NOTEBOOK: Locals look to defend home turf in the Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway

The strength of the local Modified contingent at Riverhead Raceway is well known. Ever since the first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at the quarter-mile bullring located on Long Island in 1985, local Modified competitors have made a point to defend their home turf against the invading Tour regulars. Drivers like Dan Jivanelli, Wayne Anderson, Don Howe and Justin Bonsignore have won championships at Riverhead Raceway and also won NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at the historic track. Bonsignore, who won his championship in 2011, has since gone on to become a Tour regular with three championships and 42 career wins. Anderson, a five-time Riverhead champion, also won a Tour championship in 1994. Another notable Riverhead name is Mike Ewanitsko, an 11-time Riverhead Raceway Modified Tour winner who also has 30 local Modified victories at his home track. Most recently, Kyle Soper scored a win for the Riverhead Raceway regulars when he piloted the aforementioned Anderson's No. 15 to victory in 2022. The local contingent will once again be well represented during Saturday's Eddie Partridge 256 with no fewer than five Riverhead Raceway regulars scheduled to compete. Headlining that group is Timmy Solomito, a man with extensive Modified Tour experience. Solomito, a nine-time Modified Tour race winner who finished second in the series standings in 2017, has been a familiar face at Riverhead Raceway for years alongside his older brother Shawn. Despite not having a Riverhead Raceway championship on his résumé, Solomito is a 27-time winner in local Modified competition at Riverhead. Three of his nine Modified Tour wins have also come at Riverhead. This year, Solomito has won three times at Riverhead in NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competition. His most recent win came just a few weeks ago during the annual running of the Cecil Palm Tree 66, which was held in honor of the late Eddie Partridge. Solomito led every lap during that event. [caption id="attachment_445098" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] J.R. Bertuccio is a former track champion at Riverhead Raceway with 30 victories to his credit at the Long Island track. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)[/caption] Next is a man who should also be familiar to Modified Tour fans, J.R. Bertuccio. From Centereach, New York, Bertuccio is a 30-time Modified division winner at Riverhead Raceway who also claimed the track championship in 2003. One of those wins came earlier this year in a 50-lap feature. A starter of 46 Modified Tour events during his lengthy career, Bertuccio's best series finish not surprisingly came at Riverhead. He scored a fifth-place finish at Riverhead last season in the Eddie Partridge 256, which he backed up with another fifth-place finish earlier this year. Jack Handley Jr. is one of Riverhead Raceway's newer stars. A three-time Modified division winner, Handley also regularly competes in Riverhead's Super Pro Truck division, where he is a 24-time winner and three-time division champion. He has one Modified division win at Riverhead this season. One season ago, Mark Stewart came up one position short of scoring a huge upset during the Eddie Partridge 256. It was only the second Modified Tour event for Stewart, who has yet to find Victory Lane in weekly Modified competition at Riverhead. Last but certainly not least is Roger Turbush, Stewart's uncle. A two-time champion of Riverhead's Super Pro Stock division, he has one career Modified division victory at Riverhead. His best Tour performance at Riverhead came in 2021, when he finished third. [caption id="attachment_445097" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Tyler Rypkema will take over driving duties of Boehler Racing Enterprises' Ole Blue No. 3 for the remainder of the season starting Saturday at Riverhead Raceway. (Susan Wong/NASCAR)[/caption]

Tyler Rypkema named new driver of Boehler's Ole Blue No. 3

Boehler Racing Enterprises owner Michael Boehler confirms Tyler Rypkema will take over driving duties of the famed Ole Blue No. 3 for the remainder of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. The team parted ways with previous driver Jake Johnson last month and had Bobby Santos III wheel the car at the most recent series event at Oswego Speedway on Aug. 31. Rypkema comes to Boehler Racing Enterprises with a strong résumé. In 65 career Modified Tour starts, he has seven top-five and 23 top-10 finishes to go along with two Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Awards. He has two runner-up finishes, one at Martinsville Speedway in 2021 and another at Jennerstown Speedway in 2022. "He's got a ton of experience on the Tour running full-time and part-time in his own equipment, and he's run up front a lot," Boehler said. "He wants to win on the Tour. That's his ultimate goal, and that is ours, too. I think it's a perfect fit to work together the last five races, and hopefully it leads to the future. "The guys are excited as can be to have somebody young and energetic that wants to win and run up front." Boehler Racing Enterprises is currently fifth in the Modified Tour owner standings with five races left in the season.

Special award to honor the late Jason Shepherd at Riverhead

On Aug. 19, 2024, Jason Shepherd passed away. Shepherd was a familiar face in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour garage, where he served as crew chief for Goodie Motorsports and driver Eric Goodale. To honor the late Shepherd, Riverhead Raceway and HighMark Building Efficiency will award the Jason Shepherd Crew Chief of the Race Award during Saturday's Eddie Partridge 256. The award is meant to celebrate the racing career and life of Shepherd. As part of the award, the race-winning crew chief will receive $250 as the Jason Shepherd Crew Chief of the Race, and HighMark Building Efficiency will present $250 to Jason's wife Jodie Madeline and their children. Goodale will be in the field in his No. 58 Modified and hopes to honor his late crew chief with a victory in the Eddie Partridge 256.