NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

American auto racing series

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 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.

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. (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. 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. Often the same car was raced on both dirt and paved tracks, changing only tires and perhaps springs and shock absorbers. 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. 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 and with Woody Pitkat driving Ted Christopher's modified. Stafford Motor Speedway retired his number 13 from its weekly modified racing.

The NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series dropped a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in favor of 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, 264.5 mile (426 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).

For 2019, the tour went back to South Boston 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 on Fanschoice. tv.

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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. This did not prove popular amongst fans and teams alike, however TSMP returned to the WMT schedule for the 2022 season.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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

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 (1) 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 2023 Ron Silk (2) Haydt Yannone Racing 5 16 Chevrolet Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes Fury

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 2023 Jake Johnson

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