Riverhead Raceway: Coby nabs second straight victory

Doug Coby collected his second NASCAR World Modified Tour win in a row, winning the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 Sunday afternoon at Riverhead Raceway. Torrential rains forced the race to be pushed back after qualifying Saturday evening.

After defending NASCAR WMT champion Justin Bonsignore, an eight-time WMT winner at his home track, led the first 51 laps, Coby made his way to the front, taking the lead to start the 52nd lap. He led 149 laps on his way to a 31st career victory. That tied him with Jeff Fuller for fifth on the WMT career win list.

“It’s so hard here, but we hit on something,” said Coby, a six-time WMT champion.

In September, Coby will have a chance at making Riverhead Raceway history. From 1985-87, the track hosted three WMT races annually. No driver has ever swept all three.

Patrick Emerling was next to cross the finish line. Justin Bonsignore, Ron Silk and Anthony Nocella filled out the top five.

Former two-time Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modified champion Kyle Soper was the highest track regular in the order of finish, coming in seventh. Michael Rutkoski of Mattituck had a WMT career-best 11th place finish. Roger Turbush of Riverhead was 15th.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified tour was one of five Riverhead Raceway events washed away by heavy rain Saturday evening. Among those events raced earlier in the day, Vinny Delaney of East Islip scoring his first career Crate Modified victory, a 25-lapper.

Sean Glennon of Northport fell just 0.231 seconds short, settling for second place. Defending champion Richie Davidowitz of East Moriches raced his way to a third-place finish after starting 10th.

Max Handley of Medford earned his second win in a row in the first race of the Miller Lite Triple Crown Series for the Blunderbusts. Cody Triola of Bay Shore was the runner-up. Brandon Hubbard of Mastic, who started the race fifth, made a late-race charge to take third.

The 2021 Legend Race Car season had been tough on rising star Joey Braun of Manorville, lined with mechanical failure and crashes along the way. However, things went Braun’s way Sunday afternoon when he won a 20-lap main event. George Tomko Jr. of Aquebogue took second place and championship leader Eric Hersey of Ronkonkoma secured another podium finish, coming in third.

Brian Brown of Riverhead scored his second Street Stock win of the year, a 20-lap feature event Sunday afternoon.

Veteran Rhett Fogg of Westhampton was second, with defending champion Dave Antos of Lindenhurst third.