RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Anytime a local Riverhead Raceway competitor upsets the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, it’s a moment worth celebrating.
Mark Stewart added his name to that short-but-prestigious list in Saturday’s Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200. In his ninth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start, Stewart faced the herculean task off fending off four-time champion Justin Bonsignore, winner of 12 previous Riverhead events.
Despite losing the lead to Bonsignore twice, Stewart was not going to be denied Saturday. He fended off one of the best in Riverhead and series history for his first victory.
Nothing about the journey toward Saturday’s milestone came easy for Stewart.
“It just means everything,” Stewart said. “[We were] able to run with these guys and be as good as them. I even think Justin [Bonsignore] was a little better than I was; we just got better restarts. It means everything for a small team like this. There is nothing better than this. Out here at my home track, winning on the Tour, it’s just incredible.”
Stewart’s only other Modified Tour top five came in 2023, fittingly at his home track of Riverhead.
That 2023 race marked his second Tour start. Stewart that night was a witness to an incredible battle for the win between Bonsignore and fellow Modified Tour champion Ron Silk. Bonsignore earned one of his many Riverhead victories while Stewart stole second from Silk in the final moments.
Those early Modified Tour events at Riverhead taught Stewart a valuable lesson: No one in the series was going to pull any punches. If he wanted to win a Modified Tour race himself one day, Stewart would need to stay committed to his craft and learn from the veterans every chance he got.
Momentum seemed to favor Stewart from the moment work began at Riverhead on Saturday morning. Not only did Stewart prevail in Riverhead’s Super Pro Truck feature, but he also posted the fourth quickest time of 25 Modified Tour competitors, the subsequent re-draw improving his starting position to third.
After an early incident collected the front row of Stephen Kopcik and his uncle Roger Turbush, Stewart suddenly found himself pacing the field. The euphoria was only momentarily for Stewart, as he had Bonsignore in his rearview mirror.
The numerous cautions throughout the evening ensured Stewart and Bonsignore never left each other’s sight lines. Bonsignore tried everything to find his way around Stewart, from using the high line on a longer green flag run to nearly spinning Stewart.
Even when Bonsignore did take the lead, Stewart had an answer for every punch thrown his way.
The final restart of the night proved to be the deciding factor. With Stewart on the bottom line, a wide entry from Bonsignore in Turn 1 caused him to lose vital ground. Bonsignore did find his way to Stewart’s back bumper again but could not find his way around the local Riverhead hero before the checkered flag.
“It’s tough losing to these locals,” Bonsignore said. “I was the local for a long time. I’ve known [the Stewart family] since Marky was a very, very young kid racing go-karts. This is now the second time I’ve lost to the local guy here. We had a great car on the long run, but we were really struggling on the short runs.
“[Stewart] ran a really perfect race, so congrats to him and his family.”
Stewart is forever etched into the Modified Tour record books as a winner. Being able to defeat a series legend like Bonsignore at the track that defined him is something Stewart intends to cherish for the rest of his life.
“Every time Justin comes here or anywhere, he’s just the best everywhere he goes,” Stewart said. “When he got by me on the outside, I gave him the room. He was better than me. I just had really good restarts tonight; that’s the only reason I got back by him. This thing was so good the whole race.
“This win is for everyone here. It’s not even for me. I just drove the damn car.”
Owen Grennan, another Riverhead regular, finished third in his Modified Tour debut. Grennan was followed in the top five by Tommy Catalano and Patrick Emerling.
The rest of the top 10 consisted of Ron Silk, Austin Beers, Jon McKennedy, Kopcik and Eric Goodale.
