Ryan Preece Wins Modified Tour’s Return to Richmond Raceway, Ryan Newman Finishes Fourth

Whenever Ryan Preece comes to race in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, no matter the facility, he is always a threat to capture the victory. Friday Night’s Virginia is For Racing Lovers 150 at Richmond Raceway was no different, as the 30-year-old captured the victory in the series’ first event at the 0.75-mile short track in nearly two decades.

Preece led 98 of the race’s scheduled 156 laps, after taking the race lead from Justin Bonsignore for the first-time on lap two. The pair swapped the lead back and forth a number of times throughout the night, with Ryan Newman spoiling the party later in the run to take the lead, before caution flags threw strategy upside down and mixed the pot, when it came to race leaders.

CHECKERED FLAG: @RyanPreece_ wins his 25th career #NWMT race and third this season in the series’ return to @RichmondRaceway! ? pic.twitter.com/vQdXtdME3I

— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 11, 2021

The NASCAR Cup Series driver held off Jon McKennedy, Ronnie Williams and Ryan Newman in NASCAR Overtime to collect his 25th career victory in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ranking him ninth on the all-time win list, and one step closer to passing Mike Ewanitsko for eighth. SRX winner, Doug Coby, rounded out the top-five in the event,  with Kyle Bonsignore, Austin Beers, ARCA driver Andy Jankowiak, Burt Myers and Woody Pikat rounding out the top-10.

In fourth, Newman had  a number of obstacles to overcome on Friday Night, being forced to start at the rear of the field in the 150-lap event. By lap 50, Newman had worked his way into the lead of the race, where he would lead six laps, before being shuffled to the middle of the pack. After a restart that saw the NASCAR Cup Series driver shuffled to the high side, the No. 53 was relegated to 12th to 15th for much of the middle portion of the race, before a series of late-race restarts helped him move forward, eventually staking his claim into the top-five.

Patrick Emerling – who will drive the Our Motorsports No. 23 in Saturday’s Go Bowling 250 — suffered an early-race mechanical failure, finishing 25th-place, hurting his chances at the championship in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

1. No. 6 – Ryan Preece
2. No. 7 – Jon McKennedy (-0.559)
3. No. 50 – Ronnie Williams (-0.568)
4. No. 53 – Ryan Newman (-0.630)
5. No. 10 – Doug Coby  (-0.810)
6. No. 22 – Kyle Bonsignore (-0.937)
7. No. 64 – Austin Beers (-1.203)
8. No. 59 – Andy Jankowiak (-1.296)
9. No. 63 – Burt Myers (-1.497)
10. No. 1 – Woody Pikat (-1.724)
11. No. 82 – Anthony Nocella (-2.058)
12. No. 32 – Tyler Rypkema (-2.245)
13. No. 58 – Eric Goodale (-2.543)
14. No. 20 – Ed McCarthy (-1 Lap)
15. No. 14 – Bobby Measmer Jr. (-1 Lap)
16. No. 34 – JB Fortin (-2 Laps)
17. No. 78 – Walter Sutcliffe Jr (-8 Laps)
18. No. 5 – Kyle Ebersole (OUT)
19. No. 85 – Ron Silk (OUT)
20. No. 24 – Andrew Krause (OUT)
21. No. 99 – Jamie Tomaino (OUT)
22. No. 01 – Melissa Fifield (OUT)
23. No. 44 – Bobby Santos Jr (OUT)
24. No. 51 – Justin Bonsignore (OUT)
25. No. 07 – Patrick Emerling (OUT)
26. No. 36 – Dave Sapienza (OUT)