To commemorate the 25th season of the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the auto racing sanctioning body
has unveiled a special Silver Anniversary logo that will become
the official mark of the series for the 2009 season.
Unveiled at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Awards Banquet on Dec. 13, the specially-designed logo consists
of the series’ base design with the Modified car sporting a
silver paint scheme instead of the traditional red.
Additionally, a header and footer have been added to the oval
logo. The header reads “25 Years Running” while the footer lists
the years the series has been in competition, “1985-2009.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Silver
Anniversary logo will be used in all facets related to the
series in 2009 including print materials, banners and on the
race cars.
“The 2009 season represents a significant
milestone in the growth of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,”
said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing
operations. “The roots of Modified racing go back to the very
first days of NASCAR and are a very important part of this
sport’s heritage; and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour marks the
latest chapter of great competition and racing. We are extremely
pleased to be able to celebrate this Silver Anniversary, and
look forward to the excitement the next 25 years will bring.”
NASCAR began sanctioning races in 1948 with
the Modified division. While the open-wheeled race cars have
been around longer than any other division in NASCAR, the
present-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was formed as a regional
touring series in 1985. Whelen Engineering, the series’ title
sponsor, took over series entitlement sponsorship in 2005. Last
year, NASCAR and Whelen announced an extension of that
sponsorship agreement through 2016.
The 2009 Silver Anniversary season will be
the third significant milestone year in the past two years for
NASCAR’s oldest division. NASCAR’s “60 Years of Modified
Champions” program celebrated each of the 31 titlists in the
first six decades of the division at races during the 2008
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s 16-race schedule. The 500th race
in the tour history also took place at Martinsville (Va.)
Speedway in September.
“This year was a special celebration of 60
years of Modified racing, and we also enjoyed the 500th race in
the Modified Tour,” said Whelen Vice President for Motorsports
Phil Kurze. “Next year represents another important milestone in
the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as 2009 will be
the Silver Anniversary, the 25th season of this series running
under the NASCAR banner as an organized tour.”
The annual postseason awards banquet
brought the 2008 season to a close at Mohegan Sun Resort in
Uncasville, Conn. The event honored NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Champion Ted Christopher as well as the season’s top-finishing
drivers and other special award winners.
Source: Jason
Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
Posted:
December 17, 2008
