By: Ashley McCubbin

The battle for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship last season came down to the final race of the year, with Ron Silk edging out Justin Bonsignore. Now two races into the 2024 campaign, the pair have split the pair of events with a victory each. Will they continue to show the way, or will someone else break the ice this weekend?

Bonsignore obviously enters this weekend as the early favorite to win, considering he picked up the win last weekend at Richmond Raceway, pacing 79 of the 150 laps. Combined with a runner-up in the season opener at New Smyrna Speedway, momentum is on his side despite being ranked second in the standings. He knows his way around Thompson with 13 wins and 22 top-five’s in 43 appearances, for an average finish of 9.91, second best of all competitors on the entry list.

So why is Bonsignore second in the standings? Obviously you can thank no other than Silk, who picked up the win in Florida followed by a runner-up in Virginia. He knows his way around Thompson, as evident by picking up the checkered flag there last October for his fifth podium in his last seven appearances.

Before Bonsignore and Silk swept the pair of events on the Connecticut oval last season, it was Eric Goodale snagging the checkered flag in 2022. Over the past two years, he has finished no worse than third in the four events ran. He could use a good run this weekend after beginning his 2024 campaign with two results outside the top-20 including a crash at Richmond.

Jake Johnson made his first two appearances at Thompson last year, placing second and 12th in the pair of races for an average of sixth, which is the best of drivers on the entry list. He proved his resilience at Richmond, rebounding from an early crash to place fifth.

Doug Coby has quietly been consistent this year, with finishes of third and sixth in the first two events to place him third in the standings. He has the third best average finish (9.7) of drivers entered into the event, with six wins in 67 appearances.

Trevor Catalano is also another definition of consistency, with the rookie impressing everyone by placing fifth and fourth in his first ever career tour events. While it will be his first trip to Thompson, he will have his teammate Tommy Catalano to lean on for experience. Tommy has ran 11 races at Thompson with a best finish of 11th on two occasions.

Patrick Emerling started off the year great with a fourth at New Smyrna, only to see his Richmond effort derailed by a commitment line violation and incident on-track. Over his last four appearances at Thompson, he has scored no finishes worse than ninth with a best result of fourth.

Austin Beers has been fast at Thompson, as evident by a pair of top-10’s in his four appearances, including the pole and a fourth last year in the spring. He could use a turnaround for his 2024 campaign, as he saw his race at Richmond end on Lap 12 due to contact with Johnson.

Craig Lutz is off to a decent start for 2024, as he scored a seventh at Richmond to put him sixth in the season standings. In the last five races at Thompson, he has two checkered flags and four top-10 finishes.