RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Doug Coby can be forgiven if he lost track of how many different ways wins at 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.
“Easily the sweetest win of my career,” Coby said. “This is a tough place — especially for outsiders. To put the Mayhew Tools car out front… I know we have to be perfect when we come here to beat these guys. I didn’t want to say it, but I knew this thing was perfect from the beginning. We’re so happy to go back to Connecticut with a win at Riverhead. Finally.”
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.
The finish:
Doug Coby, Patrick Emerling, Justin Bonsignore, Kyle Bonsignore, Woody Pitkat, Chuck Hossfeld, Ron Silk, Eric Goodale, Dylan Slepian, Dave Sapienza, Tommy Catalano, Timmy Solomito, Craig Lutz, Anthony Nocella, Tyler Rypkema, Jon McKennedy, John Baker, Kyle Ellwood, Walter Sutcliffe Jr., J.B. Fortin, Roger Turbush, Kyle Soper, Ryan Preece, Tom Rogers Jr., Gary McDonald, Melissa Fifield.