NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Justin Bonsignore won the season-opening New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour main event Saturday night at New Smyrna Speedway.
Bonsignore started from the pole and led the race three times for 95 laps. He took the lead from reigning series champion Austin Beers on lap 165 and led the remainder of the race that was extended to 203 laps by a green-white checkered finish.
“We obviously got the opportunity to do the tire test here, but we learned a lot, even if it was going to stick with the Hoosiers that night,” explained Bonsignore. “We worked really hard on some new stuff that we have been hesitant to try while we’re in points battles. It was really good. Just some lines we learned at the test were good, being that tight on rears only with 20 to go, moving around in three and four.”
Bonsignore beat Tyler Rypkema to the checkered flag by .560 seconds.
Beers came home third, with Patrick Emerling and Craig Lutz completing the top five.
The finish:
Justin Bonsignore, Tyler Rypkema, Austin Beers, Patrick Emerling, Craig Lutz, Jonathan McKennedy, Ryan Preece, Ryan Newman, Trevor Catalano, Eric Goodale, Teddy Hodgdon IV, Matt Hirschman, Stephen Kopcik, Jimmy Zacharias, Joey Coulter IV, Max Zachem, Tommy Catalano, John-Michael Shenette, Michael Christopher Jr., Carson Loftin, Mark Stewart, Ken Heagy, Luke Baldwin, Jeremy Gerstner, Jimmy Blewett, Timmy Solomito, Kyle Bonsignore, Andrew Krause, Sam Rameau, Mike Marshall, Bobby Labonte, Ron Silk.
