One thought crossed Tyler Rypkema\u2019s mind as he entered Turn 3 on the final lap of Saturday\u2019s Mohegan Sun 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n
He was not going to be denied.<\/p>\n
Justin Bonsignore had put on a defensive clinic during the final 20 laps of Saturday\u2019s race, ensuring that Rypkema and anyone else behind him could not get to his inside. An overtime restart gave Rypkema one final opportunity to go on the offensive and deny Bonsignore a third consecutive New Hampshire win.<\/p>\n
Out of patience while simultaneously running out of time, Rypkema muscled Bonsignore out of the groove in Turn 3 to take the lead on the final lap, only for Bonsignore to get back to his bumper. The ensuing scuffle to the checkered flag saw Rypkema emerge battered and bruised, but also as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery race at New Hampshire seems to be a race to Turn 3 and who could get to the bottom,\u201d Rypkema said. \u201cJustin protected really early and really low, so I hooked back to the top and got a better arc down into [Turn] 3. We made a little contact there, but nothing I haven\u2019t seen [Bonsignore] do many times here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew we were really good, we just had to get up and be there going into [Turn] 3 [by getting] a run off of [Turn] 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rypkema\u2019s breakthrough NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph was eight years and 83 starts in the making.<\/p>\n
After he spent his first seven seasons competing for his family-owned operation, Rypkema took over Boehler Racing Enterprises\u2019 iconic No. 3 Ole Blue Modified near the end of 2024. Rypkema became Ole Blue\u2019s full-time driver for 2025 with the goal of joining names like Ryan Preece, Tony Hirschman and Bugsy Stevens as a winner in the historic car.<\/p>\n
Entering the Mohegan Sun 100 with three top 10s on the year, everything fell into place for Rypkema to have his best run of the season. He maintained solid track position throughout the morning, but found himself trailing Bonsignore in the closing stages, unable to overtake the four-time series champion.<\/p>\n
Knowing that Bonsignore would not give him the bottom on the final lap, Rypkema charted his own path to the lead. The aggressive maneuver on Bonsignore in Turn 3 got Rypkema the top spot, but it also left an opening for Bonsignore to get back to his outside on the frontstretch.<\/p>\n
Rypkema attempted to block Bonsignore\u2019s momentum and the two made contact. Rypkema and Bonsignore both ended up against the outside retaining wall, but it was Rypkema who got to the finish line first, albeit without his right-front tire.<\/p>\n
Although the overtime restart and the presence of the draft at New Hampshire were going to leave him vulnerable, Bonsignore felt better execution on the final lap could have prevented Rypkema from building the run he needed.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Rypkema] had too good of a run and I didn\u2019t have a good [Turns] 1 and 2,\u201d Bonsignore said. \u201cThere was not much I could do. I tried crossing him over and didn\u2019t get a good exit. He had me clear off of [turn] four and I don\u2019t know why he decided to go to Victory Lane junked. But congrats to him, he executed well.\u201d<\/p>\n
By holding on to the lead with a destroyed car, Rypkema successfully continued Ole Blue\u2019s winning legacy that has been ongoing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for decades. Prior to Saturday, the most recent driver to win in Ole Blue was Jake Johnson, who did so at Monadnock Speedway last May<\/a>.<\/p>\n The only thing Rypkema didn\u2019t enjoy about his win was seeing Ole Blue sustain so much damage, but he knows Boehler Racing Enterprises will remain resilient, much like his resolve to finally earn a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win.<\/p>\n \u201c[Bonsignore] went a little early to make the block,\u201d Rypkema said. \u201cI was able to get back up top and get a good arc down in. If he had done it a little later, I would have had to roll him on the top and that probably wouldn\u2019t have happened. It just happened to work out, but it sucks the car is torn up.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t lifting until I was crossing that start-finish line, so we got it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bonsignore brought his damaged car home in second, with Craig Lutz, Andy Seuss and Matt Hirschman following him to round out the top five.<\/p>\n The rest of the top 10 finishers included Woody Pitkat, Anthony Nocella, Eric Goodale, Austin Beers and Jon McKennedy.<\/p>\n Tyler Rypkema says a media center is ‘too official’ for him <\/p>\n The drive of Ole Blue on his OT finish with Justin Bonsignore and why his first NASCAR Tour win was extra meaningful. pic.twitter.com\/9Sn4XO7Bo8<\/a><\/p>\n