By: Ashley McCubbin

Everybody may be talking about the shows the top-three NASCAR tours have been putting on, and for rightful sake in having watched a lot of great racing. However, what the fans witnessed on Friday night at Richmond Raceway with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour should be put right up alongside that.

It was one of those events that you knew it was going to be a good battle to the end in seeing how close Ron Silk, Justin Bonsignore, and Doug Coby were in the opening laps. It carried all the way through the 150 laps, with 22 different lead changes at the front of the field as Tommy Catalano joined them with some pit strategy of his own.

Five of those aforementioned lead changes came in the final 10 laps, with the icing on the cake being a drag race to the checkered flag as Bonsignore edged out Silk at the line. However, that does not include the three-wide bids for the lead made by Ryan Newman and Coby on a pair of late-race restarts. Simply put – it was a battle that had you on the edge of your seat to the end.

Does it surprise anybody, though? Nope, considering this has become the norm with the tour just simply based on the experience shared by the trio of drivers at the front of the field. They have been battling back and forth for not only trophies, but championships with three for Bonsignore, six for Coby, and a pair for Silk. It is a battle that should be at the forefront of the storylines for the entire 2024 campaign as it was a year ago.

That said, the future of the series is in good hands if you consider 18-year-old Trevor Catalano. He has only made two appearances on the tour, both coming this season, with finishes of fifth and third. He also showed he has a pair of good hands on the wheel courtesy of a remarkable save down the backstretch after contact on a restart.

Patrick Emerling had the speed and potential to be part of the conversation at the front of the field, making his way up to the top-three before the first round of pit stops. He also came off pit road in first initially, but was penalized for a commitment line violation. Stuck back in traffic, he got caught up in an incident following contact between Bobby Labonte and Tyler Catalano.

Jake Johnson could easily be considered the hard charger of the event, rebounding for a fifth after cutting a tire on Lap 13 due to contact with Austin Beers. It has you wondering what could have been, considering the speed shown by Johnson and Beers being the defending event winner.