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The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005)
is a
modified stock car racing
Modified stock car racing, also known as modified racing and modified, is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks. First established in the United States after World War II, ...
series owned and operated by
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
in the Modified Division. The Modified Division is NASCAR's oldest division, and is the only open-wheeled division that NASCAR sanctions. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events are mainly held in the northeastern United States, but the 2007 and 2008 tours expanded to the Midwest with the addition of a race in
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The ci ...
. The tour races primarily on short oval paved tracks, but the NWMT also has made appearances at larger ovals and road courses.
History
Modified Division (1947–1984)
The NASCAR Modified Division was formed as part of NASCAR's creation in December 1947. NASCAR held a modified race as its first sanctioned event, on February 15, 1948, on the beach course at Daytona Beach, Florida.
Red Byron
Robert Nold "Red" Byron (March 12, 1915 – November 11, 1960) was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first c ...
won the event and 11 more races that year, and won the first NASCAR Modified Championship.
(The Strictly Stock Division, which evolved into today's premier Cup Series, did not race until 1949.) Post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
modifieds were a form of "stock car" (contrasted against purpose-built
AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
championship cars, sprints, and midgets) which allowed some modification, typically substitution of stronger truck parts. Most cars were pre-WWII coupes and coaches. This pattern continued through the 1960s, with aftermarket performance parts and later-model chassis (such as the 1955–57 Chevrolet's frame) becoming more common. Modifieds became known for technical innovation, both in homebuilt parts and in adapting components from other types of vehicles. By 1970, many modifieds featured big-block engines, fuel injection, eighteen-inch-wide rear tires, radically offset engine locations, and other technologies that made them faster on short tracks than any full-bodied race cars including Grand National cars.
["Through the Years at Shangri-La: The Final Chapter". Monnat, Michael E. ''Gater Racing News'', August 26, 2005.]
The predecessor to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was NASCAR's National Modified Championship, which was determined by total points from weekly NASCAR-sanctioned races as well as a schedule of national championship races. Parts of the northeastern and southeastern US were hotbeds of modified racing in the 1950s and 1960s; some racers competed five nights per week or more.
[Bourcier, Bones. ''RICHIE!: The Fast Life and Times of NASCAR's Greatest Modified Driver'' (1st ed., 2004). Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA: Coastal 181.
] Often the same car was raced on both dirt and paved tracks, changing only tires and perhaps springs and shock absorbers.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the technology of dirt and pavement modifieds diverged to make them separate types of race car. NASCAR was no longer sanctioning dirt tracks which held modified races, so the NASCAR modified rules became the standard for asphalt Modifieds. (Starting in the early 1970s, northeastern US dirt modified racetracks began to join the DIRT organization founded by Glenn Donnelly.) Most unsanctioned tracks used similar modified rules to NASCAR's, or specified the same cars with cost-limiting rules such as smaller engines or narrow tires.
In the 1980s, it became prohibitively expensive for modified teams to tow long distances to sixty or more races per year, including
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...
and
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...
,
Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longes ...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill fr ...
, and
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...
, with the North Wilkesboro races part of the Cup weekend. To enable more than a few teams to contend seriously for the championship, it was decided to reformat the Modified Division's championship to a limited schedule of races not conflicting with one another. This change mirrored similar format changes to the Grand National Division starting in 1972 and the Late Model Sportsman Division (now
Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
) starting in 1982.
Richie Evans
Richard Ernest Evans (July 23, 1941Bourcier, Bones, "61 at 61", ''Speedway Illustrated'' (ISSN 1528-4182), Volume 3, Number 8, August 2002. – October 24, 1985), was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, ...
ran 66 NASCAR modified features (and several unsanctioned events such as the Race of Champions) in 1984, the final year of the old system.
Whelen Modified Tour (1985–present)
The modern-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was first held in 1985 with 29 races, named the "NASCAR Winston Modified Tour".
It switched sponsorship to the Featherlite Trailers brand in 1994, and was renamed the "NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series".
Two major changes to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour came in 2005.
In 2005,
Whelen Engineering
The Whelen Engineering Company is an American corporation that designs and manufactures audio and visual warning equipment for automotive, aviation, and mass notification industries worldwide. Founded in a Deep River, Connecticut garage in 1952 ...
took over sponsorship of the series, which was renamed the "NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour".
Beginning in 2005 NASCAR sanctioned a new modified division in the southeastern United States known as the
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (WSMT) was a stock car racing series owned by NASCAR and operated in the Southeastern United States as part of its Modified Division. The series began in 1989 as the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (S. ...
. The two tours agreed to run a combined race at
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...
.
1985
Richie Evans
Richard Ernest Evans (July 23, 1941Bourcier, Bones, "61 at 61", ''Speedway Illustrated'' (ISSN 1528-4182), Volume 3, Number 8, August 2002. – October 24, 1985), was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, ...
, the first NASCAR national touring division driver to capture nine national championships is tied with
Mike Stefanik
Michael Paul Stefanik (May 20, 1958 – September 15, 2019) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed mainly in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but also made appearances in the Busch Grand National series and the Craf ...
for the most NASCAR championships in the Modifieds, won his last championship posthumously in 1985, the first year of the Winston Modified Tour. Driving his own designed and built cars and maintained in his own shop in Rome, NY for sponsor concrete magnate B.R. DeWitt, Evans won 12 of his 28 starts on the tour, including five consecutive victories at five tracks in July and August.
Billy Nacewicz was the team's crew chief.
Other strong contenders on the tour included Stefanik, George Kent,
Jimmy Spencer, Brian Ross,
Reggie Ruggiero
John "Reggie" Ruggiero is an American former NASCAR driver. He is known for his dominance in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the 1990s despite never winning the championship.
Racing career NASCAR Busch Series
Ruggiero debuted in the Busch Seri ...
,
Brett Bodine
Brett Elias Bodine III (born January 11, 1959) is an American former stock car racing driver, former driver of the pace car in Cup Series events, and current NASCAR employee. Brett is the younger brother of 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine a ...
,
Charlie Jarzombek
Charles Vincent Jarzombek Sr. (September 30, 1942 – March 22, 1987) was an American racecar driver from Baiting Hollow, New York.
Racing career
He started racing in 1962 on the Long Island tracks of Islip Speedway, Riverhead Raceway and ...
,
Jeff Fuller, George Brunnhoelzl, Doug Heveron, Jamie Tomaino, John Rosati, Corky Cookman,
Greg Sacks
Greg Sacks (born November 3, 1952) is an American former stock car racing driver. He is married and has three children. He lives in Ormond Beach, Florida. He and his sons are partners in Grand Touring Vodka.
Sacks has spent most of his career as ...
,
Mike McLaughlin
Michael McLaughlin (born October 6, 1956) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Nicknamed Magic Shoes, McLaughlin was a perennial fan favorite, winning the Most Popular Driver award in 1997. He also scored several wins and t ...
, and
Bugs Stevens
Bugs may refer to:
* Plural of Bug (disambiguation), bug
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
* Bugs Bunny, a character
* Bugs Meany, a character in the ''Encyclopedia Brown'' books
Films
* Bugs (2003 film), ''Bugs'' (2003 film), a ...
. Many other top racers focused on their local tracks but ran limited tour schedules. In October, the season ended in tragedy when Evans was killed in an accident while practicing for the final race of the tour season, the Winn-Dixie 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He had already clinched the title; Mike McLaughlin, driving for Len Boehler, finished second in the points standings.
2017
Following the
2016 season, the
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (WSMT) was a stock car racing series owned by NASCAR and operated in the Southeastern United States as part of its Modified Division. The series began in 1989 as the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (S. ...
ceased operation and was merged with the Whelen Modified Tour. For
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
were brought over in the merger and
Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...
was added to start the season. During the 2017 season,
Ted Christopher
Theodore Christopher (June 5, 1958 – September 16, 2017) was an American professional racing driver and business owner who raced and won in many different types of race cars, including Modifieds, SK Modifieds, ISMA, Camping World East Series, ...
died in a plane crash near
North Branford on September 16 enroute to race at a tour event that night at
Riverhead Raceway
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile (402 m) oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003. It started being built in 1949 a ...
. The car owner later dropped out of the event and Christopher was credited with a Did Not Start and last place position. Cristopher was honored during the next race held at
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
with a decal displayed on the cars and with Woody Pitkat driving Ted Christopher's modified.
Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and drive ...
retired his number 13 from its weekly modified racing.
2018
The NASCAR
Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
and
Truck Series dropped a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in favor of
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. New Hampshire replaced the series with the "Full Throttle Weekend", with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Musket 250. It became the longest race on the tour (250 laps, ). The weekend also featured the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with the Apple Barrel 125 (which featured a driver from the
Euro series and another from the
Mexico series, and, for the first time since its formation in 2007, a
NASCAR Pinty's Series
The NASCAR Pinty's Series (french: Série NASCAR Pinty's), commonly abbreviated as NPS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.
History
In September 2006 NASCA ...
race outside of Canada (the Granite 100).
2019
For 2019, the tour went back to
South Boston
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...
for the first time since the merger of the northern tour and the
southern tour.
Beginning with 2019, all NASCAR modified events will be live o
Fanschoice.tv
2020
The
2020 season was one of constant change, as the planned season was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many races were postponed or cancelled, while others were added to help fill the schedule. Justin Bonsignore, on the strength of 3 wins, won the championship. Jennerstown returned to the Tour for the first time in 2006, hosting two races, while New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park hosted back-to-back races that were the WMT's first ever visit to the beautiful bullring in White Mountains.
6 time champion
Doug Coby
Frank Douglas Coby III (born August 18, 1979) is an American professional racing driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, driving the No. 10 Ford/ Chevrolet for his team, Doug Coby Racing, he has also competed part-time i ...
saw his Mike Smeriglio III Racing team close as Smeriglio chose to retire after a very successful career. Coby would form his own team in partnership with Steve Pickens, scoring one win at WMMP. Jon Mckennedy showed great speed on his way to second in points driving for
Tommy Baldwin Racing
Tommy Baldwin Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the modified ranks. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, and is owned by former crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr., son of the late modified ...
, while Craig Lutz had a breakout year scoring wins at Jennerstown and Thompson.
2021
2021 saw the WMT return to two popular southern venues in
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...
and
Richmond Raceway
Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...
, as well as an additional race at both
Oswego Speedway
The Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and was paved with asphalt since the 1952. The track has held dates on several national tours - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ASA National Tour, and USAC ...
and
Riverhead Raceway
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile (402 m) oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003. It started being built in 1949 a ...
. Lancaster Raceway and
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway also made their returns after long stretches without WMT races. Patrick Emerling proved a worthy competitor to Justin Bonsignore, as the two ran head to head right down to the wire at the final race of the season at
Stafford Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and driv ...
. Bonsignore would celebrate a long awaited win at the storied CT race track as he clinched the 2021 title on the strength of 2 wins.
Cup series regular
Ryan Preece
Ryan Jeffrey Preece (born October 25, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Preece previously competed in what is now th ...
would have a solid year, scoring wins at New Hampshire, Stafford, and Richmond. Tragically his car owner Eddie Partridge would pass away in the hours after the win at Richmond. The loss was huge for the modified racing community, as Partridge was one of the strongest supporters of modifieds over the years, fielding cars in many series, as well as saving the Riverhead Raceway.
Doug Coby made a bold move to miss the first race at Oswego to run in the inaugural
Superstar Racing Experience
Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), officially known as the Camping World SRX Series, is an American stock car racing series founded by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag and George Pyne. The formation of the series was announced on July 13, ...
race at Stafford - a move that proved fruitful as he would go on to beat the star studded field in front of a live national TV audience. The win parlayed Coby to his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck series start, scoring a 12th place finish at Bristol driving the
GMS Racing
Petty GMS Motorsports, also known as GMS Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, is an American professional stock car racing team formed by Richard Petty and Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. and operated by GMS Racing. In the NASCAR Cup Series they field ...
24 truck.
A large story line was the absence of any races at the fabled
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP), formerly Thompson Speedway and Thompson International Speedway, is a motorsports park in Thompson, Connecticut, featuring a asphalt oval racetrack and a road racing course. Once known as the "Indianapo ...
. After being on the WMT schedule every year since the tours inception in 1985, the managing partners of the speedway decided to hold open tour type modified races instead. This did not prove popular amongst fans and teams alike, however TSMP returned to the WMT schedule for the 2022 season.
The cars
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars are substantially different from their
NASCAR Cup Series counterparts. Today's cars are based on tubular chassis built by fabricators such as Troyer Engineering, Chassis Dynamics, Spafco, Raceworks and Fury Race Cars / LFR Chassis. Bodies are related to their passenger car counterparts in only two ways. There is a "manufacturers" logo placed on the car, and a logo indicating the type of road car it is alleged to be. Neither logo is actually associated with the actual manufacturer of the race vehicle. Whelen Modified cars are also largely fabricated from sheetmetal, with the front wheels and much of the front suspension exposed. A NASCAR Whelen Modified car is shorter in height and over wider than a Cup car. By rule, tour-type modifieds weigh at least (with additional weight for engines and larger) and have a wheelbase of . They are powered by small-block V-8 engines, usually of of displacement, although larger or smaller engines can be used. Engine components are largely similar to those used in the Cup Series, but Whelen Modified Tour engines use a small four-barrel carburetor (rated at per minute, about half the airflow of previous modified carburetors), which limits their output to . On large tracks such as
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mil ...
, the engines must have a
restrictor plate
A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to li ...
between the carburetor and intake manifold, reducing engine power and car speed for safety reasons. Approved "body styles" for 2006 include the
Chevrolet Cavalier
The Chevrolet Cavalier is a line of compact cars produced by Chevrolet. Serving as the replacement of the Chevrolet Monza, the Cavalier was the second Chevrolet model line to adopt front-wheel drive. Three versions of the Cavalier have been so ...
and
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
, the
Dodge Avenger
The Dodge Avenger is a front-wheel drive, mid-sized sedan that was marketed by Dodge. The Avenger made its North American debut in 1994 for the 1995 model year as a coupe that was produced until 2000. The model name was reintroduced to the ...
and
Stealth, the
Ford Mustang and
Escort, the
Plymouth Laser
The Plymouth Laser is a two-door 2+2 sports coupe sold by Plymouth from 1989 until 1994. The Laser and its siblings, the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eagle Talon, were the first vehicles produced under the newly formed Diamond-Star Motors, a joint-v ...
and
Sundance, and the
Pontiac Sunbird
The Pontiac Sunbird (also known as the Pontiac J2000 and Pontiac 2000) is a model line that was manufactured and marketed by Pontiac from the 1976 to the 1994 model years. Loosely deriving its name from the Pontiac Firebird, the Sunbird was intr ...
, J2000, and
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
.
[''2006 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Media Guide''. NASCAR, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.]
Safety
Richie Evans' 1985 death at Martinsville, along with other asphalt modified fatalities such as
Charlie Jarzombek
Charles Vincent Jarzombek Sr. (September 30, 1942 – March 22, 1987) was an American racecar driver from Baiting Hollow, New York.
Racing career
He started racing in 1962 on the Long Island tracks of Islip Speedway, Riverhead Raceway and ...
(in 1987),
Corky Cookman (1987),
Tommy Druar (1989),
Don Pratt
Brigadier General Don Forrester Pratt (July 12, 1892 – June 6, 1944) was a United States Army officer. He was the assistant division commander (ADC) of the 101st Airborne Division and was the highest-ranking Allied officer killed on D-Day.
Bi ...
(1989), and
Tony Jankowiak (1990), led to questions about car rigidity with tour modifieds, and safety changes.
In particular, straight frame rails were phased out, with new chassis required to have a step which could bend in hard impacts rather than passing the force to the driver. The death of
Tom Baldwin, Sr. in 2004 led to more safety modifications, with HANS devices (or equivalents) and left side headrests becoming mandatory. For the 2008 season, rear bumpers were shortened in response to the 2007 death of
John Blewett III.
After a severed wheel caused a fatality at an
Indy Racing League
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
event at
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including ...
, NASCAR, in July 1999, required the Featherlite Modified Series teams (and eventually all NASCAR teams) to add steel cables as tethers linking each front spindle to the chassis, the steel cables were later replaced with marine rope which is stronger and weighs less.
[Jewett, Larry: "Innovations in Safety", ''Stock Car Racing'' (), Vol. 35, No. 5 (May 2000), pp. 62–63.]
Public stature
The series has been a
minor league with a strong and loyal regional following. Most national media attention has appeared in racing-centered publications (magazines such as
''Stock Car Racing Magazine'' and ''Speedway Illustrated'', and newspapers such as ''
National Speed Sport News
''Speed Sport'', formerly the ''National Speed Sport News ''(NSSN) is an American magazine and Web site covering national, local, and regional auto racing topics. Yahoo! News called it "one of the most famous motorsports publications in the country ...
'' and ''Speedway Scene'') rather than general mass media. In the 21st century, several books about historical modified drivers have been published. The series was featured in the
EA Sports NASCAR series
''EA Sports NASCAR'', alternately known as ''NASCAR Thunder'', is a series of NASCAR video games published by EA Sports. The series began with '' NASCAR 98'' and '' NASCAR 99'' in 1997 and 1998. EA Sports released ''NASCAR Thunder 2002'' in 2001 ...
starting in ''
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup'', though beginning with ''
NASCAR 08
''NASCAR 08'' is the eleventh installment of the EA Sports NASCAR series. It was developed by EA Tiburon and released for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This was the earliest that EA has released a NASCAR game at the time, until ''NA ...
'', the series became exclusive to
PlayStation 2 releases; additionally, all Whelen Modified Tour drivers in the aforementioned games (and ''
NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona'', the first video game to feature the series) are fictional characters specifically created for the games.
No full-time Cup Series driver competed regularly in Whelen Modified Tour events until 2010, when
Ryan Newman won at Bristol and won twice at New Hampshire driving for
Kevin Manion
Kevin R. Manion (born June 24, 1972), nicknamed Bono, is an American NASCAR crew chief for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is a two-time consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series championship-winning crew chief and the 201 ...
. However, Ron Bouchard,
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Edwin Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers (with Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), and sister Denise. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florid ...
,
Brett Bodine
Brett Elias Bodine III (born January 11, 1959) is an American former stock car racing driver, former driver of the pace car in Cup Series events, and current NASCAR employee. Brett is the younger brother of 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine a ...
,
Steve Park, and
Jimmy Spencer went on from WMT competition to become race winners at the Cup level. Other WMT veterans such as
Mike McLaughlin
Michael McLaughlin (born October 6, 1956) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Nicknamed Magic Shoes, McLaughlin was a perennial fan favorite, winning the Most Popular Driver award in 1997. He also scored several wins and t ...
, and
Jeff Fuller have advanced to become race winners and championship contenders in the Xfinity Series, the top minor league under the Cup Series. Two-time Xfinity Series champion
Randy Lajoie
Randall Joesph LaJoie (born August 28, 1961) is a former NASCAR Busch Series race car driver (now the Xfinity Series), where he won the championship in 1996 and 1997. He is the father of racers Casey and Corey LaJoie.
Early racing career
LaJo ...
also began racing modifieds in Connecticut before moving on the NASCAR. Cup Series crew chiefs that started in WMT include
Tommy Baldwin Jr.
Thomas S. Baldwin Jr. (born October 27, 1966) is the team majority owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing and Competition Director of Premium Motorsports, the latter for whom he also serves as crew chief of the No. 15 car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cu ...
and
Greg Zipadelli
Gregory C. Zipadelli, nicknamed "Zippy", (born April 21, 1967) is an American crew chief in NASCAR. He is currently the competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing. Zipadelli is most notable for being the crew chief of the #20 car for Joe Gibbs ...
.
In recent years, small numbers of races in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour have aired on network television, with none appearing on prime-time television. Since 2015, several races air on
NBCSN on tape delay as part of
NBC’s NASCAR contract that began that same year. with select events being live stream online o
fanschoice.tv
The Modified Tour races with the Cup Series at the
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mil ...
in July (
and is the feature division of their fall race weekend), and the
STP 500 at
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...
, where starting in 2020 they are the only support series, one of two Cup weekends (Sonoma the other) where no NASCAR national series events are part of the Cup weekend. Typically, a name driver is recruited to participate in the race to pique the interest of casual fans. For example, Cup Series driver
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. ...
and defending Cup champion
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is ...
raced in the July 2006 race. On August 19, 2009, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour made its debut at Bristol Motor Speedway as part of a four-series meet (with the three national series) that week. This was a combination event for the Whelen Modifieds and the Southern Whelen Modifieds, and part of the Camping World Truck Series race meet that evening. The modifieds have also historically run with IndyCars when the
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
raced at
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...
and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Notable drivers
Certain drivers are notable specifically for their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour careers.
All-time top 10 drivers
The following drivers were named to the NASCAR Modified all-time top 10 list in 2003:
# Richie Evans – Evans won nine modified titles between 1973 and 1985, a championship total that was unmatched in all of NASCAR until Stefanik's championship in 2006; 52 wins in 84 NASCAR and unsanctioned events in 1979
# Mike Stefanik – seven WMT and two
Busch North
The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and ...
championships
#
Jerry Cook
Jerry Cook (born June 20, 1943) is a NASCAR modified championship race car driver. He began racing at the age of 13 and won the track championship at Utica-Rome Speedway in 1969.
Racing career
He eventually went to become a six-time champion in ...
– six NASCAR National Modified Championships in the 1970s, helped direct the series' changes as series director in 1985
# Ray Hendrick – raced "anything, anywhere" from the 1950s to 1970s
#
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Edwin Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers (with Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), and sister Denise. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florid ...
– in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' for winning 55 modified races in 1978
# Tony Hirschman, Jr. – has won five WMT championships
#
Bugs Stevens
Bugs may refer to:
* Plural of Bug (disambiguation), bug
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
* Bugs Bunny, a character
* Bugs Meany, a character in the ''Encyclopedia Brown'' books
Films
* Bugs (2003 film), ''Bugs'' (2003 film), a ...
– won three consecutive NASCAR National Modified Championships, in 1967–69
#
Fred DeSarro
Frederick John DeSarro (July 3, 1937 - November 1, 1978) was an American racecar driver. He was the 1970 NASCAR National Modified Champion. In NASCAR's Modified All-Time Top 10 drivers, he was ranked eighth.
Biography
Career
Fred DeSarro was a s ...
– 1970 NASCAR National Modified champion
# Jimmy Spencer – 1986 and 1987 WMT champion
#
Reggie Ruggiero
John "Reggie" Ruggiero is an American former NASCAR driver. He is known for his dominance in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the 1990s despite never winning the championship.
Racing career NASCAR Busch Series
Ruggiero debuted in the Busch Seri ...
– the "best driver to never win a championship", his 44 victories rank him second to Stefanik since the modern era began in 1985
Wade Cole
Wade Cole (March 9, 1953 – March 15, 2020) was a fixture in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Between 1985 and 2019, Cole competed in 371 NWMT races, achieving 7 top ten finishes. He earned a career best eighth place finish twice, once in 1993 and again in 2008. His 371 starts place him eighth all time since the series inception in 1985. Cole died in a home accident on March 15, 2020. In 2020 a race on the tour was renamed for him.
Results
Champions
Clic
herefor a list of all champions including 1948–84 National Modified champions.
Rookie of the Year
Most Popular Driver Award
NASCAR stopped awarding the Most Popular Driver Award in the Modified Tour from the 2017 season.
Pre-tour Most Popular Driver Award
Notes and references
See also
*
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
*
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (WSMT) was a stock car racing series owned by NASCAR and operated in the Southeastern United States as part of its Modified Division. The series began in 1989 as the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (S. ...
*
NASCAR Regional Racing
External links
NASCAR official websiteNASCAR's WMT pageMod Series Scene website2008 Whelen Modified Tour ScheduleYankeeRacer.comArchive.org image of www.petesracingsite.com – a fan site*
ttp://racedayct.com/category/series-news/nwmt/ RacedayCT
{{NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racetracks
NASCAR series
Auto racing series in the United States
Stock car racing
Stock car racing series in the United States
Whelen modified