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Daytona Beach, FL — The following is a list of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers that will appear on radio shows for the week of April 21-27.

Tuesday, April 22

Ronnie Silk – “Dialed In,” XM Radio (Ch. 144), 4 – 7 p.m.

Ronnie Silk – “Manifold Destiny,” Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128), 9 p.m. – 12 a.m.

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NASCAR to Recognize Modified Legends at Stafford

Daytona Beach, FL — As part of a season-long celebration of 60 years of Modified champions, NASCAR will honor legends Ernie Gahan and Red Byron at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Conn., on April 27 prior to the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.

NASCAR plans to honor each of its 31 all-time Modified champions throughout the season. The celebration began with the recognition of Frankie Schneider, Donny Lia and Richie Evans at the Icebreaker at Thompson International Speedway on April 6.

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Being in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Leads to 27^th-Place Finish at Thompson

Concord, NC — Glen Reen Jr. took the step from weekly racer to touring series competitor this past weekend at Thompson International Speedway. That is when Reen made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut. His finish was 27^th, but the experience was far richer than that.

First off, Reen and his #17 team had a lot that was new to them during the Tour race. They had traveled before, with Reen winning the SK Light portion of the 2007 North/South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park (NC), but the procedures of a NASCAR event were completely new to them.

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Daytona Beach, FL — The following is a list of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers that will appear on radio shows for the week of April 7-13.

Thursday, April 10

Ed Flemke, Jr. – “Sirius Speedway,” Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128), 3 – 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 13

Ed Flemke, Jr. – “Carey & Coffey Show,” ESPN Radio Local (940/1510 AM plus select affiliates or careyandcoffey.com), 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR

Veteran Driver Earns 17^th Career Victory

Thompson, CT — Ed Flemke, Jr. captured the first event of the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season in a rain-shortened Icebreaker Sunday afternoon at Thompson International Speedway.

In third place at the time, Flemke gambled and stayed out on the track when the race went to caution on lap 74. As the race leaders pitted, the gamble paid off as the track gained moisture and the race never went green again. The result was Flemke’s 17th career victory.

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Daytona Beach, FL — The following is a list of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers that will appear on radio and television shows during the week of March 31-April 6.

Wednesday, April 2

Matt Hirschman – “Tradin’ Paint,” Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128), 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Todd Szegedy – “NASCAR Now,” ESPN 2 (check local listings), 6 – 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 3

Mike Stefanik – “Sirius Speedway,” Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128), 3 – 7 p.m.

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Since the checkered flag dropped on the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season at Thompson International Speedway last October, race teams and fans alike have anxiously anticipated the next event. That six-month wait will finally be over this weekend as the roar of 600-horespower engines return to the asphalt at the Icebreaker, the traditional opening weekend of NASCAR racing in New England.

For the 23rd time, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the featured attraction of the Icebreaker. The two-day show will see the Modifieds practice and qualify on Saturday, April 5. The 150-lap race is set to take the green flag at approximately 3:15 p.m., following a pre-race show that will see a trio of past Modified champions honored.

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Host of Contenders to Vie for Championship

Daytona Beach, FL — With Donny Lia, the 2007 champion, having moved on to the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series, a host of drivers have lined up to take his place as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion in 2008.

Nearly six months of offseason preparation will be put to the test this coming weekend as the 24th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – and 61st of NASCAR Modified racing overall – commences with the Icebreaker at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Sunday, April 6.

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Today’s edition of the Carey and Coffey show (March 30th from 10am-Noon) will feature their 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Preview Show.  Guests include several drivers: Chuck Hossfeld, Ryan Preece, Ronnie Silk and Todd Szegedy.

You can listen now to 940/150 ESPN radio here.

Media Favors 2003 Champion to Regain Title

Daytona Beach, FL — Todd Szegedy, the 2003 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, has been tabbed the favorite to recapture the title in 2008 by media members that cover the tour.

Szegedy earned 176 points in the preseason ballot and collected seven first place votes. Matt Hirschman was second in balloting with 164 points and garnered a first place nod by four voters.

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Electronic Timing & Scoring, Spec Engine New To Tour

Daytona Beach, FL — The 2008 season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be one of reflection with the celebration of 60 years of champions, and a year of progression for race teams and fans alike, when it takes the green flag April 6 with the Icebreaker at historic Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

New to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2008 is the implementation of an electronic scoring system for all 16 races. Also new to the tour for the coming season is the option for race teams to utilize a spec engine.

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In an offseason full of change, Ryan Preece became the latest driver to find a home with a new team. BRE Racing recently announced that Ryan Preece has joined their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team and will drive the tradition-laden No. 3 car in 2008.

Preece is a 17-year-old driver from Berlin, Conn., who ran his family-owned No. 40 as a rookie in 2007. In 14 starts he compiled three top-10s and finished 19th in driver points. Preece closed his first season on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in strong fashion as he posted a seventh-place finish – his best of the year – and earned the Featherlite Most Improved Driver award at Thompson International Speedway to close the season.

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The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has an interesting pairing setup for the 2008 season. Sophomore competitor Ryan Preece of Kensington, CT, will be pairing up with one of the most-storied teams in Modified history, Boehler Racing Enterprises. Preece has found recent success on the Modified campaign, capturing his first victory during Speedweeks at New Smyrna, FL.

The seventeen-year-old is the grandson of legendary car owner Bobby Judkins, whose #2X was piloted by the likes of Hall of Famers Gene Bergin and Ed Flemke. In an ironic twist, the new driver of Ole Blue will be driving for a team his grandfather competed against during the 1960s and 1970s. Given the track record of Boehler and Judkins in New England racing, the team is primed for success. Another talented New Englander, Bobby Santos, III, scored a popular victory at the Thompson World Series last Fall, as the latest winner in the distinctive #3.

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According to Chuck Hossfeld’s web site, he will be back on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour full-time in 2008.  Bob Garbarino’s race team is familiar territory for the Ransomville, New York native, who drove the famed V-4 from 2002 to 2004. Bob Garbarino won his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship last season.

Team owner Dave DeLange of Lockport, New York has unveiled the 2008 schedule of races for DeLange Racing. The aggressive program will include 22 dates and 31 races. The team, led by accomplished teenage driver Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, will travel to ten different tracks across five states and compete in three major Modified series along the east coast as well as eight weekly racing events in Western New York.

The former Lancaster Raceway Park, now under new management and renamed Dunn Tire Raceway Park, will remain the home base for DeLange Racing. The team will visit the Lancaster, New York speedway eight times in 2008. The track is celebrating its 50th season of racing this year and the DeLange squad will help commemorate the occasion at the official Anniversary program on June 28.

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Daytona Beach, FL — NASCAR and Martinsville Speedway announced today the Made in America Whelen 300 race has been moved back a day to Saturday, Sept. 20.

The Made in American Whelen 300 is the annual combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

Donny Lia captured the third edition of the Made in America Whelen 300 in 2007 en route to his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. The race has had a different winner all three years.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR

Daytona Beach, FL — NASCAR announced today Chad Little has been named the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour director. Little, a former NASCAR driver, has been an official with NASCAR since 2005, most recently as advisor to the NASCAR Mexico Series.

“Modified racing is an integral part of NASCAR history,” Little said. “The series is strong and I am looking forward to helping it continue to grow. I had the chance to meet and get to know a lot of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour officials, competitors, promoters and fans last year. There is not a more passionate group than those involved with Modified racing, and that translates into some of the best racing in NASCAR.”

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