Livescore
OSWEGO, N.Y. — Patrick Emerling’s victory Saturday night in the Toyota Mod Classic 150 at New York’s Oswego Speedway was not as dominant as the win he secured a few weeks ago at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
The rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field, though, couldn’t tell much of a difference.
The 31-year-old from nearby Orchard Park, New York took the lead on a power move as the race reached its halfway point, and despite multiple restarts and challenges from eventual runner-up Matt Hirschman, Emerling powered to the checkered flag with a strong No. 1 Modified. He did so after leading every lap of the Aug. 14 running of the Thompson 150.
Unofficially, Emerling’s second consecutive Modified Tour win brings him within 24 points of leader Justin Bonsignore in the championship battle. He’s just 19 points behind second-place Ron Silk, joining both as multi-time race winners on the Modified Tour in 2024.
RELATED: Complete results from Oswego
“The 60 was really fast; he’s super hard to beat here,” Emerling said of Hirschman. “Really solid pit stop, and we did a little dicing on that start there to get us the lead. And then we had the car.
“We’re coming on strong as a team. We’re showing up with incredible race cars week in and week out. We just have to continue doing what we’re doing.”
The aforementioned pit cycle during a caution just before the race’s halfway point shook up the front of the field. To that point, Hirschman, who was fastest in practice and qualified on the pole, had led every lap as the clear driver to beat.
A slower stop, however, pushed Hirschman back to fifth place for the restart. Tim Connolly stayed out to assume the lead, and the presence of the No. 4 Mystic Missile at the front of the field was a major factor in how the proceeding laps developed.
Connolly’s slower car caused a bit of a jam on the restart, and Emerling dove to the inside of Connolly to take the lead before Bonsignore had a chance to do so up top.
From there, Emerling never looked back.
“Unfortunately for us, [Connolly] stayed out on old tires,” Bonsignore said. “Crept into the box and shuffled us out there, and Patrick got the lead. I think if I could have gotten the lead, maybe I would have had the track position to hold them off. Our car was really good the last 25 laps or so.”
Hirschman felt satisfied with his run despite the sting of a runner-up finish. Sometimes, he noted, others are just as quick.
“It was a real good day; the only place we got passed all day was the pits, so we lost a few there,” Hirschman said. “The 1 and us were just so close to identical in lap times. There were times when he was a few hundredths better and he opened a little lead, and there was a time when I was a few hundredths better. Two cars were just that close.
“We had the advantage early being out front. He had the advantage after halfway being out front.”
Silk finished fourth, one spot behind Bonsignore as the two continue a championship battle that now includes Emerling.
Austin Beers rebounded from an early pit stop and worked his way back through the field to finish fifth.
Jacob Lutz, Tommy Catalano, Kyle Bonsignore, Craig Lutz and Tyler Rypkema finished sixth through 10th, respectively.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers and teams get a couple weeks off before they return to action Sept. 14 at New York’s Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. The Eddie Partridge 256 is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET. FloRacing will provide live coverage.
Read the full article here
