NASCAR Whelen
Modified Telecasts to Begin on Versus with Riverhead
The inaugural appearance of NASCAR
racing on VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in
the country, is set for Wednesday, Aug. 4, with the Riverhead
200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event from Riverhead (N.Y.)
Raceway.
The Riverhead 200, which will be
contested on Saturday, July 31, will be the first of nine
telecasts to air on VERSUS between the NASCAR Whelen Modified
and Whelen Southern Modified Tours in 2010. These two Touring
Series feature short track racing at its best and are the heart
of NASCAR racing at the grassroots level.
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile
bullring that has been part of the Whelen Modified Tour schedule
since the Tour’s inaugural season of 1985. The first Whelen
Southern Modified Tour broadcast will be from historic Bowman
Gray Stadium. Bowman Gray – located Winston-Salem, N.C. – is the
longest continuously sanctioned NASCAR track in the nation.
“NASCAR is excited for the debut of the
Whelen Modified Tours on VERSUS,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR
managing director of racing operations. “The premier from
Riverhead Raceway along with races from other traditional
Modified tracks like Bowman Gray Stadium, Caraway Speedway,
Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson International Speedway will
give viewers a distinct impression of what NASCAR Modified
racing is all about.”
VERSUS first entered its partnership
with NASCAR in 2009 with Quest for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, a
weekly half-hour series that followed the 12 drivers competing
in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. In September 2010 the
network will launch NASCAR – Next Generation, a series which
will profile some the future stars of the Sprint Cup series. In
addition to its NASCAR offerings, VERSUS is also the exclusive
cable television home of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Now in its
second year of coverage, the network has seen 24-percent growth
in viewership for its live races as compared to last year.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan
Newman, who has competed in selected Whelen Modified Tour races
in recent seasons, is among many who see the tremendous value in
having VERSUS on board as a broadcast partner.
I’ve been asked ‘why do you do this,’ and it’s all about having
fun,” Newman said of his participation in Modified races. “With
VERSUS on board to telecast the races, the whole nation will now
be exposed to what those of us on the East Coast already know –
Modifieds produce a very exciting type of racing.”
Kevin Manion, the 2010 Daytona
500-winning crew chief, came through the Whelen Modified Tour on
his way to his current career in the Sprint Cup Series, and is
owner of the Modified team that Newman competes for.
“As a Whelen Modified Tour alum, I see
great value in the VERSUS package,” Manion said. “Those of us
who have been a part of it know the passion of the teams and
fans in Modified racing, and it’s great for the Tours to get
national exposure.”
VERSUS’ nine-race schedule will premiere
with one-hour race telecasts airing on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. ET.
All races will re-air the Sunday following the initial telecast.
The complete schedule follows (subject to change):
VERSUS Race Schedule
Tour Venue Race Date Premiere Date Re-Air Date
NWMT Riverhead Raceway July 31 Aug. 4, 7 p.m. Aug. 8, 11 p.m.
NWMT Stafford Motor Speedway Aug. 6 Aug. 11, 7 p.m. Aug. 15, 11
p.m.
NWSMT Bowman Gray Stadium Aug. 7 Aug. 18, 7 p.m. Aug. 22, 11
p.m.
NWMT Thompson International Speedway Aug. 12 Aug. 25, 7 p.m.
Aug. 29, 12 a.m.
NWSMT Caraway Speedway Aug. 28 Sept. 1, 7 p.m. Sept. 5, 11 p.m.
NWSMT Langley Speedway Sept. 4 Sept. 8, 7 p.m. Sept. 12, 11 p.m.
NWSMT Tri-County Motor Speedway Sept. 15 Sept. 29, 7 p.m. Oct.
3, 11 p.m.
NWMT Stafford Motor Speedway Oct. 3 Oct. 6, 7 p.m. Oct. 10, 11
p.m.
NWMT Thompson International Speedway Oct. 17 Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24, 11 p.m.
Source: Jason Christley/NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour PR
Posted: July
23, 2010
