NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Since being introduced to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule in 2022, New Smyrna Speedway is a track that has always eluded four-time series champion Justin Bonsignore.

Aside from a 31^st place showing during the series’ inaugural visit, consistency has never been an issue for Bonsignore when making the long trips to New Smyrna. Bonsignore’s last three New Smyrna attempts ended with him placing inside the top three, which only served to motivate his desire to win there.

RELATED: Complete results from the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200

In Saturday’s New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200, Bonsignore finally checked New Smyrna off the list of tracks he had not won at yet with a dominant performance to open 2026. The triumph was Bonsignore’s 48^th overall on the Whelen Modified Tour, all of them occurring while piloting the No. 51 owned by Kenneth Massa.

While Bonsignore has three Modified victories in New Smyrna’s World Series of Asphalt, he had been eagerly waiting to visit the facility’s Victory Lane with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. It took a diligent effort from Bonsignore’s team throughout the day, but the hard work paid off with a cathartic win.

“We’ve been close [at New Smyrna] but could just never get over the hump,” Bonsignore said. “The car wasn’t good off the truck but we worked on it all day. By the time qualifying came around, I was really confident in it, but I didn’t think we’d be as good [as we were]. This is a great way to start the season.”

Now in his 17^th full-time Whelen Modified Tour campaign with Massa, Bonsignore admitted he finds himself in awe and disbelief over how the long-time owner changed his life.

What started as an uneventful but solid rookie season in 2010 blossomed into one of the most efficient Whelen Modified Tour partnerships over the past two decades. Bonsignore and Massa’s professional relationship has since evolved into a close friendship, with Massa and his wife being significant figures in the lives of Bonsignore’s two children.

The first race of the 2026 Whelen Modified Tour season proved Bonsignore and Massa are still a gold standard for efficiency on the platform, though a checkered flag did not come easy. Bonsignore faced heavy pressure over several late restarts from Tyler Rypkema, who was driving another iconic series ride in the Ole Blue No. 3.

Despite sustaining damage from early contact with Ron Silk, Rypkema cycled up to the front of the field to challenge Bonsignore from the front row. The final overtime restart of the evening was Rypkema’s best opportunity at overtaking Bonsignore but could not generate the momentum needed to pull ahead on the outside line.

Only a few months removed from his maiden Whelen Modified Tour victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Rypkema was eager to start his second full season in Ole Blue on a positive note. Rypkema knew it was going to be a challenge trying to usurp Bonsignore, but departed New Smyrna optimistic about his 2026 outlook.

“Late race here, it’s really tough to get the throttle down when it’s hot and greasy out there,” Rypkema said. “[Bonsignore] knew he had me covered on the two previous [restarts], but I finally learned enough by the third one to at least hang with him. If I was a little better, I might have been able to hold him down, but it was still a great start to the season.”

The final restart of the evening was all about patience for Bonsignore. With Rypkema being at a disadvantage on the more abrasive top line, Bonsignore intended to roll the bottom of the first two turns and not be overly aggressive to pull ahead, which he successfully accomplished by the time Luke Baldwin’s spin ended the race on the last lap.

Composure in high-pressure situations is one part of the winning formula that has followed Bonsignore in Massa’s car for 17 years. The chemistry Bonsignore shares with Massa influences the entire program from crew chief Ryan Stone to sponsor Phoenix Communications, which has been with the team since 2016.

As long as the strengths continue to be emphasized, Bonsignore believes he and Massa can accomplish so much more in the Whelen Modified Tour, including a fifth championship at the end of the year.

“Everything about our team is unheard of in Modified racing,” Bonsignore said. “Nobody stays together like Ken and I, [along with] our sponsor [Phoenix Communications]. It’s really special and this is a great group to be a part of. We want to have fun this year. Winning cures all and this is a good way to have fun.”

Defending Whelen Modified Tour champion Austin Beers finished third to start the 2026 season. He was followed in the top five by last year’s New Smyrna winner Patrick Emerling and Craig Lutz.

Jon McKennedy, Ryan Preece, Ryan Newman, Trevor Catalano and Eric Goodale rounded out the top 10.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will not hit the track again until March 27 when the series makes its second and final visit down south of 2026 to Martinsville Speedway. FloRacing will provide live coverage of all the on-track action.