Bristol Motor Speedway Brings Back NASCAR’s Oldest Division
Sponsor Returns as Well for UNOH Perfect Storm 150, Aug. 18, 2010 at BMS
Bristol, TN — Bristol Motor Speedway welcomes back the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as part of August race week in 2010, speedway officials announced today.
Following a successful debut at NASCAR’s most popular track last month, officials from the speedway discussed the return of the sport’s storied racing series and decided to make it part of the program again next year.
“The response we had from fans and competitors was very satisfying,” said BMS President and General Manager Jeff Byrd. “Listening to the feedback, we know we had a successful inaugural event. And to continue to have the incredible involvement of our partners at the University of Northwestern Ohio, we know we are positioned for an even bigger race next year.”
UNOH returns as sponsor of the Perfect Storm 150, a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Whelen Southern Modified Tour combination event. Showcasing its Automotive Technology program, the Lima, Ohio-based school used the sponsorship last year as a laboratory for students. That included working as part of the pit crew for one of the teams, caught on tape for a reality show aired by Fox Sports Net.
“Being the very first university in the country to offer a complete High-Performance Motorsports, Associate and Baccalaureate Degree, we knew going into our relationship with Bristol Motor Speedway there was huge potential there for our program,” said Dr. Jeff Jarvis, UNOH President. “It exceeded expectations and has been a win-win for everyone. It was not a difficult decision for us to want to do this again.”
UNOH also sponsored the No. 2, Mike Smeriglio-owned car in the Perfect Storm 150 last month. Driven by former series champion Todd Szegedy, the teams started third and finished sixth in the event. Donny Lia of Jericho, N.Y., won the race.
The event is part of the exciting August race week at Bristol Motor Speedway that features a doubleheader with the Modifieds and O’Reilly 200 truck series race Aug. 18, the Food City 250 Nationwide race Aug. 20 and the Irwin Tools Night Race Aug. 21.
The Whelen Modified Tour features lightweight, open-wheeled racing machines that have been part of NASCAR since its first season in 1948. Throughout its storied history, the NASCAR Modified division has proven to be a tremendous training and developmental program for future stars.
For tickets call (423) 989-6900 or log on to www.bristoltix.com.
Sources: Kevin Tripplet/Bristol Motor Speedway PR