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NASCAR
ANNOUNCES 2017 SCHEDULE FOR UNIFIED WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR
Enhanced Bonus Plans, Point Fund A Draw For Top Modified
Talent |
From
South Carolina to Connecticut, the 2017 schedule
announced today for the unified NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour will test the best Modified drivers
over 17 points races and two special events at some
of East Coast’s most historic venues.
The new era will kick off on Saturday, March 18,
with the season opener at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
South Carolina’s semi-banked half-mile oval held its
first NASCAR event in 1958. The champion will be
crowned at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway
Motorsports Park, as the .625-mile hosts the 55th
Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing on Sunday,
Oct. 15.
The schedule includes 17 championship points races
across seven states, including companion events with
NASCAR’s national series at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway in July and September, and Bristol Motor
Speedway in August. The summer weekend at New
Hampshire will also be highlighted by the
invitational, non-points All-Star Shootout, and the
fall will feature a non-points special event on the
quarter-mile at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“NASCAR is committed to growing and enhancing the
profile of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,” said
George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of weekly &
touring series. “The 2017 calendar is a mix of some
of the best race tracks for the exciting brand of
racing that Modified fans have loved for more than
60 years. We are looking forward to a championship
season worthy of the likes of Richie Evans, Jerry
Cook and others.”
“Whelen Engineering is extremely excited about the
direction NASCAR is taking with the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour, and our commitment to the tour is
unwavering,” said Phil Kurze, vice president of
motorsports for Whelen Engineering. “We truly feel
the racing is some of the best in NASCAR, and the
tracks that the tour will visit will provide fans a
great experience as the drivers fight for the 2017
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.”
After Myrtle Beach, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
will return to New England for two of the staple
weekends of the early racing season: The 43rd Annual
Icebreaker at Thompson and the 46th Annual NAPA Auto
Parts Spring Sizzler at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor
Speedway.
May will include a second race at a southern venue
to be announced at a later date.
The tour schedule also features stops at a pair of
bullrings known for their high-intensity,
close-quarters Modified action: New London-Waterford
Speedbowl in Connecticut and twice at Long Island’s
Riverhead Raceway.
The tour will also make returns to Seekonk Speedway
in Massachusetts and Oswego Speedway in upstate New
York after very successful inaugural visits to the
two venerable tracks in 2016.
In more great news for Modified competitors and
fans, several tracks have signed three-year sanction
agreements for their events. They include Thompson’s
three races, both championship points races at New
Hampshire and Bristol.
In combining the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours, NASCAR will
offer competitors close to $500,000 in year-end
point fund money through support from Whelen
Engineering and contingency sponsors. NASCAR will
also make available more than $230,000 in owner-plan
money. As part of this, NASCAR has reallocated what
was formerly the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified
Tour year-end point fund in the form of
non-qualifier money and a champion/owners plan for
the teams who competed in the NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tour in 2016.
The visibility of the tour and the money available
to the competitors is unmatched in asphalt Modified
racing. In addition, NASCAR is continuing to look at
other ways to help teams reduce costs from a
competition standpoint.
“It’s very important to us, as we bring these two
tours together, to keep in mind the financial
realities of racing on the touring series level,”
said Brandon Thompson, Senior Director of NASCAR
Touring Series. “Since the end of the 2016 season,
we have met with drivers and owners across all
series, and will continue to have an open dialogue
to work to provide what is best for everybody
involved in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour television broadcast
schedule on NBCSN will be announced at a later date.
2017 NASCAR WHELEN
MODIFIED TOUR SCHEDULE
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Date |
Track |
Location |
3/18 |
Myrtle Beach Speedway |
Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
4/2 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson, Conn. |
4/30 |
Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford, Conn. |
5/13 |
TBA |
TBA
(southern race track) |
6/14 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson, Conn. |
6/24 |
Riverhead Raceway |
Riverhead, N.Y. |
7/14 |
New Hampshire Motor Speedway* |
Loudon, N.H. |
7/15 |
New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
Loudon, N.H. |
7/22 |
New London-Waterford Speedbowl |
Waterford, Conn. |
8/4 |
Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford, Conn. |
8/9 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson, Conn. |
8/16 |
Bristol Motor Speedway |
Bristol, Tenn. |
8/26 |
Seekonk Speedway |
Seekonk, Mass. |
9/2 |
Oswego Speedway |
Oswego, N.Y. |
9/16 |
Riverhead Raceway |
Riverhead, N.Y. |
9/23 |
New
Hampshire Motor Speedway |
Loudon, N.H. |
10/1 |
Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford, Conn. |
10/5 |
Charlotte Motor Speedway* |
Concord, N.C. |
10/15 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson, Conn. |
*non-points, special events |
SCHEDULE
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
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Source:
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications /
NASCAR
Posted:
December 6, 2016 |
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