Bonsignore Conquers New Smyrna To Open 2026 Whelen Modified Season

Justin Bonsignore has won at nearly every major Modified track on the East Coast, but New Smyrna Speedway had always been the one that slipped away. The half‑mile oval is a fixture of Florida Speedweeks, and it is fast, abrasive, and unforgiving. On Saturday night, Bonsignore finally solved it.

He captured his first New Smyrna victory and opened the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season with career win No. 48. For a driver with four championships and more than a decade of top‑tier consistency, this wasn’t just another checkered flag. It was a long‑overdue breakthrough at a track that has historically been unkind to him.

A Hard‑Fought Race From the Start

The “New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200” is one of the most demanding races on the schedule. Two hundred laps around a surface that chews up right‑front tires forces drivers to balance aggression with discipline. Bonsignore started from the pole, but the opening laps made it clear that nothing would come easy.

Ryan Preece, bringing Cup Series experience and a deep Modified résumé, kept pressure on the No. 51 early. Austin Beers, the defending series champion, showed the same long‑run strength that carried him through 2025. Behind them, names like Doug Coby, Ron Silk, and Anthony Nocella hovered inside the top ten, waiting for the race to settle into a rhythm. It never really did.

The lead changed hands multiple times through the first 100 laps. Bonsignore could fire off well, but Beers had the advantage on longer runs. Preece used the outside lane effectively on restarts, forcing Bonsignore to defend the bottom with precision. Every restart reshuffled the top five, and every green‑flag stretch exposed how razor‑thin the margin was between the frontrunners.

The Move That Defined The Race

The turning point came with 35 laps remaining. After a long green‑flag run, tire wear became the deciding factor. Bonsignore began rolling the center better than Beers, who had been controlling the pace. Coming off Turn 2, Bonsignore got the run he needed, set up the pass down the backstretch, and cleared Beers into Turn 3.

It wasn’t a dive‑bomb or a desperation move. It was a veteran reading the track, managing his tires, and striking at the exact moment the opportunity opened. Once out front, Bonsignore began to inch away, but New Smyrna rarely allows a leader to escape for long.

Managing The Finish

A pair of late cautions erased Bonsignore’s advantage and set up a green‑white‑checkered finish. For a leader, this is the worst‑case scenario: cold tires, a hungry field behind you, and two laps to defend everything you’ve built.

Tyler Rypkema lined up alongside him for the final restart. Rypkema has steadily improved over the past two seasons, and his late‑race speed at New Smyrna showed he’s ready to contend regularly. When the green flag waved, he stayed glued to Bonsignore’s bumper, searching for any opening.

Bonsignore didn’t give him one. He protected the bottom, hit his marks, and drove a clean final two laps to secure the win. Rypkema crossed the line second, a strong statement to open his season, while Beers finished third, banking valuable points as he begins his title defense.

Avedisian Breaks Through In Super Late Models

The Super Late Model feature delivered its own headline. Jade Avedisian put together one of the most composed runs of the night in a race that went caution‑free, a rarity at New Smyrna. She tracked down Casey Roderick, one of the most respected and hardest drivers to pass in the division. Once she made her move, she steadily pulled away, managing the gap with the poise of a veteran.

The win was her first in a Super Late Model and made her only the second woman to win a feature in the division during the World Series of Asphalt. Her performance wasn’t a fluke. It was a clean, disciplined drive that showed she’s becoming a serious threat in high‑horsepower equipment.

What This Means For The 2026 Season

Bonsignore Starts From Strength

Opening the year with a win at a track that has historically challenged him gives Bonsignore a cleaner path into the early stretch of the schedule. Instead of spending February and March recovering from a poor start, something that has derailed past title bids. He leaves New Smyrna with control of the standings and a car that showed both short‑run and long‑run speed.

Early momentum matters in the Modified Tour, especially with the tight turnaround between Speedweeks and the northern swing. A strong start also allows his team to focus on refinement rather than recovery, a key factor in his previous championship seasons.

The 50‑Win Milestone Is Within Reach

With 48 career victories, Bonsignore is now within striking distance of the 50‑win plateau — a benchmark reached by only a select group of Modified legends such as Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher. Hitting that number would further cement his place among the all‑time greats.

The upcoming schedule includes several tracks where he traditionally excels, including Riverhead, Thompson, and Seekonk. If he maintains the pace he showed at New Smyrna, reaching 50 wins this season is not just possible, it’s expected.

Competitive Depth Is Clear

Tyler Rypkema’s runner‑up finish and Beers’ steady podium run show that the gap between the top teams is narrowing. Rypkema has steadily improved over the past two seasons, and his late‑race speed at New Smyrna suggests he’s ready to contend for wins on a regular basis.

Austin Beers, meanwhile, looked every bit like a defending champion patient early, strong on long runs, and mistake‑free when it mattered. Add in veterans like Ron Silk, Doug Coby, and Anthony Nocella, and the early picture points to a season where no single team will dominate. Consistency, not streaks, may decide the title.

Young Talent Is Emerging

Beyond the veterans, the opener highlighted the continued rise of younger drivers across multiple divisions. Rypkema’s performance reinforces that he’s no longer just a “potential” contender. He’s a weekly threat.

Jade Avedisian’s Super Late Model win shows the depth of talent developing during Speedweeks, and her progression could influence future opportunities in higher‑level stock car racing. The Modified Tour has always been a blend of veterans and rising stars, and 2026 appears to be another year where the next generation will play a significant role in shaping the championship battle.

What’s Next

The 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season opened with a demanding race and a long‑awaited victory. Justin Bonsignore finally added New Smyrna to his list of accomplishments, doing it against one of the deepest fields the tour has seen in recent years.

With the World Series of Asphalt continuing throughout the week, the early standard has been set. If Saturday night is any indication, the Modified Tour is headed for a competitive, tightly contested season, and Bonsignore has made it clear he intends to be at the center of it.