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NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005)[1] is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR 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. The tour races primarily on short oval paved tracks, but the NWMT also has made appearances at larger ovals and road courses.

Whelen Modified Tour
CategoryPrototype-based stock cars
CountryUnited States
Inaugural season1947
ConstructorsTroyer, Chassis Dynamics, RaceWorks, Spafco, LFR, Fury Race Cars, PSR
Engine suppliersHutter, Bob Bruneau, Performance Engines by Billy the Kid, Performance Technology, ECR, Robert Yates Racing, Pettit Racing Engines
Official websiteWhelen Modified Tour
Current season
2018 7NY from Tommy Baldwin Jr. line up in the Garage before the Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

History Edit

Modified Division (1947–1984) Edit

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 won the event and 11 more races that year, and won the first NASCAR Modified Championship.[2] (The Strictly Stock Division, which evolved into today's premier Cup Series, did not race until 1949.) Post-World War II modifieds were a form of "stock car" (contrasted against purpose-built AAA 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.[3]

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.[4] Often the same car was raced on both dirt and paved tracks, changing only tires and perhaps springs and shock absorbers.[3] 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 and Daytona International Speedway, Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway, 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) starting in 1982. Richie Evans ran 66 NASCAR modified features (and several unsanctioned events such as the Race of Champions) in 1984, the final year of the old system.[4]

Whelen Modified Tour (1985–present) Edit

The modern-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was first held in 1985 with 29 races, named the "NASCAR Winston Modified Tour".[4] 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 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 two tours agreed to run a combined race at Martinsville Speedway.

1985 Edit

Richie Evans, the first NASCAR national touring division driver to capture nine national championships is tied with Mike Stefanik 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.[4] Other strong contenders on the tour included Stefanik, George Kent, Jimmy Spencer, Brian Ross, Reggie Ruggiero, Brett Bodine, Charlie Jarzombek, Jeff Fuller, George Brunnhoelzl, Doug Heveron, Jamie Tomaino, John Rosati, Corky Cookman, Greg Sacks, Mike McLaughlin, and Bugs Stevens. 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.[4]

2017 Edit

Following the 2016 season, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour ceased operation and was merged with the Whelen Modified Tour.[5] For 2017, Bristol and Charlotte were brought over in the merger and Myrtle Beach was added to start the season. During the 2017 season, Ted Christopher died in a plane crash near North Branford on September 16 enroute to race at a tour event that night at Riverhead Raceway.[6] 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 with a decal displayed on the cars[7] and with Woody Pitkat driving Ted Christopher's modified.[8] Stafford Motor Speedway retired his number 13 from its weekly modified racing.[9]

2018 Edit

The NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series dropped a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in favor of Las Vegas.[10] 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, 264.5 miles (425.7 km)). 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 race outside of Canada (the Granite 100).[11]

2019 Edit

For 2019, the tour went back to South Boston for the first time since the merger of the northern tour and the southern tour.[12]

Beginning with 2019, all NASCAR modified events will be live on Fanschoice.tv.[13]

2020 Edit

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 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.[14] Jon Mckennedy showed great speed on his way to second in points driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing, while Craig Lutz had a breakout year scoring wins at Jennerstown and Thompson.

2021 Edit

2021 saw the WMT return to two popular southern venues in Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway, as well as an additional race at both Oswego Speedway and Riverhead Raceway. Lancaster Raceway and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway also made their returns after long stretches without WMT races.[15] 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. 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.[16]

Cup series regular Ryan Preece 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.[17]

Doug Coby made a bold move to miss the first race at Oswego to run in the inaugural Superstar Racing Experience 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.[18] 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 24 truck.[19]

A large story line was the absence of any races at the fabled Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. 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.[20] This did not prove popular amongst fans and teams alike, however TSMP returned to the WMT schedule for the 2022 season.

The cars Edit

 
No. 45 modified car, courtesy of Navy Lakehurst

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 11 in (280 mm) shorter in height and over 23 in (580 mm) wider than a Cup car. By rule, tour-type modifieds weigh at least 2,610 lb (1,180 kg) (with additional weight for engines 358 cu in [5.9 L] and larger) and have a wheelbase of 107 in (270 cm). They are powered by small-block V-8 engines, usually of 355 to 368 cu in (5.8 to 6.0 L) 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 390 cu ft [11 m3] per minute, about half the airflow of previous modified carburetors), which limits their output to 625 to 700 hp (466 to 522 kW). On large tracks such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the engines must have a restrictor plate between the carburetor and intake manifold, reducing engine power and car speed for safety reasons. Approved "body styles" for 2006 include the Chevrolet Cavalier and Monte Carlo, the Dodge Avenger and Stealth, the Ford Mustang and Escort, the Plymouth Laser and Sundance, and the Pontiac Sunbird, J2000, and Grand Prix.[21]

Safety Edit

Richie Evans' 1985 death at Martinsville, along with other asphalt modified fatalities such as Charlie Jarzombek (in 1987), Corky Cookman (1987), Tommy Druar (1989), Don Pratt (1989), and Tony Jankowiak (1990), led to questions about car rigidity with tour modifieds, and safety changes.[4] 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 event at Lowe's Motor Speedway, 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.[22]

Public stature Edit

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 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 starting in NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, though beginning with NASCAR 08, 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. However, Ron Bouchard, Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine, Steve Park, and Jimmy Spencer went on from WMT competition to become race winners at the Cup level. Other WMT veterans such as Ryan Preece, Mike McLaughlin, 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 also began racing modifieds in Connecticut before moving on the NASCAR. Randy’s son, Corey Lajoie has also won in the Modified Tour. Son of Mike McLaughlin, Max has also competed in the Modified Tour. Cup Series crew chiefs that started in WMT include Tommy Baldwin Jr. and Greg Zipadelli.

Flosports has live coverage of all races, with some tape-delayed on CNBC.

In 2023, the Modified Tour has support races with the New Smyrna Speedway meeting that is part of Daytona 500 ancillary events, and is part of Cup Series at Richmond Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway. They also race a standalone fall meeting at North Wilkesboro Speedway. 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 and defending Cup champion Tony Stewart raced in the July 2006 race. In the past, they have raced at Bristol Motor Speedway and been part of INDYCAR races at Richmond and New Hampshire.

Notable drivers Edit

Certain drivers are notable specifically for their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour careers.

All-time top 10 drivers Edit

The following drivers were named to the NASCAR Modified all-time top 10 list in 2003:[23]

  1. 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[4]
  2. Mike Stefanik – seven WMT and two Busch North championships
  3. Jerry Cook – six NASCAR National Modified Championships in the 1970s, helped direct the series' changes as series director in 1985
  4. Ray Hendrick – raced "anything, anywhere" from the 1950s to 1970s
  5. Geoff Bodine – in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning 55 modified races in 1978
  6. Tony Hirschman, Jr. – has won five WMT championships
  7. Bugs Stevens – won three consecutive NASCAR National Modified Championships, in 1967–69
  8. Fred DeSarro – 1970 NASCAR National Modified champion
  9. Jimmy Spencer – 1986 and 1987 WMT champion
  10. Reggie Ruggiero – 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 Edit

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,[24] achieving 7 top ten finishes.[25] He earned a career best eighth place finish twice, once in 1993 and again in 2008.[26] His 371 starts place him eighth all time since the series inception in 1985.[27] Cole died in a home accident on March 15, 2020.[28] In 2020 a race on the tour was renamed for him.[29]

Results Edit

Champions Edit

Click here for a list of all champions including 1948–84 National Modified champions.

Year Driver Team owner Wins Number Make Sponsor Chassis
1985 Richie Evans B.R.DeWitt 12 61 Chevrolet DeWitt Construction Evans
1986 Jimmy Spencer (1) Frank Cicci Racing 4 24 Oldsmobile Apple House Trucking / Quick Stop Beverage Troyer
1987 Jimmy Spencer (2) Frank Cicci Racing 6 24 Oldsmobile Apple House Trucking / Quick Stop Beverage Troyer
1988 Mike McLaughlin Sherwood Racing Team 5 12 Chevrolet Sherri-Cup RaceWorks
1989 Mike Stefanik (1) Jack Koszela 7 15 Chevrolet Koszela Speed Stefanik
1990 Jamie Tomaino Danny Ust 1 U2 Pontiac Danny's Market Troyer
1991 Mike Stefanik (2) Jack Koszela 5 15 Pontiac Auto Palace / ADAP Stefanik
1992 Jeff Fuller Sheba Racing 6 8 Chevrolet Sunoco Race Fuels Troyer
1993 Rick Fuller Curt Chase Racing 2 77 Pontiac Polar Beverages Spafco
1994 Wayne Anderson Lenny Boehler/BRE Racing 1 3 Chevrolet BRE Racing BRE
1995 Tony Hirschman, Jr. (1) Lenny Boehler/BRE Racing 1 3 Chevrolet BRE Racing BRE
1996 Tony Hirschman, Jr. (2) Lenny Boehler/BRE Racing 3 3 Chevrolet BRE Racing BRE
1997 Mike Stefanik (3) Peter Beal/Charlie Bacon 10 x6 Chevrolet Burnham Boilers Stefanik
1998 Mike Stefanik (4) Peter Beal/Charlie Bacon 13 x6 Chevrolet Burnham Boilers Stefanik
1999 Tony Hirschman, Jr. (3) Gary Cretty 6 25 Dodge ATC Stefanik
2000 Jerry Marquis Mario Fiore 5 44 Pontiac Teddy Bear Pools Troyer
2001 Mike Stefanik (5) Art Barry 3 21 Chevrolet New England Egg Spafco
2002 Mike Stefanik (6) Art Barry 2 21 Chevrolet Lombardi's Inside-Out Spafco
2003 Todd Szegedy Don Barker 4 50 Ford Haynes Materials Chassis Dynamics
2004 Tony Hirschman, Jr. (4) Bob and Tom Kehley 4 48 Chevrolet Kamco Supply Troyer
2005 Tony Hirschman, Jr. (5) Bob and Tom Kehley 5 48 Chevrolet Kamco Supply Troyer
2006 Mike Stefanik (7) Eric Sanderson/Flamingo Motorsports 1 16 Pontiac Diversified Metals Troyer
2007 Donny Lia (1) Bob Garbarino/Mystic Missile Racing 6 v4 Dodge Mystic River Marina Troyer
2008 Ted Christopher Eddie Whalen 4 36 Chevrolet Al-Lee Installations Troyer
2009 Donny Lia (2) Bob Garbarino/Mystic Missile Racing 4 v4 Dodge Mystic River Marina Troyer
2010 Bobby Santos III Bob Garbarino/Mystic Missile Racing 4 v4 Dodge Mystic River Marina Troyer
2011 Ron Silk Ed Partridge 3 6 Chevrolet T.S. Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Troyer
2012 Doug Coby (1) Wayne Darling 5 52 Chevrolet Sims Metal Management/Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Seekonk Grand Prix Troyer
2013 Ryan Preece Eric Sanderson/Flamingo Motorsports 4 16 Ford East West Marine/Diversified Metals Troyer
2014 Doug Coby (2) Mike Smeriglio III 1 2 Chevrolet/Ford Dunleavy's Truck & Trailer Repair/A&J Romano Construction/HEX Performance Troyer
2015 Doug Coby (3) Mike Smeriglio III 7 2 Chevrolet Dunleavy's Truck & Trailer Repair/A&J Romano Construction/HEX Performance LFR
2016 Doug Coby (4) Mike Smeriglio III 5 2 Chevrolet Dunleavy's Truck & Trailer Repair/A&J Romano Construction LFR
2017 Doug Coby (5) Mike Smeriglio III 1 2 Chevrolet Mayhew Tools LFR
2018 Justin Bonsignore Ken Massa Motorsports 8 51 Chevrolet Phoenix Communications LFR
2019 Doug Coby (6) Mike Smeriglio III 4 2 Chevrolet Mayhew Tools LFR
2020 Justin Bonsignore (2) Ken Massa Motorsports 3 51 Chevrolet Phoenix Communications Fury
2021 Justin Bonsignore (3) Ken Massa Motorsports 2 51 Chevrolet Phoenix Communications Fury
2022 Jon McKennedy Lepine Motorsports 1 79 Chevrolet Middlesex Interiors LFR

Rookie of the Year Edit

Year Driver
1999 Dave Pecko
2000 Michael Boehler
2001 Ricky Miller
2002 Todd Szegedy
2003 Donny Lia
2004 Ken Barry
2005 Tyler Haydt
2006 James W. Civali
2007 Richard Savary
2008 Glen Reen
2009 Eric Goodale
2010 Justin Bonsignore
2011 Patrick Emerling
2012 Keith Rocco
2013 Cole Powell
2014 Timmy Solomito
2015 Chase Dowling
2016 Matthew Swanson
2017 Calvin Carroll
2018 Tommy Catalano
2019 Sam Rameau
2020 Tyler Rypkema
2021 Not Awarded
2022 Austin Beers

Most Popular Driver Award Edit

NASCAR stopped awarding the Most Popular Driver Award in the Modified Tour from the 2017 season.

Year Driver
1985 Mike McLaughlin
1986 Jamie Tomaino
1987 Jamie Tomaino
1988 Reggie Ruggiero
1989 Reggie Ruggiero
1990 Satch Worley
1991 Satch Worley
1992 Jeff Fuller
1993 Jeff Fuller
1994 Jeff Fuller
1995 Steve Park
1996 Steve Park
1997 Mike Stefanik
1998 Mike Stefanik
1999 Reggie Ruggiero
2000 Rick Fuller
2001 Mike Stefanik
2002 Ed Flemke Jr.
2003 Tom Baldwin
2004 Tom Baldwin
2005 Tony Hirschman Jr.
2006 Tony Hirschman Jr.
2007 Todd Szegedy
2008 Ted Christopher
2009 Ted Christopher
2010 Ted Christopher
2011 Justin Bonsignore
2012 Ryan Preece
2013 Mike Stefanik
2014 Melissa Fifield
2015 Melissa Fifield
2016 Melissa Fifield

Pre-tour Most Popular Driver Award Edit

Year Driver
1965 Bobby Allison
1966 Runt Harris
1967 Al Grinnan
1968 Red Farmer
1969 Ray Hendrick
1970 Ray Hendrick
1971 Bugs Stevens
1972 Bugs Stevens
1973 Richie Evans
1974 Richie Evans
1975 Richie Evans
1976 Jerry Cook
1977 Harry Gant
1978 Richie Evans
1979 Richie Evans
1980 Richie Evans
1981 Richie Evans
1982 Richie Evans
1983 Richie Evans
1984 Brian Ross

Notes and references Edit

  1. ^ Jeremy, Davidson. . Automotive.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  2. ^ . Archived from the original on 2006-11-05. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
  3. ^ a b "Through the Years at Shangri-La: The Final Chapter". Monnat, Michael E. Gater Racing News, August 26, 2005.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Bourcier, Bones. RICHIE!: The Fast Life and Times of NASCAR's Greatest Modified Driver (1st ed., 2004). Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA: Coastal 181. ISBN 0-9709854-6-0
  5. ^ "Come Together: Whelen Modified Tour And Whelen Southern Mod Tour To Merge For 2017". racedayct.com. 12 October 2016. from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  6. ^ "NASCAR Modified legend Ted Christopher killed in plane crash". www.motorsport.com. from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  7. ^ Tracks, NASCAR Home (2017-09-19). "#NASCAR have this decal at @NHMS in remembrance of Ted Christopher this weekend". Twitter. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  8. ^ "Pitkat to Drive No. 82 Modified in TC's Honor at NHMS | Speed 51 | 100% Short Track Racing". from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  9. ^ "Stafford to Retire Ted Christopher's Number 13 | Speed 51 | 100% Short Track Racing". from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  10. ^ Bianchi, Jordan (2017-03-08). "Las Vegas to get 2nd NASCAR Cup Series race in 2018". SBNation.com. from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  11. ^ "September Brings Inaugural Full Throttle Fall Weekend To NHMS". RaceDayCT.com. August 2018.
  12. ^ "South Boston Added To 2019 Whelen Modified Tour Schedule – NASCAR Home Tracks". hometracks.nascar.com. from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  13. ^ "FansChoice.TV To Live Stream Entire Regional Series Schedule – NASCAR Home Tracks". hometracks.nascar.com. from the original on 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  14. ^ "Doug Coby Racing Partners with Pic's Motorsports on Whelen Modified Tour". 20 June 2020.
  15. ^ "NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour announces 2021 schedule - NBC Sports". 11 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Season-stats".
  17. ^ "Legendary car owner, friend and champion: Ed Partridge leaves behind iconic resume, lifelong memories". 16 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Superstar Racing Experience Elevates Doug Coby to the Mainstream". 19 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Doug Coby to Compete for GMS Racing at Bristol".
  20. ^ "Thompson Speedway Promoters Not Looking to Add Whelen Modified Tour Events for 2021". 20 November 2020.
  21. ^ 2006 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Media Guide. NASCAR, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.
  22. ^ Jewett, Larry: "Innovations in Safety", Stock Car Racing (ISSN 0734-7340), Vol. 35, No. 5 (May 2000), pp. 62–63.
  23. ^ . 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  24. ^ "Driver Wade Cole's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  25. ^ "Driver Wade Cole's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour top 10s - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  26. ^ Staff, SPEED SPORT (2020-03-16). "NASCAR Modified Veteran Wade Cole Dies At 67". SPEED SPORT. from the original on 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  27. ^ "Racin' With Jason: Wade Cole remembered as 'racer's racer'". Greenfield Recorder. March 19, 2020. from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  28. ^ Courchesne, Shawn (2020-03-16). "NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Driver Wade Cole Killed In Accident". RaceDayCT.com. from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  29. ^ Courchesne, Shawn (July 20, 2020). "NASCAR Adds Monadnock To Whelen Modified Tour Schedule In August". RaceDayCT.com. from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.

See also Edit

External links Edit

  • NASCAR official website
  • NASCAR's WMT page
  • Mod Series Scene website
  • YankeeRacer.com
  • Fan site from 2002 2006-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  • RacedayCT

nascar, whelen, modified, tour, nwmt, previously, nascar, winston, modified, tour, nascar, featherlite, modified, series, from, 1985, until, 2005, modified, stock, racing, series, owned, operated, nascar, modified, division, modified, division, nascar, oldest,. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour NWMT previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005 1 is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR 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 The tour races primarily on short oval paved tracks but the NWMT also has made appearances at larger ovals and road courses Whelen Modified TourCategoryPrototype based stock carsCountryUnited StatesInaugural season1947ConstructorsTroyer Chassis Dynamics RaceWorks Spafco LFR Fury Race Cars PSREngine suppliersHutter Bob Bruneau Performance Engines by Billy the Kid Performance Technology ECR Robert Yates Racing Pettit Racing EnginesOfficial websiteWhelen Modified TourCurrent season2018 7NY from Tommy Baldwin Jr line up in the Garage before the Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Contents 1 History 1 1 Modified Division 1947 1984 1 2 Whelen Modified Tour 1985 present 1 2 1 1985 1 2 2 2017 1 2 3 2018 1 2 4 2019 1 2 5 2020 1 2 6 2021 2 The cars 2 1 Safety 3 Public stature 4 Notable drivers 4 1 All time top 10 drivers 4 2 Wade Cole 5 Results 5 1 Champions 5 2 Rookie of the Year 5 3 Most Popular Driver Award 5 4 Pre tour Most Popular Driver Award 6 Notes and references 7 See also 8 External linksHistory EditModified Division 1947 1984 Edit 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 won the event and 11 more races that year and won the first NASCAR Modified Championship 2 The Strictly Stock Division which evolved into today s premier Cup Series did not race until 1949 Post World War II modifieds were a form of stock car contrasted against purpose built AAA 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 3 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 4 Often the same car was raced on both dirt and paved tracks changing only tires and perhaps springs and shock absorbers 3 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 and Daytona International Speedway Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem North Carolina North Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville Speedway 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 starting in 1982 Richie Evans ran 66 NASCAR modified features and several unsanctioned events such as the Race of Champions in 1984 the final year of the old system 4 Whelen Modified Tour 1985 present Edit The modern day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was first held in 1985 with 29 races named the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour 4 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 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 two tours agreed to run a combined race at Martinsville Speedway 1985 Edit Richie Evans the first NASCAR national touring division driver to capture nine national championships is tied with Mike Stefanik 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 4 Other strong contenders on the tour included Stefanik George Kent Jimmy Spencer Brian Ross Reggie Ruggiero Brett Bodine Charlie Jarzombek Jeff Fuller George Brunnhoelzl Doug Heveron Jamie Tomaino John Rosati Corky Cookman Greg Sacks Mike McLaughlin and Bugs Stevens 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 4 2017 Edit Following the 2016 season the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour ceased operation and was merged with the Whelen Modified Tour 5 For 2017 Bristol and Charlotte were brought over in the merger and Myrtle Beach was added to start the season During the 2017 season Ted Christopher died in a plane crash near North Branford on September 16 enroute to race at a tour event that night at Riverhead Raceway 6 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 with a decal displayed on the cars 7 and with Woody Pitkat driving Ted Christopher s modified 8 Stafford Motor Speedway retired his number 13 from its weekly modified racing 9 2018 Edit The NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series dropped a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in favor of Las Vegas 10 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 264 5 miles 425 7 km The weekend also featured the NASCAR K amp 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 race outside of Canada the Granite 100 11 2019 Edit For 2019 the tour went back to South Boston for the first time since the merger of the northern tour and the southern tour 12 Beginning with 2019 all NASCAR modified events will be live on Fanschoice tv 13 2020 Edit 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 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 14 Jon Mckennedy showed great speed on his way to second in points driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing while Craig Lutz had a breakout year scoring wins at Jennerstown and Thompson 2021 Edit 2021 saw the WMT return to two popular southern venues in Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway as well as an additional race at both Oswego Speedway and Riverhead Raceway Lancaster Raceway and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway also made their returns after long stretches without WMT races 15 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 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 16 Cup series regular Ryan Preece 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 17 Doug Coby made a bold move to miss the first race at Oswego to run in the inaugural Superstar Racing Experience 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 18 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 24 truck 19 A large story line was the absence of any races at the fabled Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park 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 20 This did not prove popular amongst fans and teams alike however TSMP returned to the WMT schedule for the 2022 season The cars Edit nbsp No 45 modified car courtesy of Navy LakehurstNASCAR 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 11 in 280 mm shorter in height and over 23 in 580 mm wider than a Cup car By rule tour type modifieds weigh at least 2 610 lb 1 180 kg with additional weight for engines 358 cu in 5 9 L and larger and have a wheelbase of 107 in 270 cm They are powered by small block V 8 engines usually of 355 to 368 cu in 5 8 to 6 0 L 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 390 cu ft 11 m3 per minute about half the airflow of previous modified carburetors which limits their output to 625 to 700 hp 466 to 522 kW On large tracks such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway the engines must have a restrictor plate between the carburetor and intake manifold reducing engine power and car speed for safety reasons Approved body styles for 2006 include the Chevrolet Cavalier and Monte Carlo the Dodge Avenger and Stealth the Ford Mustang and Escort the Plymouth Laser and Sundance and the Pontiac Sunbird J2000 and Grand Prix 21 Safety Edit Richie Evans 1985 death at Martinsville along with other asphalt modified fatalities such as Charlie Jarzombek in 1987 Corky Cookman 1987 Tommy Druar 1989 Don Pratt 1989 and Tony Jankowiak 1990 led to questions about car rigidity with tour modifieds and safety changes 4 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 event at Lowe s Motor Speedway 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 22 Public stature EditThe 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 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 starting in NASCAR 2005 Chase for the Cup though beginning with NASCAR 08 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 However Ron Bouchard Geoff Bodine Brett Bodine Steve Park and Jimmy Spencer went on from WMT competition to become race winners at the Cup level Other WMT veterans such as Ryan Preece Mike McLaughlin 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 also began racing modifieds in Connecticut before moving on the NASCAR Randy s son Corey Lajoie has also won in the Modified Tour Son of Mike McLaughlin Max has also competed in the Modified Tour Cup Series crew chiefs that started in WMT include Tommy Baldwin Jr and Greg Zipadelli Flosports has live coverage of all races with some tape delayed on CNBC In 2023 the Modified Tour has support races with the New Smyrna Speedway meeting that is part of Daytona 500 ancillary events and is part of Cup Series at Richmond Raceway New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway They also race a standalone fall meeting at North Wilkesboro Speedway 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 and defending Cup champion Tony Stewart raced in the July 2006 race In the past they have raced at Bristol Motor Speedway and been part of INDYCAR races at Richmond and New Hampshire Notable drivers EditCertain drivers are notable specifically for their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour careers All time top 10 drivers Edit The following drivers were named to the NASCAR Modified all time top 10 list in 2003 23 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 4 Mike Stefanik seven WMT and two Busch North championships Jerry Cook 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 in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning 55 modified races in 1978 Tony Hirschman Jr has won five WMT championships Bugs Stevens won three consecutive NASCAR National Modified Championships in 1967 69 Fred DeSarro 1970 NASCAR National Modified champion Jimmy Spencer 1986 and 1987 WMT champion Reggie Ruggiero the best driver to never win a championship his 44 victories rank him second to Stefanik since the modern era began in 1985Wade Cole Edit 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 24 achieving 7 top ten finishes 25 He earned a career best eighth place finish twice once in 1993 and again in 2008 26 His 371 starts place him eighth all time since the series inception in 1985 27 Cole died in a home accident on March 15 2020 28 In 2020 a race on the tour was renamed for him 29 Results EditChampions Edit Click here for a list of all champions including 1948 84 National Modified champions Year Driver Team owner Wins Number Make Sponsor Chassis1985 Richie Evans B R DeWitt 12 61 Chevrolet DeWitt Construction Evans1986 Jimmy Spencer 1 Frank Cicci Racing 4 24 Oldsmobile Apple House Trucking Quick Stop Beverage Troyer1987 Jimmy Spencer 2 Frank Cicci Racing 6 24 Oldsmobile Apple House Trucking Quick Stop Beverage Troyer1988 Mike McLaughlin Sherwood Racing Team 5 12 Chevrolet Sherri Cup RaceWorks1989 Mike Stefanik 1 Jack Koszela 7 15 Chevrolet Koszela Speed Stefanik1990 Jamie Tomaino Danny Ust 1 U2 Pontiac Danny s Market Troyer1991 Mike Stefanik 2 Jack Koszela 5 15 Pontiac Auto Palace ADAP Stefanik1992 Jeff Fuller Sheba Racing 6 8 Chevrolet Sunoco Race Fuels Troyer1993 Rick Fuller Curt Chase Racing 2 77 Pontiac Polar Beverages Spafco1994 Wayne Anderson Lenny Boehler BRE Racing 1 3 Chevrolet BRE Racing BRE1995 Tony Hirschman Jr 1 Lenny Boehler BRE Racing 1 3 Chevrolet BRE Racing BRE1996 Tony Hirschman Jr 2 Lenny Boehler BRE Racing 3 3 Chevrolet BRE Racing BRE1997 Mike Stefanik 3 Peter Beal Charlie Bacon 10 x6 Chevrolet Burnham Boilers Stefanik1998 Mike Stefanik 4 Peter Beal Charlie Bacon 13 x6 Chevrolet Burnham Boilers Stefanik1999 Tony Hirschman Jr 3 Gary Cretty 6 25 Dodge ATC Stefanik2000 Jerry Marquis Mario Fiore 5 44 Pontiac Teddy Bear Pools Troyer2001 Mike Stefanik 5 Art Barry 3 21 Chevrolet New England Egg Spafco2002 Mike Stefanik 6 Art Barry 2 21 Chevrolet Lombardi s Inside Out Spafco2003 Todd Szegedy Don Barker 4 50 Ford Haynes Materials Chassis Dynamics2004 Tony Hirschman Jr 4 Bob and Tom Kehley 4 48 Chevrolet Kamco Supply Troyer2005 Tony Hirschman Jr 5 Bob and Tom Kehley 5 48 Chevrolet Kamco Supply Troyer2006 Mike Stefanik 7 Eric Sanderson Flamingo Motorsports 1 16 Pontiac Diversified Metals Troyer2007 Donny Lia 1 Bob Garbarino Mystic Missile Racing 6 v4 Dodge Mystic River Marina Troyer2008 Ted Christopher Eddie Whalen 4 36 Chevrolet Al Lee Installations Troyer2009 Donny Lia 2 Bob Garbarino Mystic Missile Racing 4 v4 Dodge Mystic River Marina Troyer2010 Bobby Santos III Bob Garbarino Mystic Missile Racing 4 v4 Dodge Mystic River Marina Troyer2011 Ron Silk Ed Partridge 3 6 Chevrolet T S Haulers Calverton Tree Farm Troyer2012 Doug Coby 1 Wayne Darling 5 52 Chevrolet Sims Metal Management Reynolds Auto Wrecking Seekonk Grand Prix Troyer2013 Ryan Preece Eric Sanderson Flamingo Motorsports 4 16 Ford East West Marine Diversified Metals Troyer2014 Doug Coby 2 Mike Smeriglio III 1 2 Chevrolet Ford Dunleavy s Truck amp Trailer Repair A amp J Romano Construction HEX Performance Troyer2015 Doug Coby 3 Mike Smeriglio III 7 2 Chevrolet Dunleavy s Truck amp Trailer Repair A amp J Romano Construction HEX Performance LFR2016 Doug Coby 4 Mike Smeriglio III 5 2 Chevrolet Dunleavy s Truck amp Trailer Repair A amp J Romano Construction LFR2017 Doug Coby 5 Mike Smeriglio III 1 2 Chevrolet Mayhew Tools LFR2018 Justin Bonsignore Ken Massa Motorsports 8 51 Chevrolet Phoenix Communications LFR2019 Doug Coby 6 Mike Smeriglio III 4 2 Chevrolet Mayhew Tools LFR2020 Justin Bonsignore 2 Ken Massa Motorsports 3 51 Chevrolet Phoenix Communications Fury2021 Justin Bonsignore 3 Ken Massa Motorsports 2 51 Chevrolet Phoenix Communications Fury2022 Jon McKennedy Lepine Motorsports 1 79 Chevrolet Middlesex Interiors LFRRookie of the Year Edit Year Driver1999 Dave Pecko2000 Michael Boehler2001 Ricky Miller2002 Todd Szegedy2003 Donny Lia2004 Ken Barry2005 Tyler Haydt2006 James W Civali2007 Richard Savary2008 Glen Reen2009 Eric Goodale2010 Justin Bonsignore2011 Patrick Emerling2012 Keith Rocco2013 Cole Powell2014 Timmy Solomito2015 Chase Dowling2016 Matthew Swanson2017 Calvin Carroll2018 Tommy Catalano2019 Sam Rameau2020 Tyler Rypkema2021 Not Awarded2022 Austin BeersMost Popular Driver Award Edit NASCAR stopped awarding the Most Popular Driver Award in the Modified Tour from the 2017 season Year Driver1985 Mike McLaughlin1986 Jamie Tomaino1987 Jamie Tomaino1988 Reggie Ruggiero1989 Reggie Ruggiero1990 Satch Worley1991 Satch Worley1992 Jeff Fuller1993 Jeff Fuller1994 Jeff Fuller1995 Steve Park1996 Steve Park1997 Mike Stefanik1998 Mike Stefanik1999 Reggie Ruggiero2000 Rick Fuller2001 Mike Stefanik2002 Ed Flemke Jr 2003 Tom Baldwin2004 Tom Baldwin2005 Tony Hirschman Jr 2006 Tony Hirschman Jr 2007 Todd Szegedy2008 Ted Christopher2009 Ted Christopher2010 Ted Christopher2011 Justin Bonsignore2012 Ryan Preece2013 Mike Stefanik2014 Melissa Fifield2015 Melissa Fifield2016 Melissa FifieldPre tour Most Popular Driver Award Edit Year Driver1965 Bobby Allison1966 Runt Harris1967 Al Grinnan1968 Red Farmer1969 Ray Hendrick1970 Ray Hendrick1971 Bugs Stevens1972 Bugs Stevens1973 Richie Evans1974 Richie Evans1975 Richie Evans1976 Jerry Cook1977 Harry Gant1978 Richie Evans1979 Richie Evans1980 Richie Evans1981 Richie Evans1982 Richie Evans1983 Richie Evans1984 Brian RossNotes and references Edit Jeremy Davidson NASCAR Featherlight Modified Series Turning 20 Automotive com Archived from the original on 12 April 2010 Retrieved 28 September 2010 Welcome to LLOAR Robert Red Byron Archived from the original on 2006 11 05 Retrieved 2006 05 18 a b Through the Years at Shangri La The Final Chapter Monnat Michael E Gater Racing News August 26 2005 a b c d e f g Bourcier Bones RICHIE The Fast Life and Times of NASCAR s Greatest Modified Driver 1st ed 2004 Newburyport Massachusetts USA Coastal 181 ISBN 0 9709854 6 0 Come Together Whelen Modified Tour And Whelen Southern Mod Tour To Merge For 2017 racedayct com 12 October 2016 Archived from the original on 2019 02 02 Retrieved 2019 02 02 NASCAR Modified legend Ted Christopher killed in plane crash www motorsport com Archived from the original on 2019 02 03 Retrieved 2019 02 02 Tracks NASCAR Home 2017 09 19 NASCAR have this decal at NHMS in remembrance of Ted Christopher this weekend Twitter Retrieved 2019 02 02 Pitkat to Drive No 82 Modified in TC s Honor at NHMS Speed 51 100 Short Track Racing Archived from the original on 2019 02 02 Retrieved 2019 02 02 Stafford to Retire Ted Christopher s Number 13 Speed 51 100 Short Track Racing Archived from the original on 2019 02 02 Retrieved 2019 02 02 Bianchi Jordan 2017 03 08 Las Vegas to get 2nd NASCAR Cup Series race in 2018 SBNation com Archived from the original on 2019 02 02 Retrieved 2019 02 02 September Brings Inaugural Full Throttle Fall Weekend To NHMS RaceDayCT com August 2018 South Boston Added To 2019 Whelen Modified Tour Schedule NASCAR Home Tracks hometracks nascar com Archived from the original on 2019 02 03 Retrieved 2019 02 02 FansChoice TV To Live Stream Entire Regional Series Schedule NASCAR Home Tracks hometracks nascar com Archived from the original on 2019 03 01 Retrieved 2019 03 10 Doug Coby Racing Partners with Pic s Motorsports on Whelen Modified Tour 20 June 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour announces 2021 schedule NBC Sports 11 December 2020 Season stats Legendary car owner friend and champion Ed Partridge leaves behind iconic resume lifelong memories 16 September 2021 Superstar Racing Experience Elevates Doug Coby to the Mainstream 19 June 2021 Doug Coby to Compete for GMS Racing at Bristol Thompson Speedway Promoters Not Looking to Add Whelen Modified Tour Events for 2021 20 November 2020 2006 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Media Guide NASCAR Daytona Beach Florida USA Jewett Larry Innovations in Safety Stock Car Racing ISSN 0734 7340 Vol 35 No 5 May 2000 pp 62 63 NASCAR com NASCAR unveils modified all time Top 10 September 14 2003 2013 01 02 Archived from the original on 2013 01 02 Retrieved 2020 11 13 Driver Wade Cole s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races Racing Reference info www racing reference info Archived from the original on 2020 06 17 Retrieved 2020 06 17 Driver Wade Cole s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour top 10s Racing Reference info www racing reference info Archived from the original on 2020 06 17 Retrieved 2020 06 17 Staff SPEED SPORT 2020 03 16 NASCAR Modified Veteran Wade Cole Dies At 67 SPEED SPORT Archived from the original on 2020 03 23 Retrieved 2020 06 17 Racin With Jason Wade Cole remembered as racer s racer Greenfield Recorder March 19 2020 Archived from the original on June 17 2020 Retrieved June 17 2020 Courchesne Shawn 2020 03 16 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Driver Wade Cole Killed In Accident RaceDayCT com Archived from the original on 2020 06 18 Retrieved 2020 06 17 Courchesne Shawn July 20 2020 NASCAR Adds Monadnock To Whelen Modified Tour Schedule In August RaceDayCT com Archived from the original on July 21 2020 Retrieved August 12 2020 See also Edit nbsp Sports portalNASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour NASCAR Regional RacingExternal links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Whelen Modified Tour NASCAR official website NASCAR s WMT page Mod Series Scene website 2008 Whelen Modified Tour Schedule YankeeRacer com History of Title sponsors Fan site from 2002 Archived 2006 04 15 at the Wayback Machine Archive org image of www petesracingsite com a fan site Red Byron first champ bio on Living Legends of Auto Racing website RacedayCT Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour amp oldid 1175076113, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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