PIT BOX: First of three visits to Riverhead Raceway in 2023 on deck for NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

Riverhead Raceway, one of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s most traditional venues, is up next on the 2023 schedule as the track hosts the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 this Sunday, May 21 (FloRacing, 2:45 p.m. ET).

The fourth race of the season marks the 71st time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers have visited the popular quarter-mile asphalt oval located in Riverhead, New York.

The track, which hosts weekly Modified racing as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, hosted the modern iteration of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour during its inaugural season in 1985. The track has been a regular stop for series drivers and teams since.

Jimmy Spencer won the first two Tour events at Riverhead, with familiar names like Richie Evans, Mike Stefanik, Tom Baldwin, Mike Ewanitsko, Bob Park, Reggie Ruggiero, Steve Park, John Blewett III, Jerry Marquis, Ted Christopher, Donny Lia, Jimmy Blewett, Ryan Preece, Justin Bonsignore and Doug Coby among those to earn Riverhead wins.

Tickets to Sunday’s race are available on race day at the Riverhead Raceway ticket office. Below is everything you need to know about Sunday’s Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 at Riverhead Raceway.

Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 at Riverhead Raceway

What to watch for:

A stout field of local NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competitors are ready to defend their home turf as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour invades Riverhead Raceway on Sunday for the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200.

Among the local entrants is nine-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner Timmy Solomito, who will be making his first start of the season aboard the family-owned No. 66. He competed in all three Riverhead races last year, earning a best finish of fifth while leading more than 130 laps across the three events. Three of his nine Tour wins have come at Riverhead.

Dylan Slepian is also among the local drivers set to join the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field Sunday. He earned two top-five finishes with the Tour last year at Riverhead, including a career-best fourth in this race last season.

They’re also joined by brothers Chris and Roger Turbush, two more local Riverhead drivers. They both competed in all three Riverhead races last year, with Chris earning a best finish of 16th while Roger’s best effort was 13th.

MORE RIVERHEAD: How to watch Sunday’s race

Those talented drivers will face off with the best competitors the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has to offer. They’re headlined by the Tour’s most recent winner, Doug Coby, who dominated this event at Riverhead one year ago aboard the No. 7 for Tommy Baldwin Racing.

Also expected to be a contender is Justin Bonsignore, who triumphed in the Tour’s most recent stop at Riverhead last season. He counts nine victories at Riverhead Raceway among his 35 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumphs.

Ron Silk and Austin Beers have both won this season with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but neither has won a Tour event at Riverhead Raceway, something they’ll both look to change Sunday. Matt Hirschman will also be looking to add his name to the list of Tour winners at Riverhead.

Other notable entries for Sunday’s event include previous Riverhead winners Patrick Emerling and Eric Goodale, plus Craig Lutz, Jake Johnson, Dave Sapienza, J.B. Fortin and J.R. Bertuccio, among others.

The complete entry for the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 is available here.

RACE FACTS

Schedule: Sunday, May 21 … Final practice from 11:15 a.m. – noon ET … Qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET … Race at 2:45 p.m. ET

Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.

Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.