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.
This year will also see a major
sponsor change for the pole award and the return of the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour to a pair of tracks in upstate New York.
At the top of the list of changes
for 2008 will be the tour’s leadership. Announced by NASCAR in
February, Chad Little has succeeded Ed Cox as director of the
Whelen Modified Tour. Little, a former driver in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR
Camping World Series West – where he was the 1987 champion – has
been a NASCAR official since 2005.
NASCAR will implement an updated
scoring system for the Whelen Modified Tour in 2008. The AMB
Timing and Scoring System, which has been used in previous
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, will now be utilized
at every track on the schedule. Among the many benefits of this
system will be that each race team can get live wireless scoring
updates on their own computers.
“It is the right time for us to
take advantage of the improvement in technology,” Little said.
“The AMB system will make the timing and scoring of the tour
races a more efficient process.”
The 2008 season will see NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour race teams have the option to run a
cost-effective spec engine. First introduced in the NASCAR
Camping World Series in 2006, the spec engine is a package
developed by Wegner Motorsports that utilizes precisely
specified components in order to reduce engine costs and provide
durability. The engine available for Modified race teams
consists of the same recipe as the one utilized in the Camping
World Series.
“After two successful on-track
Modified tests, NASCAR is excited to make its approved spec
engine program available to race teams in the Whelen Modified
Tour,” Little said. “This engine program was designed as a
cost-effective alternative for race teams, and is not
mandatory.”
Also new to the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour in 2008 is Coors Light, which will carry the
sponsorship of the pole award. Coors Light replaces Budweiser as
the pole sponsor in each of the touring and national divisions.
Coors Light will award each pole sitter throughout the season as
well as hand out the postseason award to the driver who earns
the most poles through the year.
Although not new to NASCAR,
sister tracks in New York – Chemung Speedrome and Spencer
Speedway – will once again host NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
events in 2008. A one-third mile oval, Chemung hosted a NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour race was in 2001. The track is steeped in
Modified history, having been built by the Bodine family in
1951. Spencer, a half-mile track, will welcome the Modifieds
back for the first time since 1994, and the fifth time overall.
The Whelen Modified Tour will be at Spencer on July 12 and
Chemung on October 4.
“NASCAR is excited about the
Whelen Modified Tour returning to western New York,” Little
said. “The Modifieds have enjoyed a loyal following throughout
the northeast, and the Empire State has a long and distinguished
history of Modified racing.”
The 2008 season will be a special
one for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. NASCAR plans to honor
the history of its oldest division throughout the season as it
celebrates 60 years of Modified champions.
To follow all of the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour action in 2008, fans are encouraged to
visit the new and improved NASCAR Home Tracks web site (www.nascarhometracks.com)
that will feature up-to-date news, race results, standings, and
local track information and directions.
Source: Jason
Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
Posted:
March 20, 2008
