July 2nd, 2018
LONG ISLAND CONTINGENT TO LEAD NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR TO RIVERHEAD RACEWAY FOR BUZZ CHEW CHEVROLET 200 SATURDAY

Bob Finan PR

There is no place like home is not just a line from a classic Hollywood movie as will also be evident this Saturday July 7th at Riverhead Raceway where a strong contingent of teams with Long island ties on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will gather for the Buzz Chew Chevrolet 200. 2018 WMT championship leader Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville will lead the charge to the historic quarter mile oval for what is sure to be another short track classic.
 
A resurgent Bonsignore has gotten out of the gate quickly this year posting three WMT victories with his Phoenix Communication team with Justin knowing the tight confines of Riverhead all too well. The first of the two annual WMT stops at Riverhead couldn't come fast enough for the Starrett Tools team of Timmy Solomito of Islip who hope to build on a two race win streak after sweeping the two WMT races in 2017. If the race plays out the way the two teams hope it will a Bonsignore/Solomito battle for the victory could very well be in store taking the duo back to their formative years in the sport when the raced in the Eastern Kart racing Association at Riverhead.
 
Ryan Preece of Berlin, Ct who drives the Calverton based TS Haulers Chevy comes to the Buzz Chew Chevrolet on a roll having won the Islip 300 back on June 16th and backing it up with a win in the most recent WMT stop in Langely Speedway. Polar opposite to Preece to date on the WMT in '18 is Eric Goodale of Riverhead whose GAF Roofing team has not gotten off to the start they had hoped for. Eric can;t wait to get to Riverhead the sight of his first WMT win.
 
A trio of drivers are looking towards the Buzz Chew Chevrolet 200 with hopes of earning their first career wins led by WMT upstart Craig Lutz of Miller Place. Lutz in his first full season driving the Riverhead Building Supply Chevy is ranked 4th in the championship standings coming to Riverhead after getting off to a fast start. Fresh off a $10,000 plus victory in the recent SK Modified 100-lapper at the Stafford Motor Speedway Ronnie Williams of Ellington, Ct. will strap into the Medford, L.I. based Empower Financial Advisors Chevy with hopes of scoring his first WMT win. If not for a missed shift late in the first Riverhead WMT race of 2017 Dave Sapienza of Riverhead could very well of won his first race in the SAP Enterprises Chevrolet, the veteran driver will come to Saturday's race highly motivated.
 
Tested tough L.I. based WMT veteran Ken Heagy of Calverton comes to the 200 with hopes of a top ten run in his Buoy One Seafood Chevy as does Gary McDonald of Ronkonkoma in his Lakeland Landscape Supply machine.
 
Out to spoil the homecoming party for the Long island teams will be Chase Dowling of Roxbury, Ct., Rob Summers of Vernon, Ct., Rowan Pennink of Huntindon Valley, Pa. defending WMT champion Doug Coby of Marion, Ct., Chris Pasteryak of Lisbon, Ct., Blake Barney of Jackson, NJ, Calvin Carroll of Andover, NJ, Tommy Catalano of Ontario, NY and Joe DeGracia of Lyndhurst, NJ. Ranked in the top 20 coming to the Buzz Chew Chevrolet 200 on the WMT these drivers are hoping for a good showing Saturday.
 
In a recent social media post car owner Eddie Harvey announced he'd be bringing multi time Bowman Gray Stadium NASCAR Modified champion Burt Myers of Walnut Cove, NC north for his first ever visit to Riverhead Raceway. Myers should adopt well to the Riverhead quarter mile.
 
Completing the July 7th program will be four divisions from the Whelen All American Series led by the Eagle Auto Mall Crate Modifieds, Blunderbusts, INEX Legend Race Cars and Street Stocks. The Blunderbusts will race in a 30-lap feature with time trial qualifying.
 
Race day event schedule for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour portion of the program can be found @ NASCARHomeTracks.com while information pertaining to the local divisions can be viewed @ www.riverheadraceway.com. The track phone number remains 631-842-RACE.