Solomito Scores Crucial NASCAR Whelen Mod Tour Win At Riverhead
Story By: JASON CUNNINGHAM / NASCAR – RIVERHEAD, NY – Timmy Solomito needed a win to keep pace in the frantic NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship race. He got it at his home track.
The 25-year-old from Islip, New York, powered by Doug Coby with four laps left to take the Miller Lite 200 checkered flag Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway.
Solomito, dominant for the first two-thirds of the event in the No. 16 Starrett Racing Ford, was outmaneuvered by Coby in lap traffic for the lead on Lap 155. The four-time tour titlists Coby was poised for his first career win at Riverhead, but Solomito recaptured the lead on the fronstretch on Lap 196 and drove to the checkers.
It marked Solomito’s fourth win of the season and eighth of his career. Earlier in the day he captured the Coors Light Pole Award.
Coby held on for second with rookie Kyle Soper third, Ryan Preece fourth and Justin Bonsignore fifth. CJ Lehmann, Dillon Steuer, Kyle Ellwood, Eric Goodale and Rob Summer brought home the top 10.
Solomito had finished 15th or worse in two of his last three starts, and hadn’t been to Victory Lane since the last time the tour was at Riverhead in June. After leading the points after the first 10 races, he had slipped back to fourth.
The win brought Solomito to within nine points of the championship lead, still maintained by Preece with 500. Coby is second at 494 with Solomito at 491.
Prior to green flag, news broke that 2008 Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ted Christopher passed away in a plane crash en route to Riverhead, and his impact on the sport was recognized in an impromptu pre-race ceremony. Christopher had been scheduled to compete in the event in the No. 82 Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet.
The Whelen Modified Tour will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 23 with the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 14th of 16 races on the 2017 calendar.
The Miller Lite 200 will air on NBCSN on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Points | B/Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 16 | Timmy Solomito | Starrett Racing Ford | 200 | 48 | 5 | Running |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | Doug Coby | Mayhew Tools/Dunleavy/AJ Romano Chevrolet | 200 | 43 | 1 | Running |
| 3 | 2 | 15 | Kyle Soper * | Eastport Feeds Chevrolet | 200 | 42 | 1 | Running |
| 4 | 13 | 6 | Ryan Preece | TS Hauler Chevrolet | 200 | 40 | Running | |
| 5 | 15 | 51 | Justin Bonsignore | Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet | 200 | 39 | Running | |
| 6 | 12 | 74 | CJ Lehmann * | IGA Food Markets Chevrolet | 200 | 38 | Running | |
| 7 | 3 | 45 | Dillon Steuer * | Northeastern Office Equipment Chevrolet | 200 | 37 | Running | |
| 8 | 6 | 38 | Kyle Ellwood | Perf Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s Chevrolet | 200 | 36 | Running | |
| 9 | 17 | 58 | Eric Goodale | GAF Roofing Chevrolet | 200 | 35 | Running | |
| 10 | 10 | 64 | Rob Summers | Hoosier Tire East/Fast Track Elect/Hughes Motors | 200 | 34 | Running | |
| 11 | 8 | 21 | Ronnie Williams * | Gershow Recycling Chevrolet | 199 | 33 | Running | |
| 12 | 23 | 78 | Walter Sutcliffe Jr. * | Last Minute Racing Chevrolet | 198 | 32 | Running | |
| 13 | 19 | 33 | Wade Cole | Perf. Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet | 197 | 31 | Running | |
| 14 | 5 | 36 | Dave Sapienza | Sapienza Enterprise Chevrolet | 197 | 30 | Running | |
| 15 | 7 | 20 | Max Zachem | Anytime Realty/Robert B Our Chevrolet | 197 | 29 | Running | |
| 16 | 16 | 14 | Cory Oslund * | Keith Grimes Excavating Ford | 197 | 28 | Running | |
| 17 | 18 | 39 | Calvin Carroll * | Power with Prestige/Cruising w/Betty Chevrolet | 197 | 27 | Running | |
| 18 | 14 | 46 | Craig Lutz | Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet | 196 | 26 | Running | |
| 19 | 20 | 89 | Matt Swanson | Starrett Tools Ford | 194 | 25 | Running | |
| 20 | 21 | 26 | Gary McDonald | Lakeland Landscape /TRC Electric Chevrolet | 193 | 24 | Running | |
| 21 | 11 | 3 | Rowan Pennink | Cape Cod Copper/JDL Environmental Chevrolet | 163 | 23 | Accident | |
| 22 | 9 | 88 | Roger Turbush * | Kennedy LI Realty Chevrolet | 132 | 22 | Rear End | |
| 23 | 22 | 1 | Melissa Fifield | Eastern Propane & Oil Chevrolet | 6 | 21 | Handling | |
| 24 | 24 | 82 | Ted Christopher | Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet | 0 | 20 | DNS |
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Timmy Solomito, Time: 12.017 Seconds, Speed: 74.894 mph
Time of Race: 0 hrs., 55 mins, 58 secs Average Speed: 53.603 mph Margin of Victory: 0.610 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 16-21; 28-35; 63-69; 71-77; 96-105; 167-174. 6 for 46 laps.
Lap Leaders: Timmy Solomito 1-22, Kyle Soper * 23, Timmy Solomito 24-154, Doug Coby 155-195, Timmy Solomito 196-200.
Total Laps Led: Timmy Solomito 158, Doug Coby 41, Kyle Soper * 1. 4 changes involving 3 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Ryan Preece 500, Doug Coby 494, Timmy Solomito 491, Justin Bonsignore 476, Rowan Pennink 467, Eric Goodale 453, Dave Sapienza 417, Matt Swanson 405, Max Zachem 402, Rob Summers 394
Next Race:New Hampshire
* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
