Reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore will open his chase for a fifth series championship on Saturday at New Smyrna Speedway.

As the traditional World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing kicks-off, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will compete in the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200.

Bonsignore will look for his first win at the high-banked track on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The New York native has finished second the last two years in the 200-lap contest.

Bonsignore capped the 2024 season by winning the last three events en route to the title, leading nearly 80-percent of the laps in those three races. He returns to competition in the Kenneth Massa Motorsports, Phoenix Communications No. 51, starting his 16th season with the team.

Were hoping to carry some of that momentum from the end of last year into 2025 and kick-off the year on a high note, Bonsignore said. Weve come close the last two years at New Smyrna. Its one of the fastest tracks we race on and strategy always plays a role in who wins, its a long race. Kicking off the season in sunny Florida you cant ask for much more.