The 40 greatest NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers: Part 2
The Modified division, NASCAR's oldest class, ran its first race on Feb. 15, 1948, predating the NASCAR Cup Series by a full season.
From 1948 through 1984, some of NASCAR's greatest drivers raced and won in Modifieds. They include legends like Bobby Allison, Richie Evans, Red Farmer, Red Byron, Bugsy Stevens, Jerry Cook and Fonty Flock. But as the sport continued to evolve, so did the division.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was formed in 1985. Having since transitioned from a national championship format to a season-long championship format, the Tour now hosts more than a dozen events at tracks up and down the East Coast.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the modern Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Regional has named the 40 greatest NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers, selected based on their accomplishments on the Tour beginning in 1985. Accomplishments from the NASCAR Modified National Championship era (1948-84) were not used to determine this list.
The 40 drivers will be revealed in no particular order throughout the summer in groups of 10. Below is the second set of 10 drivers on the list of the 40 greatest NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers.
PART 2
- 230 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- Four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion
- 45 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins (second all time)
- 133 top fives and 172 top 10s
If you had told Justin Bonsignore in 2007 that he would be among the 40 greatest drivers in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history, the then 19-year-old probably would have laughed at you.
Fast-forward to 2025, and there is no question that Bonsignore is one of the greatest Modified Tour drivers of all time.
The driver from Holtsville, New York has been a tour de force since becoming a regular competitor with the Modified Tour in 2010. He registered his first Tour win in 2011 at his home track, Riverhead Raceway. It was the first of what is now 45 career wins, a number that places him second on the all-time win list behind Mike Stefanik.
To go along with those 45 wins, Bonsignore has registered an impressive four Modified Tour championships. His first came in 2018, and he added subsequent titles in 2020, 2021 and 2024. He is one of only four drivers (Stefanik, Tony Hirschman and Doug Coby) to win four or more championships since the modern Tour was founded in 1985.
Amazingly, all of that success has come with the same team owner, Ken Massa. The duo ranks among the greatest driver-owner pairings in Modified Tour history.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives
- 289 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 28 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins
- 79 top fives and 130 top 10s
- Best championship finish of second
North Babylon, New York's Mike Ewanitsko always wanted to race Modifieds.
As a teenager, he drove his first races at New York's Islip Raceway before transitioning to another familiar Long Island track in Riverhead Raceway. His success there led to a full-time move to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he became a regular face in Victory Lane for more than a decade.
His first Modified Tour victory came in 1987 at Riverhead. He went on to win 11 times in Modified Tour competition at the quarter-mile oval, a record he now shares with Justin Bonsignore.
Ewanitsko's best seasons came in 1998 and 1999, when, driving for team owner Art Barry, he secured back-to-back runner-up championship finishes. In all, Ewanitsko scored 28 Modified Tour wins at tracks like Riverhead, Martinsville, Stafford, Jennerstown, Nazareth and Thompson.
Ewanitsko retired from competition for medical reasons in 2005, but he will always be remembered for a determined-yet-smooth driving style that made him one of the greatest Tour drivers of all time.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives, Howie & Mary Hodge Collection, Fran Lawlor
- 170 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 1994 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion
- Three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins
- 34 top-five and 77 top-10 finishes
From the moment Wayne Anderson was born, he lived and breathed Modified racing. His father, Axel, was a racer who competed locally on Long Island -- winning a track title at Riverhead Raceway in 1956 -- and nationally with the NASCAR Cup Series.
So when it came time for Wayne to pick up a helmet and go racing, he didn't hesitate. He was a dominant force at Riverhead, scoring more than 30 wins and five track titles as a driver during his long career.
His success wasn't limited to Riverhead. He made 170 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts during his career between 1985 and 2008, scoring three series victories. However, his greatest achievement came in 1994.
That season, Anderson partnered with Boehler Racing Enterprises to pilot he legendary Ole Blue No. 3. He scored a win that year at Stafford Motor Speedway and narrowly defeated Reggie Ruggiero to capture the Modified Tour championship.
Now retired, Anderson continues to attend races weekly at Riverhead. You can take the racer off the track, but you can't take the track away from the racer.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives
- 25 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 6 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories
- 7 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes
A member of the famed "Long Island Gang," Charlie Jarzombek was among the best Modified drivers to emerge from Long Island, New York.
Beginning his career in the early 1960s, Jarzombek dominated Modified racing on Long Island by winning championships at Riverhead Raceway, Islip Raceway, Freeport Stadium and Westhampton Raceway during his extensive career.
When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was launched in 1985, Jarzombek became a part-time competitor. He scored six victories against competition that included Reggie Ruggiero, Bugsy Stevens, Mike McLaughlin, Richie Evans, Jimmy Spencer and Jeff Fuller, among others.
Partnered with Ernie Wilsburg, Jarzombek in 1987 set out in pursuit of the Modified Tour championship for the first time. He tragically never got to chase that title, as he was killed in a practice crash at Martinsville Speedway before the third race of the season.
Riverhead Raceway honors Jarzombek each year with the running of the Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 in August.
Photo Credits: Getty Images, Howie & Mary Hodge Collection
- 187 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 16 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories
- 56 top fives and 86 top 10s
- Best championship finish of second
Following in the footsteps of his racing father Bob Park, Steve Park grew up going to race tracks across the Northeast.
When it came time to decide whether he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, the decision was easy. By the mid-1980s, the younger Park was getting his feet wet racing Modifieds. He made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 1986 when he was 18.
Park needed a few years to find his footing with the series, but in 1991, he scored his first Tour victory at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park driving for Curt Chase.
His career took off when he joined Sheba Racing in 1995. Over the subsequent two years, he won 12 races and finished second in the Modified Tour standings twice. That success caught the attention of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, who eventually hired Park to drive the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Park went on to win twice in Cup Series competition for DEI. He returned to his roots in 2013, winning the Modified Tour portion of the Battle at the Beach on the backstretch of Daytona International Speedway.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives, Getty Images, Howie & Mary Hodge Collection
- 129 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 9 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories
- 35 top fives and 68 top 10s
- Best championship finish of second
The Solomito family has a long history of racing on New York's Long Island. That history includes Timmy Solomito, a nine-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race winner.
From Islip, New York, Solomito honed his skills at Riverhead Raceway alongside other members of his family. He made his Modified Tour debut in 2011 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and contested his first full season in 2014 driving for 1994 Tour champion Wayne Anderson.
In 2015, Solomito made the move from Anderson's team to the Flamingo Motorsports program owned by Eric Sanderson. After a year of learning and adjusting, the pairing found its stride in 2016 by winning four times and finishing third in the season-long championship.
The 2017 season was even better for Solomito and Sanderson. The duo won five times and finished six points shy of a championship that came down to the final lap of the season at Thompson.
These days, Solomito is focused on his business, the Natural Design Company, but he still finds time to occassionally race at Riverhead and with the Modified Tour.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives
- 227 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 5 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories
- 40 top fives and 111 top 10s
- Best championship finish of third
From Riverhead, New York, Eric Goodale grew up in the shadow of Riverhead Raceway. So of course he became a racer, following in the footsteps of his idol Chris Young, who competed at Riverhead and was sponsored by the Goodale family business, Riverhead Building Supply.
Goodale made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2008 when he was 22, scoring a top-10 finish in his first race at Martinsville Speedway driving his family-owned No. 58. His first Tour win arrived six years later at none other than Riverhead.
A consistent face in the Modified Tour garage for more than a decade, Goodale's wins have come at some of the series' most legendary venues like Thompson, Martinsville and Bristol.
His best season came in 2022. Still driving the family-owned No. 58, Goodale scored a late-season victory at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and entered the finale at Martinsville as one of four drivers with a shot at the championship. He finished seventh that day, nine points short of the title.
These days, Goodale is more focused on being a dad, racing sporadically with the Modified Tour. But you can bet when the No. 58 rolls into the pit area, he'll be a threat to win.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives
- 212 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 2003 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion
- 19 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins
- 86 top fives and 130 top 10s
Hailing from Ridgefield, Connecticut, Todd Szegedy was quick to establish himself as a contender on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour after debuting in 2000 at the age of 24.
His first full season came in 2002, and he scored his first Modified Tour victory that year at Richmond Raceway driving for Don Barker, securing the Rookie of the Year Award in the process. One season later, Szegedy scored four wins and claimed the Modified Tour championship by 32 points over Chuck Hossfeld.
After a three-win season in 2004 in Barker's No. 50, Szegedy took most of the 2005 season off before returning in 2006 with team owner Mike Smeriglio III. Szegedy in the No. 2 car continued to be a consistent threat to win every time he pulled onto the race track. In nine seasons driving for Smeriglio, Szegedy won 10 times.
Szegedy's final win came in his final full season with the series. Driving the famous Mystic Missile for Bob Garbarino, Szegedy bested Donny Lia to win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Now retired, Szegedy's legacy is one of persistance and consistency. It didn't matter what car he drove; Szegedy was always a threat to win.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives
- 373 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 6 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins
- 66 top fives and 141 top 10s
- Best championship finish of third
A member of the famed "Long Island Gang," Tom Baldwin spent 40 years as a competitor at race tracks across the Northeast.
Originally from East Patchogue, New York, Baldwin was one of several drivers to compete during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's inaugural season in 1985. His first victory with the series came one year later, when he scored a win at Riverhead Raceway.
Between 1987 and 2003, Baldwin rarely missed a Modified Tour race. He went on to win six events, including races at Martinsville Speedway and Stafford Motor Speedway. Fans and competitors alike knew him as "Tiger" Tom Baldwin, an appropriate name for a fierce competitor.
Baldwin's life was tragically cut short when he was killed in a crash at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2004. But the Baldwin name remains an important part of the Modified Tour.
Tommy Baldwin Jr. owns Tommy Baldwin Racing, which fields Modifieds that still carry the famous No. 7NY that "Tiger" Tom once carried on his cars. One of Tom Baldwin's grandsons, Luke Baldwin, is the primary driver of that No. 7NY.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives, Getty Images
- 172 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts
- 1988 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion
- 16 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins
- 83 top fives and 119 top 10s
Mike McLaughlin was never afraid to try new things. Starting his career on dirt at venues in the Northeast, the Waterloo, New York native switched to asphalt when he began racing Supermodifieds at Oswego Speedway.
McLaughlin eventually made the move to Modified competition, and when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was created in 1985, he teamed up with Boehler Racing Enterprises to pilot the Ole Blue No. 3.
In 1986, McLaughlin took his talents to the No. 12 Modified owned by Bill Corazzo. The pairing found quick success, with McLaughlin scoring his first Modified Tour win at the Waterford Speedbowl. The pairing remained together for five seasons, and they won 15 races as well as the 1988 Modified Tour championship.
McLaughlin used his Modified Tour success to forge a successful NASCAR career, first in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East and later in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He went on to score six wins in the Xfinity Series, five driving for Frank Cicci and one piloting the No. 20 Pontiac for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Known by his nickname "Magic Shoes," McLaughlin was a fan favorite and is still remembered fondly in Modified circles.
Photo Credits: NASCAR Archives, Getty Images