For Justin Bonsignore, life is always about beating the odds. The NASCAR Whelen veteran still remembers, when in 2009, he was knocking on doors just for an opportunity to race. A weekly racer at New York’s Riverhead Raceway back then, the young racer prayed that he’d be lucky enough to gather some money to extend his career for just another week. At 21, though, his life changed.

He met his best friend, Ken Massa, who stepped in where help was needed, creating one of the most dominant contemporary racers in the Whelen roster. Just last year, exactly 15 years after that fateful meeting, Bonsignore entered himself into the history books—he lifted his fourth Whelen Modified Tour championship (after 2018, 2020, and 2021), and recorded the 45th race win of his career moving past the iconic veteran Reggie Ruggiero for second on the all-time Modified Tour win list.

“Those guys, Teddy, Michael, Reggie, Richie Evans, they are absolute bad asses. To be around those guys and have my name mentioned with them, I don’t feel I’m deserving. Those are the biggest bad asses of our series, and to have my name mentioned with them, it doesn’t feel right,” the racer had said, while also mentioning his best friend: “It hasn’t always been easy. [Ken] never gave up on me, and I never gave up on him. We’re best friends. We’re partners in a business together.”

“He’s financially changed my life forever with our business. He and his wife Janine, they’re like another father and mother to me. They’re not old enough, and they get mad that I say that, but they are family-like figures to me because they live 10 minutes away. My parents are 12 hours away. A lot of times when I need advice, I go to them. Now I have a family of my own, and they just absolutely love my son and my wife Taylor. They’re just people you’re lucky to come across in life, and you just hope to never lose them.” But, come 2024, things might change a bit…

No, Bonsignore is not cutting ties with his mother and father. Instead, he’s set to become more busy than usual, thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing’s intervention. On January 6, JGR took to X to announce that four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship winner Justin Bonsignore will join the team next season. “He’s back! Four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Justin Bonsignore will drive the team’s No. 19 Toyota in five NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2025,” the official statement read. Notably, Bonsignore’s relationship with the team dates back to the recently concluded season..

He suited up for the team in the Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire and finished P22. And even then, Bonsignore isn’t just any old driver being recruited. He has had significant experience in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2007. During his tenure, along with 45 wins and four modified championships, he’s also amassed 33 pole positions.

Bonsignore will return in 2025, ready to defend his crown at Whelen Modified. The new season lasts for a grand total of 16 rounds and runs from February 8 to October 23. In between, the Kenneth Massa-backed driver will be squeezing in his five Xfinity Series races. Without a doubt, it will be a hugely exciting time for the veteran driver and he will be keen to prove himself. Admittedly, we don’t know much about which five races he will compete in. However, one can expect his full schedule to be released in the upcoming days.

He told NASCAR, “When we had the opportunity to work with the Joe Gibbs Racing team at New Hampshire last year, it was a perfect pairing. As soon as that weekend was over, we started looking at options to run a larger schedule in 2025 and it all came together. When you work with a team like JGR, you know you’re going to have a car in contention to win every race you run. We’re looking forward to having some fun and chasing trophies.”

On the other hand, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for JGR, Steve de Souza, “We’re excited to have Justin back in our car in 2025. He has proven himself over and over again in the modifieds and he did a great job for us at New Hampshire with no track time before the race started. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do with more opportunities to adapt to the Xfinity cars and working with the same team multiple times this season.”

Joe Gibbs Racing will be partnering him will be full-time rookie drivers, William Sawalich and Taylor Gray. The team has also opted for some experience in the form of Brandon Jones. The 27-year-old spent five years in the JGR stable before a two-year loan spell to JR Motorsports, and now he’s back.

As per NASCAR’s official website, the 36-year-old’s driver’s schedule will be announced at a later date. But if were to guess, On3’s Jonathan Howard opined that the team might put the racer at tracks he’s familiar with—short tracks like Richmond, Martinsville, and New Hampshire, where Bonsignore won races last season at Whelen.

Having said that, with so many talented names in the team, let’s look at…

What to expect from JGR when the season kicks off

To be honest, Joe Gibbs Racing enters the new season with a lot to prove. Last year, all four Cup drivers failed to reach the Championship 4. Martin Truex Jr has bowed out, but not without one last hurrah in this year’s Daytona 500. Now, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs will start the battle afresh.

Joining the trio is Truex Jr’s successor, Chase Briscoe, who left the erstwhile Stewart-Haas Racing. Briscoe is a young, hungry, and talented driver, eager to show Joe Gibbs why he was signed on. JGR has not had a Cup champion since Kyle Busch in 2019, and they will hope to change that little statistic.

Things are just as competitive in the Xfinity Arena, where fortune has been a little kinder. The organization has triumphed on four occasions in the Xfinity Series. Kyle Busch was the team’s first Xfinity champion, followed by Daniel Suarez in 2016, Daniel Hemric in 2021, and Ty Gibbs in 2022.