Whelen Modified Tour to Visit Spencer on July 12
Williamson, NY — For many New York based race fans, they have been out of touch with the Whelen Modified Tour, which started officially in 1983. This series based in New England would only visited upstate New York once or twice a summer. The Modifieds are NASCAR’s oldest division, dating back to 1948 sanctioning. The driver with the most points from Tour races won the NASCAR national modified title.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour started as a replacement to a list of NASCAR Modified Championship Events, a practice which started in the late 70’s. Drivers would earn points towards the national title by competing at any races on the list.
This list of Championship events replaced the even older, and more demanding process of racing at any NASCAR Modified track and picking up NASCAR Modified points. The driver with the most points won the title, but they may have had to race five nights a week, all over the Northeast United States.
Spencer Speedway was one of those New York based tracks that participated in the Whelen Tour the first few years. Holland Speedway was the other upstate track on the tour, both speedways were NASCAR sanctioned.
By 1987, Spencer Speedway had shifted its primary weekly class to the Late Models and Modifieds seemed lost to the track. The last yearly Whelen race came that same year, 1987.
In 1994 Spencer Speedway experimented with the Tour again, running a 100-lap Tour race. The expected results seemed to fall short for the promoter and that race stood by itself in the record books for many years.
It has not been until this year that the Tour was even thought to return to Spencer, under the guidance of promoter John White. White booked Whelen Tour races at Spencer Speedway on Saturday, July 12 and at his other track, Chemung Speedway on Saturday, October 4.
“By scheduling these tour races for Saturdays it allows us a Sunday rain date,” commented White. “Many of our race fans have indicated to us that these races are ‘Must See’ events.”
The following lists of information might be helpful to bring New York race fans up to speed on the Whelen Tour.
Sources: Gary Spaid/Spencer Speedway PR