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   The Chrome Horn - NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
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09/15/2012

PREECE ROLLS TO RIVERHEAD VICTORY
Takes 2nd Whelen Modified Tour Win Of The Season
Ryan Preece rolled to his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win of the season Saturday night in the Riverhead 200 at Riverhead Raceway.

To get it, the Berlin, Conn., driver led 168 laps before he survived a green-white-checkered finish for his fifth career win, and second at Riverhead.

A caution on Lap 196 set up Preece in a battle with Jimmy Blewett on the final restart and pushed the race to 203 laps on the quarter-mile. Blewett was penalized to the tail end of the lead lap for jumping that final restart and finished 12th.

Saturday marked the second career Whelen Modified Tour victory for Preece at Riverhead, who also nabbed two wins in the track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modified Division this year.

“I love this stuff, I like tight racing, getting up on the wheel and sawing at it,” Preece said of bullring races. “I had a good time, I love coming to Riverhead Raceway, and I had a lot of fun.”

Preece’s other victory this season came at Monadnock Speedway, the other quarter-mile facility on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule.

Defending Riverhead 200 winner Justin Bonsignore consistently ran in or near the top five throughout the night and finished second after winning last week at Thompson International Speedway.

“I thought we had a really good chance [to win] two weeks in a row,” Bonsignore said. “I got a good start on that green-white-checkered and honestly I didn’t know that they had posted the 76 [Blewett]. I had a wheel next to Ryan, maybe I would have pressed the issue if I would have known, but all in all it was a good day.”

Todd Szegedy was third, followed by Riverhead regular Howie Brode and Ted Christopher. Christopher rallied from an early-race incident and was the free pass beneficiary twice to get back in position for his stretch run.

Tom Rogers Jr., Eric Goodale, Donny Lia, Ron Silk and Eric Berndt completed the top 10.

Goodale led a career-high 35 laps Saturday night. It was just the third race in his career that he ran out front, and first time in two years.

While running near the front, points leader Doug Coby experienced engine issues 60 laps into the event and finished 22nd to allow Preece to close to within nine points in the standings with three races remaining. Silk slipped from second to third in the standings, 19 points back of Coby.

Earlier in the day, Preece won his sixth Coors Light Pole Award of the season, the most by a Whelen Modified Tour driver since 2005. He went on to lead a race-high 168 laps.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race next in the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 22. The race will air live on SPEED.
 
 

NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR - Riverhead 200 Unofficial Results
Saturday At Riverhead Raceway, Riverhead, N.Y.
Lap length: 0.25 miles

  (Start position in parentheses)
  1.   (1) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 203 laps, 53.593 mph.
  2. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 203.
  3.   (4) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn, Ford, 203.
  4. (11) Howie Brode, East Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 203.
  5. (12) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 203.
  6.   (6) Tom Rogers, Jr., Patchogue, N.Y., Chevrolet, 203.
  7.   (2) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 203.
  8.   (5) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 203.
  9.   (9) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 203.
10. (16) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 203.
11. (18) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Ford, 203.
12. (13) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 203.
13. (17) Frank Vigliarolo, Mt. Sinai, N.Y., Chevrolet, 201.
14. (19) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 201.
15. (22) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
16. (20) Ed Brunnhoelzl, III, Levittown, N.Y., Chevrolet, 199.
17. (15) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn, Chevrolet, 199.
18. (21) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 195, suspension.
19. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 192, suspension.
20. (14) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 184.
21.   (3) Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass, Pontiac, 148, steering.
22.   (7) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 60, engine.
23.   (8) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 53, mechanical.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 56 minutes 49 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.448 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: R.Preece (75.605 mph, 11.904 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 45 laps.
Lead Changes: 2 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Preece 1-77; E. Goodale 78-112; R. Preece 113-203.

Standings: 1. D. Coby, 436; 2. R. Preece, 427; 3. R. Silk, 417; 4. T. Szegedy, 395; 5. D. Lia, 385; 6. J. Bonsignore, 383; 7. T. Christopher, 369; 8. J. Blewett, 368; 9. E. Beers, 361; 10. R. Yuhas, Jr., 345.
  Source: Jason Cunningham / NASCAR
 Posted: September 15, 2012

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