The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Upstate New York for its annual trip to Oswego Speedway Saturday night. Let’s break down who the favorites are for Saturday’s 150-lap showdown at “The Steel Palace.”

You can’t talk about Modified racing at Oswego Speedway without talking about Matt Hirschman. Hirschman has done a lot of winning at Oswego Speedway, and to be honest, that’s putting it mildly. Hirschman has won two NWMT races at Oswego since the Tour returned to Oswego in 2017. Hirschman’s wins came in 2018 and 2021, and he’s yet to finish outside the top five there in six starts. In fact, Hirschman has only finished off the podium one time, and that was last year when he finished fifth. Every other NWMT finish at Oswego has either been a win or a runner-up.

And that is all in addition to Hirschman’s non-NWMT stats at Oswego. Hirschman also has three Race of Champions victories at Oswego in 2012, 2013, and 2016. So, when you’re looking for a favorite for Saturday, look no further than “Big Money” and the No. 60 machine.

But if it’s not going to be Hirschman, it’s a virtual toss-up between the two drivers that have dominated the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour the last few years, and we’re talking, of course, about three-time champion Justin Bonsignore, and two-time and defending champion, Ron Silk.

We’ll start with Bonsignore first, simply because he’s now the points leader, albeit by a slim four-point margin. Bonsignore has two victories at Oswego, with his wins coming in 2019 and in 2022. Aside from the victories, Bonsignore has finishes of third, sixth, second, fourth, and third again in 2021. The lone blemish on Bonsignore’s Oswego record is a crash that resulted in a 15th-place finish one year ago that effectively killed his chances at a fourth championship. While Bonsignore was still in contention at the finale, it’s easy to point to the DNF at Oswego as the reason why he didn’t win it. Bonsignore, who had already led 85 of the 129 laps run before the crash, tangled with Tommy Catalano while they battled for second as they tried to pass the lapped car of Gary McDonald, ending Bonsignore’s night early.

Now we’ll move on to Silk, who, much like Bonsignore and Hirschman, also has two victories at Oswego Speedway. In fact, one of his two victories came one year ago on the same night Bonsignore crashed out. Silk’s other victory came in 2021. But Silk’s record at Oswego, wins aside, is not as strong as Bonsignore’s or Hirschman’s. Silk has just one other top-five finish aside from his victories, and that was a third-place finish in 2019. Otherwise, Silk has finishes of ninth, tenth, and 13th on his resume. That said, the Ron Silk of today and the last two years is a very different driver with a much stronger team than the Ron Silk of eight years ago, or even just four years ago. Silk has been a consistent threat to win nearly every week since being paired with multi-time champion crew chief Phil Moran.

One other driver to watch out for on Saturday night is young Austin Beers. Beers scored two wins in his 2023 campaign before finishing third in points. He was the runner-up behind Silk in last year’s race. Beers already has one victory so far this season, which came the last time the Tour was in Upstate New York at Lancaster Motorplex at the start of August.

Saturday’s 150-lap race is expected to see the green flag wave at 8 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast live on FloRacing to all FloRacing subscribers, as is every NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event. Race fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour At Oswego Speedway Entry List