The chaos that was the final laps at Wall Stadium Speedway last Saturday benefited at least one driver.

Ken Heagy, a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver who has been competing for 25 years, tied his second-best career finish with a seventh-place effort in the Jersey Shore 150.

Behind the wheel of the No. 18 Buoy One Seafood Chevrolet, Heagy started 22nd, but stayed on the lead lap at the end of the race, and when others ran into trouble, the veteran was able to sneak his way around without much damage en route to the strong finish.

“Riverhead Raceway can have some weekly shows like that, but that was probably the craziest race I have been in for a while,” Heagy said. “We were happy to be in that position, but we were really concerned because we were having some motor issues. I thought we had a carb issue, but as we came across the line at the finish, the car died and it wouldn’t fire back up. I locked it up not to run into Rob Summers and when I tried to start it back up, it wouldn’t start. So we were really lucky.”

Heagy’s history behind the wheel doesn’t just include Whelen Modified Tour races. The Calverton, New York, driver has competed at Riverhead on Long Island on a weekly basis before — a bullring with tight corners and short straightaways that forces drivers to be up on the wheel and ready for anything. His sponsor, Buoy One Seafood, has been with him for more than 10 years supporting his efforts.

“We only ran a couple of full seasons, and we just basically ran when we could,” Heagy said. “It’s the same way for us now, we get through the week we are running, and then we worry about the next week.”

Heagy welcomed Buddy Loecher to the team recently and he feels like that could have been the move to put them in the position to make gains on the track.

“We’re always working on it,” Heagy said. “Buddy came on with us a few years ago and we started working on it more and he isn’t afraid to try some different things and neither am I. We spent the winter trying to think of something new to try, because I’m getting older and it isn’t getting any easier. It seems to be going better for us.”

The seventh-place finish at Wall was certainly a confidence builder for his entire team.

“It definitely felt good, I had been a little bit down on myself lately. Even in practice, we weren’t super fast, but the car was comfortable to drive,” Heagy said. “We aren’t able to throw a bunch of tires on and that is tough for us. Being really comfortable in the car is important, and my guys were really happy. That’s the main thing.”

For now, Heagy is looking forward to the next two races on the schedule. The Whelen Modified Tour will visit Seekonk Speedway on Saturday, June 1, before a stop at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park just four days later on June 5.

“I tell my guys, no matter what happens, we are going to race hard, and we all make mistakes, but when I get out of the car at the end of the day we are all going to go have a beer and laugh about it,” Heagy said. “At the end of the day, we have to go out there and have a good time.”

“You want to run as best as you can.”

THOMPSON, Conn. — Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore clearly has mastered Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

The Holtsvile, New York, driver picked up his fifth straight Thompson win at the Icebreaker on April 7 — becoming the first driver in the history of Whelen Modified Tour action at the .625-mile oval to win five consecutive events. With 10 career Thompson wins, Bonsignore leads all active drivers on the high-banked oval.

“We‘ve always had great race cars no matter what, along with great teams and pit crews,” Bonsignore said. “A few of the races, the pit crew won the race for us. Really since 2014, I‘ve had a lot of success there. The biggest thing is having the really good cars and crew chiefs that make really good decisions. You need the racing luck to go along with it, and everything seems to come together for me.”

Bonsignore, a driver who grew up racing at Riverhead Raceway in New York, has found a knack for the high-banks of Thompson, a completely opposite style compared to Riverhead. Why he has been able to find so much success?

“A lot of people ask me that and I can‘t really say what the answer is,” Bonsignore said. “But I feel really comfortable there, it‘s like going home to Riverhead — I have the same feeling when we unload. I know what I need on the first lap of practice and I know what I need for the race.”

His quest to capture a sixth consecutive victory certainly isn‘t going to be easy. Bonsignore will have to fend off the challenges of names like Doug Coby, Woody Pitkat, Ron Silk, Matt Swanson and many more. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Ryan Preece will also join the event to compete in the No. 6 car for Ed Partridge.

With just one practice for the day due to the packed schedule, Bonsignore knows unloading off the truck well is going to be crucial.

“We‘ve put an emphasis on coming off the truck better than we ever have. It‘s really important practice because you want to be in that last group in qualifying and pick the right pit stall. You want to have good notes and good feedback because you are only going to get out there a few times in practice,” Bonsignore said. “Just a little bit of fine-tuning here and there, and Ryan Stone does a really good job of getting us there off the truck.”

Stone has been a major player in Bonsignore‘s success over the last year and a half. After moving from a job at JR Motorsports, Stone helped Bonsignore win eight of the 16 Whelen Modified Tour races last year en route to his first championship.

“Everywhere we go with Ryan setting up the cars, we‘ve been unbelievably fast. Rob Fuller and everyone at LFR have developed a really great car and Ryan has been with LFR since day one, and has a really great understanding of the cars. It‘s the time and the effort he puts into the setups,” Bonsignore said. “The people working on these cars are smart.”

When Bonsignore won his fifth straight race at the Icebreaker, the emotion poured from the veteran when he climbed out of the car and stood on the nerf-bar screaming ‘five in a row!‘ for the fans to hear.

“We got off to a little bit of a struggle with a bad race at Myrtle Beach and got caught in a crash at South Boston, so we were a little bit behind and we knew we were looking to turn it around at Thompson,” Bonsignore said, recalling why there was so much emotion. “From Thompson‘s World Series last year until the Icebreaker all we heard was that we had won four in a row and we were looking for five. We did think about it and how much of an amazing accomplishment it was. I thought about it when people said Richie Evans or Mike Stefanik hadn‘t even done it on the Tour. Everything put together, I just let loose in Victory Lane.”

Just under two weeks before the return to Whelen Modified Tour action at Thompson, Bonsignore certainly is thinking about the streak. In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition, Bryan Narducci has won six consecutive SK Light Modifiedu00ae races entering this Wednesday special event as well. Both streaks will be on the line come June 14^th.

“People talk about it and it‘ll be something where I am going there with intentions of winning the race. Having a shot at six in a row is really special, but we also know that in racing, you aren‘t going to win 10 or 20 races in a row,” Bonsignore said. “We have to be prepared for the streak to be over at some point. But I go to the race track thinking that everyone needs to come there to beat us.”

“Every single time we go to Thompson there are packed stands. The fans in that area seem to accommodate with any night we race.”

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park returns to action on Wednesday, June 5, as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour headlines the night with the annual Thompson 125. Grandstands will open for the night at 3:30 p.m., while qualifying heat racing is scheduled to get underway at 5:05 p.m. with the Sunoco Modifieds.

Fans will be able to watch all five Whelen All-American Series divisions compete in both qualifying and feature action, along with group qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour, and the Thompson 125. Fans should note that the SK Light Modifiedsu00ae will run their 20-lap feature at the conclusion of the Whelen Modified Tour race.

A paddock pass for the night is $55, while fans can enter the grandstands for $50. Any seniors (65+), veteran, or active military members can enter at $45 with the proper identification. Kids 12 and under will be free. Any fans wishing to camp on the grounds of Thompson Speedway for the night can do so for $25, but campers must be removed from the property early Thursday.

If for some reason inclement weather delays the event, Thursday, June 6, is the rain date.

For more information on Thomspon Speedway Motorsports Park, fans are encouraged to visit www.thompsonspeedway.com and follow the track on social media via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“Best in Manufacturing” and “Best in Distribution” will Service Modified, Asphalt & Dirt Racers

SHREWSBURY, Mass. — A business deal is in the works for long-time modified powerhouses LFR and Troyer Race Cars to combine forces and merge.

The plan is for a new company to be formed, Troyer Manufacturing, which would focus on manufacturing. Another company would be created – Troyer Dirt – to focus on the manufacturing and distribution of race cars for the Dirt racing customer base. LFR and Troyer will continue their respective brands and combine forces to offer the best in manufacturing and distribution.

“It‘s no secret that I have been trying to do something of this magnitude for quite some time now,” said Rob Fuller, owner of LFR. “The timing seemed right, so Billy (Colton, owner of Troyer Race Cars) and I came together and discussed options and put a killer package together.”

“I have tried several different avenues for manufacturing recently, and whether it was North Carolina or Canada, the Modifieds never were a priority,” said Fuller. “Now they are a top priority in every sense of the word!”

“Tommy Baldwin actually called me one day and asked why Billy and I don’t figure out something where we can work together, and it kind of hit me how much sense it made to do this!”

“The move is necessary in today‘s market to be successful in all aspects of the sport,” continued Fuller. “We will continue to service both LFR and Troyer dealers with a predetermined dealer structure. Myself and the LFR staff will provide at-track support for all Modified customers.”

Recently, LFR chassis has dominated the top level of modified racing — securing four consecutive NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titles (2015-2018). Justin Bonsignore, Chase Dowling and Doug Coby drove LFR cars to the top of the standings last year — with Bonsignore winning eight races on his way to the series championship.

Troyer owner Bill Colton, who has been involved in racing for 44 years, feels the timing is right for this type of change.

“Rob and I began talking just before the Thompson Ice Breaker about the possibility of doing some manufacturing for him, I guess that starting some talks that brought us to this point,” recalled Colton.”

“I believe that the timing is right for this – Rob has proven that he will do an outstanding job taking care of the customers, working to better the product and educate the racer. When we combine that with the team that we have at Troyer and our ability to manufacture the some of the finest race cars and components in the industry, I think this will prove to be a great move for all involved!”

LFR will distribute both LFR and Troyer products out of a brand new 7,000-square-foot facility in West Boylston, Mass. equipped to provide engineering and set-up support for modified race teams. LFR will continue the distribution of the Troyer product line through much of the current well-established Troyer Dealer network.

“In talking with Rob, we both agree that it is very important to continue to offer the Troyer and LFR as their own brands,” said Colton. “I believe that both the Troyer and LFR customers will benefit in this merger in several ways, between the tech support that will be available to them along with better inventory along with other product availability it seems like a definite win-win.”

Troyer Race Cars was stared in 1977 by Maynard Troyer. The company has built over 3,000 chassis during its 40+ year history.

“I went to work for Maynard Troyer in 1981, I was 20-years-old but I knew that I wanted to work in the race car industry,” said Colton. “I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for Maynard for the first eight years, and then to become a managing partner in 1989 then the owner of Troyer Inc. in 1999. I was able to learn a lot from Maynard and also forged some great relationships with a tremendous number of racers over the last 38 years. Even though my roles have changed a bit, I will still be active in our sport for some time to come.”

“This will be a big change for me,” said Colton, “but I am looking forward to my new role in the organization. I will be managing the manufacturing facility as well as Troyer Dirt for the next five years.”

“In order to ensure that the dedicated Troyer staff would not be affected in this merger, it was very important to me that the manufacturing stay in Rochester, and at this point I am proud to say that the entire staff will be joining Troyer Manufacturing!”

Fuller, who has a long family history in racing, is looking forward to the future.

“Maynard Troyer was my Elvis,” said Fuller. “He was an innovator, designer and a heck of a wheel man. It‘s an honor to be involved at this level with his brand and make sure it‘s going to be around for a long time to come.”

“My family has been involved with the Modified Series for decades,” said Fuller. “I might not leave my mark from the cockpit like they did, but I hope when people discuss my legacy someday, they can say that I had some kind of positive impact on the Modified division and its evolution to what it has become today. The best racing in the country.”