Whelen All-American Series Set for 30th Season of Competition in 2011
Track Operators and Promoters Gather in Charlotte
Charlotte, NC — Track operators and promoters of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and NASCAR touring series events joined the Champions Week celebration to close out a successful 2010 season.
At the group’s gathering in the morning at the Charlotte Convention Center, NASCAR officials highlighted the importance of the series’ history and spoke about the upcoming 30th season of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. A special anniversary logo was unveiled for next season.
“This group is the heart and soul of NASCAR,” said Steve O’Donnell, senior vice president, competition for NASCAR. “It’s the hard work and dedication of the people here that make NASCAR what it is to race fans everywhere.”
Nine tracks were recognized for being part of the family of tracks for all 30 years of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition:
• Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway
• Holland Motorsports Complex, Holland, N.Y.
• Langley Speedway, Hampton, Va.
• Old Dominion Speedway, Manassas, Va.
• Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway
• South Boston (Va.) Speedway
• Spencer Speedway, Williamson, N.Y.
• Stafford (Conn) Motor Speedway
Phil Kurze, Whelen Engineering’s Vice President for Motorsports expressed his company’s continued commitment to local racing across the U.S. and Canada.
“This has been a labor of love for all of us at Whelen since the very beginning,” he said. “We will continue to support this series in every way we possibly can.”
The track operators and promoters will join the NASCAR weekly and touring series champions for a behind-the-scenes tour of the headquarters and shop at Joe Gibbs Racing in Mooresville, N.C. on Thursday afternoon.
In the evening, the track operators and promoters will enjoy a dinner cruise on Lake Norman aboard the Lady of the Lake. Meanwhile, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state and provincial champions will be honored with a dinner and ceremony at Hendrick Motorsports.
Friday afternoon, all of NASCAR’s touring champions and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion will be guests on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio Ch. 128 program, Tradin’ Paint. Guests will include: Eric Holmes (NASCAR K&N Pro Series West), Ryan Truex (NASCAR K&N Pro Series East), DJ Kennington (NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), German Quiroga (NASCAR Mexico Series), Bobby Santos (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), Burt Myers (NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour) and Keith Rocco (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series).
Rocco of Wallingford, Conn., will be in the spotlight at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet, which also will feature the top drivers from NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks across the United States and Canada. Invited attendees include the 2010 NASCAR national champion, U.S. state and Canadian provincial champions, track champions, the national/state/provincial rookies of the year, top NASCAR Finalist Recognition Program honorees, the 2010 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner and many others.
The NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala will include invitees from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, the NASCAR Mexico Series, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.
Fans throughout the U.S., Canada, and around the globe, will again be able to watch the festivities from both nights via a live webcast on nascarhometracks.com. The Red Carpet Pre-Show begins at 6 p.m. and the banquets get underway at 7 p.m. each night.
Sources: NASCAR PR