Analyzing The Riverhead 200 At Riverhead Raceway
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s busy August schedule will conclude 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 Ryan Preece leads all active drivers with seven career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour bullring victories, including four at Riverhead Raceway. Preece is one of just two drivers, along with Mike Ewanitsko, to win three consecutive races at the track.
• Justin Bonsignore (2011), Eric Goodale (2013), Donny Lia (2003) and Rowan Pennink (2010) captured their first tour wins at the track.
• Fourteen of the 29 drivers entered for the Riverhead 200 are Long Island natives.
• The Riverhead 200 will conclude a run of four races in 23 days for the Whelen Modified Tour, which will have a month off before the next event.
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 55 NWMT races all-time, fourth-most among all venues.
• Is one of two tracks to play host to the NWMT in each of its 31 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.
• Including 2015, Riverhead will have played host to multiple events in 22 of 31 NWMT seasons.
• 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: #12 of 15 overall, #2 of 2 at Riverhead
Track Layout: .25-mile banked asphalt oval
Race Length: 200 laps (50 miles)
Qualifying/Race Data
2014 Pole/Race Winner: Event cancelled (rain)
Qualifying Record: Chuck Steuer, Chevrolet, 77.949 mph, 11.546 seconds, June 10, 2000
Active Category Leaders At Riverhead:
Wins
1. Donny Lia … 4
Ryan Preece … 4
3. Ted Christopher … 3
Poles
1. Ted Christopher … 2
Ryan Preece … 2
3. six drivers with … 1
Top Fives
1. Ted Christopher … 11
2. Ryan Preece … 8
3. Donny Lia … 6
Jamie Tomaino … 6
Top 10s
1. Jamie Tomaino … 22
2. Ted Christopher … 16
3. Ryan Preece … 10
Laps Led
1. Ted Christopher … 560
2. Donny Lia … 516
3. Ryan Preece … 406
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 53
2. Ted Christopher … 26
3. Donny Lia … 17
Select Driver Highlights:
NOTE: Bullring races defined as tracks .25-.375 miles
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has seven wins, five poles and 48 top 10s in 84 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Ranks 12th in points with five top 10s in 11 outings, highlighted by a win at Riverhead Raceway in June.
• In 19 career bullring races he has four wins, 14 top fives, 587 laps led and an average finish of seventh.
• Has two wins (2011, `15), six top fives, 376 laps led and an average finish of eighth in nine career NWMT starts at Riverhead. Made his NWMT debut there in 2007 with a fourth place finish.
• The 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Riverhead, where he has four modified wins.
Doug Coby (No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Construction Chevrolet)
• The 2012 and 2014 NWMT champion has 14 wins, seven poles and 86 top 10s in 168 career starts.
• Ranks third in points after 11 events and is tied for the NWMT lead with four victories.
• Has two wins, 17 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 36 career bullring starts.
• Has four top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of third (June) in 10 career Riverhead races.
Patrick Emerling (No. 07 Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet)
• Has two poles and 23 top 10s in 65 career starts with a best finish of fourth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Both poles were earned this year.
• Is up to fifth in points this year on the strength of a career-high seven top 10s.
• Has five top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 15 career bullring starts.
• Has two top 10s, an average finish of 16th and a best result of eighth (2011) in six Riverhead starts.
Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing/Supreme Skylights Chevrolet)
• Has a win, a pole and 43 top 10s in 97 career starts. The win came in June 2013 at Riverhead.
• Maintains the NWMT’s active starts streak lead, now at 95 races.
• Ranks sixth in points after 11 races with a career-best eight top 10s.
• Has a win, a pole, nine top 10s and an average finish of 12th in 18 career bullring starts.
• In addition to his 2014 win, he has five other top 10s and an average finish of seventh in eight career NWMT Riverhead races.
Donny Lia (No. 8 Sypher Construction/Bardahl Chevrolet)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 21 poles and 83 top 10s in 165 career starts.
• Five top 10s in 11 starts this year has him ninth in the points standings.
• Has six wins, five poles, 16 top fives, 867 laps led and an average finish of 12th in 44 career bullrings starts.
• Tied with Ryan Preece for the lead among active drivers with four wins at Riverhead. Has two poles, seven top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 17 career NWMT starts at his home track.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Van Wickle Auto Supply Chevrolet)
• Has two wins and 58 top 10s in 122 career starts. His first victory was earned at Riverhead in 2010.
• Ranks 13th in points this year with three top 10s in 11 races.
• In 21 career bullring starts he has the Riverhead win, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 12th.
• Has four top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 10 career Riverhead races.
Woody Pitkat (No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet)
• Has three wins, four poles and 52 top 10s in 102 career starts.
• Ranks second in points, two behind Ryan Preece, with a tour-high 10 top-five finishes and a win in the Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway. Also won the non-points All-Star Shootout at NHMS.
• Has eight top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 14 career bullring starts.
• Has three top 10s, an average finish of 11th and a best result of fourth (2013) in six previous Riverhead races.
Ryan Preece (No. 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet)
• The 2013 NWMT champion has 15 wins, 14 poles, 39 podiums, 54 top fives and 75 top 10s in 119 career starts.
• Has a two-point lead in the season standings after 11 races and is tied for the tour lead with four wins.
• Leads active drivers at bullrings with seven wins and an average finish of 6.7. Has 918 laps led and 14 top fives in 22 career bullring races.
• Has four wins, two poles and an average finish of fourth in 10 career NWMT starts at Riverhead. Only two of those 10 starts have resulted in finishes outside of the top five (6, 10).
• First Riverhead win came in 2009, followed by three in a row there in 2012-13.
• Ranks fifth in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings with 10 wins and 28 top 10s in 36 starts. Three of those wins came at Riverhead, where he as nine career modified division triumphs.
Ron Silk (No. 20 Elite Towing/Righteous Window Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, eight poles and 85 top 10s in 143 career starts.
• Has participated in five of 11 events this year with a best run of fifth at NHMS in July.
• Has a pole, 15 top 10s and an average finish of 12th in 25 career bullring starts.
• Has four podiums, an average finish of 13th and a best result of second (2008) in 11 career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
• Has a feature win this year in NWAAS modified action at Riverhead.
Shawn Solomito (No. 75 Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet)
• Has three top 10s in 19 career starts with a best result of fourth at Riverhead in 2013.
• All three of his career top 10s have come at bullrings, where he’s posted an average finish of 14th in nine such starts.
• Has two top 10s with an average finish of 12th in five NWMT races at Riverhead.
• Earned the 2012 NWAAS track title at Riverhead, where he has 10 career modified division wins, including two this year.
Timmy Solomito (No. 16 Diversified Metals/R.B. Enterprises Ford)
• The 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year has a pole and 15 top 10s in 31 career starts with a best finish of third at Riverhead in September 2013 and at Stafford this June.
• Ranks seventh in points with seven top 10s through 11 events.
• Has two top fives and an average finish of 13th in eight career bullring starts.
• Has finishes of 23rd, third, fifth and sixth in four Riverhead NWMT starts. Earned his first pole and led a career-high 176 laps in the September 2013 race.
Todd Szegedy (No. 4 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 19 wins, 10 poles and 123 top 10s in 198 career starts.
• Sits fourth in points with eight top 10s in 11 outings in his first season with Mystic Missile Racing.
• In 47 career bullring races he’s recorded four wins, two poles, 28 top 10s and an average finish of 11th.
• Has seven top 10s, an average finish of 13th and a best result of second (2011, June 2015) in 16 career Riverhead races.
Other Driver Notes
• Jamie Tomaino has participated in 53 of the 55 all-time Riverhead races and has 22 top 10s.
• Dave Sapienza is a multi-time NWAAS modified division winner at Riverhead.
• Kyle Ellwood made his NWMT debut last year at Riverhead. He has two Riverhead NWAAS feature wins this year.
Up To Speed:
• This is the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s 30th Anniversary season. The inaugural race was contested March 31, 1985 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
• The 2015 schedule features 15 points races at seven different tracks across four states.
• Doug Coby opened up his title defense with a win from the pole in the Thompson Icebreaker 150 on April 12.
• Woody Pitkat earned the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 victory on April 26 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
• Ryan Preece emerged victorious at New London-Waterford Speedbowl in the Mr. Rooter 161 on May 30.
• Preece made it two-in-a-row with a victory in the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 on June 5 at Stafford.
• Coby won at Thompson for the second consecutive outing with the Mr. Rooter 125 victory on June 10.
• The Riverhead Hoosier Tire East 200 was postponed one day by rain, then dominated in victory by Justin Bonsignore.
• Todd Szegedy won the Andy Blacksmith 100 presented by Donate Life New England on July 18 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• Coby notched the first bullring win of his career on July 25 when he reached Victory Lane at Monadnock Speedway in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200.
• Preece made it two-in-a-row at Stafford when he won the Call Before You Dig 150 on Aug. 7.
• Coby moved to three-for-three in 2015 at Thompson when he won the Budweiser King of Beers 150 on Aug. 12.
• Preece notched his first Bristol victory when he won the rain-delayed and abbreviated Bush’s Beans 150 on Aug. 19.
• Following the Riverhead 200, the NWMT will return to action Sept. 26 at NHMS.
