NOTEBOOK: As Thompson looms, Justin Bonsignore is closing in on Whelen Modified Tour history

Justin Bonsignore is well aware of where he sits on the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win list.

He started the 2024 season with 40 victories, just two shy of Ted Christopher for third all-time and four away from Reggie Ruggiero for second all-time.

Following his 41st career victory, which arrived at Richmond Raceway last week, Bonsignore sits just one win behind Christopher for third.

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Conveniently, the next stop on the schedule, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, is a track where Bonsignore has 13 Modified Tour victories. He also just so happens to be tied with Christopher for second on the Modified Tour win list at Thompson, two victories behind 15-time Thompson winner Mike Stefanik.

Sunday’s IceBreaker 150, the 50th edition of the legendary event at the 0.625-mile oval, is an opportunity for Bonsignore to both equal and surpass one of the Modified Tour’s most legendary competitors.

It’s an opportunity Bonsignore doesn’t take lightly.

“It’s talked about so much in our series,” Bonsignore said about his standing on the all-time Modified Tour win list. “It would be really cool if we could win at Thompson and surpass him on the all-time win list there for second and then also tie him on the Tour win list.”

Realistically, there is a strong chance that Bonsignore could move into second on the all-time win list ahead of Ruggiero before the end of the 2024 season.

To start the year, he needed to win five races in order to accomplish that goal. Last year he won five times, including at Thompson.

But first, he needs to catch and pass Christopher for third. His first opportunity to catch him comes at 4:30 p.m. ET this Sunday afternoon.

“Those are guys that legends of the sport, especially of our series and our community in the New England area,” Bonsignore said. “To have my name mentioned with those guys is really cool.

“You’ve got to win the next one, but Reggie is not far in front of him if we can continue to run the way we are.”

Trevor Catalano off to a fast start during rookie Modified Tour campaign

Three drivers have finished inside the top five in each of the first two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races this year.

Two of them are obvious, defending series champion Ron Silk and Bonsignore. But the third could be labeled as a surprise.

Trevor Catalano, one of three Catalano brothers competing full-time this season with the Whelen Modified Tour, has collected finishes of fifth at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and third at Richmond to kick off his first year with the series.

Those results put him fourth in the series standings behind Silk, Bonsignore and Doug Coby, though Coby is not entered in Sunday’s IceBreaker 150.

The youngest of the three Catalano brothers, Trevor will face a tall task at Thompson as he competes at one of the Modified Tour’s most beloved facilities for the first time in his career.

He’ll lean on the notebook his older brother Tommy has put together in his 11 previous starts at the track.

“I am very surprised by the start of the season so far, as we came into this year hoping for top 15s and maybe sneak into the top 10 every once in a while,” Catalano said. “I think Thompson will be one of the harder tracks on the schedule, but we have a decent notebook from Tommy running there, and I am pretty confident we can have a decent run.

“A top 10 would be awesome for my first time at Thompson.”

Jake Johnson looks to do one spot better in return to Thompson

Last fall, Jake Johnson put together the best race of his Modified Tour career at Thompson.

Starting sixth in Boehler Racing Enterprises’ Ole Blue No. 3, Johnson marched to the front of the field and led 22 laps around the halfway point of the 150-lap event. He ultimately settled for second behind Silk, but it was still a day of which Johnson could be proud.

Johnson returns to Thompson for the IceBreaker 150 for the first time as a full-time member of the Modified Tour roster after two part-time seasons the last two years.

His goal for this weekend and for the entire season is simple: Get Boehler Racing Enterprises back in Victory Lane on the Modified Tour for the first time in seven years.

Coincidentally, the last time Boehler Racing Enterprises won was on April 9, 2017 with driver Rowan Pennink during the IceBreaker 150 at Thompson.

“I‘m defiantly confident going to Thompson when it comes to the BRE crew and car,” Johnson said. “The whole team has deep roots with the facility, and the car has shown great speed there over the years.

“But we all know that confidence is only a piece of the puzzle, and staying humble is just as important.”

NOTES:

• The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will welcome a new competitor this weekend at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park when Mike Marshall makes his series debut. The Hudson, New Hampshire native is a familiar face at New Hampshire’s Hudson Speedway.

• Matt Hirschman is back with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this week at Thompson after skipping the event at Richmond Raceway last Friday. It’ll be his first Tour start at Thompson since last August, when he suffered a broken left arm in a crash that sidelined him for a few weeks.

• After scoring a top-five finish driving the Advantage Motorsports No. 14 at Richmond, Bobby Santos III will pilot the No. 44 for the Tinio family this Sunday at Thompson.

• Matt Swanson will make his first start of the season Sunday aboard his family-owned No. 89. He competed in both events last year at Thompson, finishing 23rd and 11th, respectively.