 8.
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The first race for Luke Baldwin in his family‘s iconic No. 7NY at North Wilkesboro Speedway was a mixed bag, as he finished seventh despite hitting the wall in qualifying. Baldwin is back in the No. 7NY for Martinsville Speedway with the goal of bringing home a grandfather clock.
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All three members of the Catalano family are back at Martinsville Speedway after they skipped North Wilkesboro Speedway to attend Tommy‘s wedding. Tommy is the highest of the three brothers in the point standings, but Trevor achieved a pivotal milestone by giving the family their first victory at Monadnock Speedway in July.
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Jacob Lutz has made a strong impression in his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season with three top 10s in four appearances. Back in Joe Stearns‘ No. 14 for the season-ending Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway, Lutz seeks to end 2024 on a high note with his first career top five.
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