Six teams from NASCAR’s Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern
Modified Tours will head to Tennessee to participate in a tire
test session at Bristol Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in
preparation for an event at the famed .533-mile concrete short
track later this summer.
The NASCAR Modifieds will visit the high banks of Bristol for
the first time in either series’ history at a combination race
on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The primary purpose for bringing teams in
next month will be to test Hoosier tires, the series’ official
tire supplier. The August Bristol date marks the first time that
either the NASCAR Whelen Modified or NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tours have raced on a completely concrete surface.
“The Bristol Modified race is an important event on the 2009
schedule,” said Chad Little, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series
Director. “Since the cars have not raced at Bristol in the past,
we felt it was important to coordinate a tire test with
Hoosier.”
Bristol features significantly more banking – between 24 and 30
degrees in the turns – than the venues in which the Modified
series regularly compete. The test session will also serve to
evaluate the performance of the race car as a whole.
“We will examine tires and other chassis and engine items,”
Little said. “We want this race to be exciting and safe for
everyone and the tire test will help determine a good baseline
for all competitors.”
NASCAR and Hoosier have invited three teams from each series for
the test. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers invited include:
defending series champion Ted Christopher, past champion Todd
Szegedy, and Ronnie Silk. Reigning champion Brian Loftin, past
titlist L.W. Miller, and Bobby Hutchens were selected to
represent the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
While specific teams were selected to test on the track, the
session will be open for all teams from both series to attend
and observe.
NASCAR’s suspension on 2009 testing for the three national
series and the NASCAR Camping World Regional Series, announced
last November, does not apply to either the NASCAR Whelen
Modified or NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours.
In a format that has been used in recent years at Martinsville
(Va.) Speedway, the NASCAR Whelen Modified and NASCAR Whelen
Southern Modified Tours will run together in a combination race
at Bristol on Aug. 19, a date they’ll share with the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series.
Source: Jason
Cunningham/NASCAR PR
Posted:
January 23, 2009
