Discover NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Course
When most people think of NASCAR, they think of the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, or the Craftsman Truck Series. There is another series out there that a lot of people think is more exciting than any of these. NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour was established in 1985 and races on some of the most famous short tracks in the Northeast. In 2009, The Whelen Modified Tour has a 14-race schedule that includes tracks as short as the ¼-mile Riverhead Raceway on Long Island and as long as the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. This year, the Tour will go to The Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for the first time.
The cars themselves bear little resemblance to their Sprit Cup cousins. They are open-wheel cars (meaning they don’t have full fenders) that weigh about 2,600 pounds and use 15-inch-wide slick tires. NASCAR Whelen Modified cars are much lower and more slippery than Sprint Cup cars. While they go by names like Chevy Corvette and Ford Mustang, the only part that really has to be original is the roof. They ride on a 107-inch wheelbase and get their power from small-block V-8s that are capable of up to 600 horsepower.
Several of the biggest names in NASCAR over the last 20 years, including Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine, Jimmy Spencer and Steve Park, began their professional careers in the modified division. Additionally, many of today’s top drivers, including Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman, have driven modified vehicles on Sprint Cup off days or when the Sprint Cup and Whelen Modified Tour meet for the weekends. career at Loudon.
Most of the Whelen Modified Tour races are held in a single day. However, there are plenty of opportunities to spend a weekend enjoying the powerful mods. The season begins each year in April at Thompson Speedway in Thompson, CT with a race weekend called the Icebreaker and culminates with the World Series of Short Track Racing also in Thompson. Free camping is available at Thompson Speedway, so pack your tracking gear and have a great weekend!
For more information on NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour and a schedule of the races, simply Google NASCAR Modifieds. There are many quality sites out there that you will find very interesting.
