NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. — The first win was a dominating performance. The second was a late pass with a little help from the front bumper.
In the end, Justin Bonsignore is two-for-two on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
The Holtsville, N.Y., driver used a bump-and-run to wrestle the lead away from Matt Hirschman with seven laps to go and then withstood a challenge from Hirschman and Doug Coby on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Independence Day 200 in the tour’s inaugural visit to White Mountain Motorsports Park.
Bonsignore led every lap in winning the season opener at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway. Saturday night, he dogged Hirschman in the closing laps before pushing him out of the way and claiming the lead. A late caution pushed the race to 205 laps and Bonsignore edged Hirschman by .127 seconds at the line.
It was Bonsignore’s 28th career win, moving him into a tie with Mike Ewanitsko and defending tour champion Doug Coby for sixth all-time in tour history.
Hirschman, who won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award earlier in the day, crossed the finish side-by-side with Coby.
Tommy Catalano finished fourth and Woody Pitkat made a late run to finish fifth.
The finish:
Justin Bonsignore, Matt Hirschman, Doug Coby, Tommy Catalano, Woody Pitkat, Dave Sapienza, Chris Pasteryak, Craig Lutz, Jon McKennedy, Chase Dowling, Kyle Bonsignore, Sam Rameau, Calvin Carroll, Anthony Nocella, Patrick Emerling, Eric Goodale, J.B. Fortin, Jeff Gallup, Timmy Catalano, Jeremy Gerstner, J.R. Bertuccio, Tyler Rypkema, Amy Catalano, Andrew Krause, Walter Sutcliffe Jr., Rob Summers, Ron Silk, Matt Swanson, Timmy Solomito, Gary Byington, Melissa Fifield.