Analyzing The Riverhead 200 At Riverhead Raceway

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action with the Riverhead 200 on Saturday at Riverhead Raceway on New York’s Long Island. Below is a statistical look at the performance of tour and selected drivers at the track:

Riverhead 200 Setup:

  • Championship points leader Doug Coby is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all 10 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events this year. A winner of 10 races at four different tracks during his career, Coby will vie for his first Riverhead Raceway victory this week.
  • Defending Riverhead 200 victor Ryan Preece has four wins and has averaged a podium finish across his nine career starts at the Long Island bullring.
  • The first 10 events this year have featured three first-time winners, including Eric Goodale’s June triumph at Riverhead. A fourth first-timer would be the most the Whelen Modified Tour has seen since there were five in 2002.

 

At Riverhead Raceway:

History

  • Opened in 1951 as a dirt track and converted to asphalt in 1955.
  • Held its first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on July 10, 1985 during the NWMT’s first season. The inaugural race was won by Jimmy Spencer.
  • Has held 54 NWMT races all-time, fourth-most among all venues.
  • Is one of two tracks to play host to the NWMT in each of its now 30 seasons of competition, along with Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

 

Notebook

  • At .25 miles, Riverhead is the smallest track on the schedule along with Monadnock Speedway.
  • This marks the second year in a row that Riverhead will welcome the NWMT twice in the same season. There will be multiple races in a season at Riverhead in 22 of 30 seasons of the tour.
  • There have been four NWMT races that have been won by Riverhead NASCAR Whelen All-American Series drivers, the last of which was Ed Brunnhoelzl Jr. in 1995.
  • Mike Ewanitsko experienced more success than any other NWMT driver at Riverhead during his days as a competitor. His 11 wins and eight poles lead in both categories.
  • Donny Lia and Ryan Preece are the active wins leaders at Riverhead with four apiece while Ted Christopher and Preece have the most poles among current competitors with two.
  • Six races have been won in wire-to-wire fashion at Riverhead, and 14 have been won from the pole.
  • Preece was the youngest winner in Riverhead history at 18 years, nine months and seven days in 2009.
  • Jerry Marquis was the oldest Riverhead winner at 48 years, three months and 22 days in 2004.

 

Riverhead Raceway Data

Race:  #11 of 14 overall, #2 of 2 at Riverhead

Track Layout:  .25-mile banked asphalt oval

Race Length:  200 laps (50 miles)

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2013 Race Winner:  Ryan Preece, 38.136 mph, 1 hr. 18 mins. 15 secs.

2013 Pole Winner:  Timmy Solomito, 75.956 mph, 11.849 secs.

Qualifying Record:  Chuck Steuer, Chevrolet, 77.949 mph, 11.546 seconds, June 10, 2000

 

John Beatty Jr. (No. 14 ElevatorEntrance.com Chevrolet)

  • In six career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts he has posted one pole and best finish of fifth. The pole and the top five both came in the September 2013 event at Riverhead Raceway.
  • Has an average finish of 13th and 150 laps led in three NWMT starts at Riverhead.

 

Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 chem3.com Chevrolet)

  • Has six wins, five poles and 42 top 10s in 70 career starts.
  • Ranks second in points, four tallies behind Doug Coby, on the strength of a career-high three wins.
  • In 16 career bullring races he has three wins, 12 top fives, 396 laps led and a NWMT-best average finish of sixth.
  • Has a win (2011), five top fives, 185 laps led and an average finish of ninth in eight career NWMT starts at Riverhead. Made his NWMT debut at Riverhead in 2007 with a fourth place finish.
  • The 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Riverhead.

 

Ted Christopher (No. 13 J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet)

  • The 2008 NWMT champion has 42 wins, 24 poles and 190 top 10s in 345 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
  • Is looking to end a 39-race winless drought. It’s his longest such streak since the start of his career when his first win came in his 94th race.
  • Ranks third in points with top 10s in nine of 10 races. Best result of the year came at Riverhead in June when he led 66 laps and finished as the runner-up.
  • Has five wins, three poles, 1,104 laps led and an average finish of 10th in 72 career bullring starts.
  • Has three wins (2002, `05, `06), two poles, 16 top 10s, 560 laps led and an average finish of 10th in 25 career NWMT starts at Riverhead.

 

Doug Coby (No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet)

  • The 2012 NWMT champion has 10 wins, four poles and 76 top 10s in 153 career starts.
  • Won the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in February.
  • Points leader has recorded top fives in eight of 10 races, highlighted by a win at Stafford Motor Speedway in June.
  • Has 14 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 33 career bullring starts.
  • Has three top 10s, an average finish of 14th and a best result of fifth (2011) in nine career Riverhead races.

 

Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet)

  • Has a win, a pole and 33 top 10s in 83 career NWMT starts. The win came at Riverhead in June.
  • Inherited the NWMT’s active starts streak lead, now at 81 races, when Ed Flemke Jr. did not run the 2014 opener.
  • Ranks eighth in points this year with five top 10s in 10 outings.
  • Has a win, a pole, seven top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 15 career bullring starts.
  • In addition to the June victory, he four other top 10s and an average finish of eighth in seven career Riverhead races.

 

Matt Hirschman (No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply/Seekonk GP Chevrolet)

  • Has two wins, three poles and 45 top 10s in 87 career NWMT starts.
  • Sits 10th in points with five top 10s across 10 races and a best result of second at Thompson in August.
  • Has a win, a pole, eight top 10s and an average finish of 11.5 in 17 career bullring races.
  • Has an average finish of 11th and a best result of third (June 2014) in six career Riverhead races.

 

Woody Pitkat (No. 88 East West Marine/Elbow East Chevrolet)

  • Has a win, a pole and 39 top 10s in 88 career starts. The win was earned at Stafford in August.
  • Ranks ninth in points with the win and five top 10s in 10 outings.
  • Has five top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 11 career bullring starts.
  • Has two top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of fourth (2013) in five previous Riverhead races.

 

Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)

  • The 2013 NWMT champion has nine wins, 12 poles, 26 podiums, 46 top fives and 62 top 10s in 105 career starts.
  • Ranks sixth in points after 10 races with eight top 10s and a best result of second at Monadnock Speedway.
  • Has six wins, three poles, 13 top fives, 757 laps led and an average finish of seventh in 19 career bullring races.
  • Has four wins, two poles and an average finish of third in nine career NWMT starts at Riverhead. His first tour start there in 2007, in which he finished 10th, is his only result outside the top five.
  • First Riverhead win came in 2009, followed by three wins in a row there in 2012-13.

 

Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet)

  • The 2010 NWMT champion has 13 wins, 15 poles and 49 top 10s in 90 career starts.
  • Ranks fourth in points with three wins and six top 10s.
  • Has a win, seven top 10s and an average finish of 12th in 12 career bullring starts.
  • Has three top 10s, an average finish of 13th and a best result of ninth (twice) in four previous Riverhead starts.

 

Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)

  • The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, eight poles and 81 top 10s in 135 career starts.
  • Ranks fifth in points with nine top 10s in 10 races and a best result of second in August at Stafford.
  • Has 15 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 24 career bullring starts.
  • Has four podiums, an average finish of 12th and a best result of second (2008) in 10 career NWMT starts at Riverhead.

 

Timmy Solomito (No. 75 Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet)

  • Has a pole and seven top 10s in 17 career starts with a best finish of third at Riverhead in September 2013.
  • The Sunoco Rookie of the Race in six of 10 2014 events, he ranks seventh in the overall standings with five top 10s and a best result of fourth in the Thompson opener.
  • Has two top fives and an average finish of 13th in five career bullring starts.
  • Has finishes of 23rd, third and fifth in three Riverhead NWMT starts. Won his first career pole and led a career-high 176 laps in this race last year.

 

Todd Szegedy (No. 20 East West Marine Chevrolet)

  • The 2003 NWMT champion has 18 wins, 10 poles and 114 top 10s in 185 career starts.
  • Has competed in four of 10 races this year with a best result of eighth at Thompson in August.
  • In 44 career bullring races he’s recorded four wins, two poles, 26 top 10s and an average finish of 11th.
  • Has six top 10s, an average finish of 14th and a best result of second (2011) in 15 career Riverhead races.

 

Up To Speed:

  • The 2014 season is the 30th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
  • The 2014 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.
  • The competition season opened with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. Ryan Preece was the polesitter and Doug Coby took the checkered flag.
  • Justin Bonsignore passed first-time pole winner Woody Pitkat with nine laps to go to win the points season opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 6.
  • Rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. captured his first pole and Bobby Santos earned his sixth Stafford Motor Speedway victory on April 27.
  • After two rainouts, the third race of the season finally got in the books on June 6 when Doug Coby took the checkered flag at Stafford. Santos earned the pole on the original May 23 race date.
  • The first bullring race of the year saw a battle between polesitter Donny Lia and Bobby Santos on June 21 at Waterford Speedbowl, and Santos eventually won out for his 12th career victory.
  • Eric Goodale earned his first career win and John Beatty Jr. his first pole on June 28 at Riverhead Raceway.
  • Ron Silk earned his first pole of 2014 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 12 and Santos made a last-lap pass to record his first Loudon victory. Ryan Newman won the non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout the day before.
  • Justin Bonsignore took the checkered flag from the pole on July 19 at Monadnock Speedway to become the first multi-race winner in NWMT history at the New Hampshire bullring.
  • Woody Pitkat earned his first career victory on Aug. 8 at Stafford. Santos was the event’s polesitter.
  • Bonsignore took the checkered flag at Thompson on Aug. 14. Lia was the top qualifier.
  • After Bonsignore captured the pole, Barrett claimed his first checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway in the annual combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour on Aug. 20.
  • Following this week’s Riverhead 200, the NWMT will return to action with the F.W. Webb 100 on Sept. 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.