(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
Doug Coby celebrates his fifth Whelen Modified Tour championship last month following the Sunoco World Series 150 at Thompson Speedway (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will take the green flag on the 2018 season at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway in March, and the schedule will feature 16 championship points races at nine different venues.
The champion will once again be crowned at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, as the .625-mile hosts the 56th Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing on Sunday, Oct. 14.
The calendar spotlight’s some of the northeast’s iconic short tracks, includes three fast southern venues and features the longest distance race in tour history as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour takes center stage at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September for a 250-lap showdown.
“Year in and year out, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour puts on some of the most exciting and pulse-pounding action in racing, and we are looking forward to the 2018 season,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR vice president of racing operations. “We’ve made some tweaks in the dates to alleviate some of the schedule congestion and better help teams work through the season. In 2017, we saw six drivers enter the final race of the season with a shot at the title, and we’re eager to watch that high level of competition continuing next season.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s return to Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts has been moved from August to June 2. The date change means the tour will only have one instance where it will race three weeks in a row, and will have at least a weekend off between races on 10 different occasions.
Last year, the tour began its new unified era with the season opener at Myrtle Beach. South Carolina’s semi-banked half-mile oval held its first NASCAR event in 1958, and will once again host the opener on Saturday, March 17.
Earlier this summer, NASCAR and New Hampshire Motor Speedway announced the tour will be the headliner on Saturday, Sept. 22 as part of a special event that will also include the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Pinty’s Series.
The NASCAR Whelen Modifeid Tour will also visit New Hampshire in July with a championship points race as well as the annual invitational, non-points All-Star Shootout. The tour will also be part of the national series weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
After Myrtle Beach, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to New England for two of the staple weekends of the early racing season: The 44rd Annual Icebreaker at Thompson and the 47th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway.
The tour will make four stops at Thompson, and three at Stafford.
The tour schedule also features two races at Long Island’s Riverhead Raceway, a bullring known for their high-intensity, close-quarters Modified action, as well as return trips to New York’s Oswego Speedway and Virgina’s Langley Speedway in Hampton.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour television broadcast schedule on NBCSN will be announced at a later date.
2018 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Schedule
March 17: Myrtle Beach Speedway, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
April 8: Thompson Speedway, Thompson, Ct.
April 29: Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Ct.
June 2: Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass.
June 13: Thompson Speedway, Thompson, Ct.
June 23: Langley Speedway, Hampton, Va.
July 7: Riverhead Raceway, Riverhead, N.Y.
July 20: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (non-points exhibition)
July 21: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Aug. 3: Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Ct.
Aug. 8: Thompson Speedway, Thompson, Ct.
Aug. 15: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
Sept. 1: Oswego Speedway, Oswego, N.Y.
Sept. 8: Riverhead Raceway, Riverhead, N.Y.
Sept. 22: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Sept. 30: Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Ct.
Oct. 14: Thompson Speedway, Thompson, Ct.
Someone educate me please. The Monster Series is not thriving. The WMT seems to be doing really well regionally. Why do they continue to send them off to Florida and Tennessee knowing full well many teams won’t make the trek and always lose the points automatically. About 12 teams attending all the races. Is that OK? Is it for the elite teams that want to hob nob with the royalty of NASCAR?
No surprises, we already knew about all of these dates. Probably why Nascar buried the press release on Thanksgiving Eve.
Good schedule. It produced a lot of drama from a points standpoint last year. I expect more of the same in 2018. It all kicks off in under 4 months. Can’t wait!
Would be nice to have a race or two in May at a new track, or one the tour hasn’t been back to in a while. I guess NASACAR feels 16 events is the sweet spot. I’d love to see 20-22 dates but then I suppose there’s the risk of less participation.
If the the races on NBCSN are not going to be live telecast then don’t bother. This day in age no one wants to watch something a week later that they already know what happened with all the other information outlets.
Doug,trying to figure out NASCAR is a losing battle.Even the teachers can’t educate us.I second Franky’s motion, tape delay next week while you got something else going on doesn’t send me either.I think it’s a good schedule next year despite the continued policy of not adding dates like Martinsville,Richmond,and another bull ring like Wall or Chemung.It is said that all racing is local, wouldn’t this also make sense as it may attract some local mods and fans?The mod fan base is the only reason NHMS bothers to open the grandstands on Friday.I’d bet that is the case concerning support tours no matter where the Monsters go.Tens of thousands of empty seats.Would Friday and Saturday seats be empty anyway in spite of anything NASCAR can do?I must say I don’t know.Oh well, back to Babes in Toyland.
I like the races on NBCSN.At least I get to see a condensed version of a race I was not able to attend even though I already know the outcome.They always show the best parts.
Where is the Florida stop????
Doug says:
The WMT seems to be doing really well regionally. Why do they continue to send them off to Florida and Tennessee knowing full well many teams won’t make the trek
Florida?
Nice save Phil A. My eyes saw Myrtle Beach and my mind was flashing back to when the modifieds appeared at Speedweeks. Revised. Tennessee and South Carolina………..why? And it appears there is no simple logic so I have another question. If all racing is local, would it make a lick of difference if the NASCAR affiliation was dropped from the WMT? Is the a stupid question?
I didn’t see Florida on the schedule.
That’s it dummy or should I say Lionel Train Engineer. Repeat the mistake Phil sighted and demonstrate how far behind the curve you are. Phil, gets respect. You zero cause you’re a phony, a liar and live in a world of narcissism and self aggrandizement. My days of quoting you like it meant something are over. You’re trash.
Doug please just stop, your rants are getting tired and stale. And you call someone out for how they spell and then used the word sighted instead of correctly using the word “cited”. Just stop, please just stop.
Nice job grammar police, that shut him up. Thank you!
Doug wrote, “My days of quoting you like it meant something are over.”
Wait for it…
Grammar Police. An entirely new screen ID to make a point. Why? A cowardly and manipulating regular hiding behind a new ID cause his reputation is shot. No matter.
The assumption you get wrong is that correcting people is wrong. I used sighted incorrectly and now will take care to use it properly. I’d thank you but you broke one of my rules. No thanks to purpose focused screen ID’s. And no thanks to that piece of trash Lionel Train Engineer which in this case may be both of you.
As for you being sick of anything why would I care at all about that? Why would I modify anything based on a whiner. Especially for one that makes a special point to come up with a new ID to take a shot on a DEAD thread.
The lying, manipulating, phony Lionel Train Engineer and Captain Obvious together on a dead thread within minutes of each other. No surprise. Hyena’s travel in packs.
Shut me up Captain Obvious. While you and your pack of hyena’s were dousing the Speedbowl fans with cold water yesterday afternoon I finished welding up the drivers side bottom door panel on my old 91 GMC Sonoma plow truck. Welding skills I learned in the Stafford Street Stocks in the 1980’s. This afternoon I’ll do the passenger side while you and Lionel Train Engineer have fun needling someone. Then I’ll have some fun with you tonight. Shut me up Captain Obvious-you can’t learn can’t you?
Doug wrote: Quoting people is for those that deserve the consideration cause they have substance. That would exclude Lionel Train Engineer. You are of no value cause you’re a lying, manipulating, narcissistic piece of trash constantly on the prowl to start trouble or belittle something or somebody.
Lunch, then welding and metal fabrication, a little football via the DVR and wrap it up with racedayct.com. The near perfect day. Go Pats.
O.k. This is getting out of hand. This is supposed to be a column about racing, not a sounding board for name calling and trash talk. Maybe it’s time for some censoring. Don’t bother mocking me, it just shows your ignorance.
If any track WANTS to pay the WMT purse fee to NASCAR they can schedule a race if they so choose, hence why Thompson 4 Stafford 3 choose to, so If Bristol, Langley and Myrtle Beach want MODIFIEDS to run at their track so be it. Monadnock, Lee, Star, Oxford Plains, Beech Ridge and many others do not! I would love to see Jennerstown, Lake Erie, Martinsville at Night and a few other tracks added but the schedule is what it is!!!
Doug wrote: “You are of no value cause you’re a lying, manipulating, narcissistic piece of trash constantly on the prowl to start trouble or belittle something or somebody.”
Did the pot just call himself black?
That was actually pretty good wmass01013. Is paying the fee the only consideration? Waterford clearly was ready to do it but was rejected. A least that is the word on the street.
OK the passenger side door is welded up and ready for Bondo. I use 20 gauge and the stitch welding technique that has always held up quite well. Pat’s won and racedayct is popping with new entries.
Bob Npt I love you man. You’re incorrigible. Always with the sermon. Admonishing the guilty, preaching to take the higher road and then saying nothing about the topic. Keep it up.
Ya know Bob Npt. I pretty sure you’re a disingenuous guy and have what I believe is proof. Check out the article on the new WMT event. Some great positive entries and optimism for arguably the most important modified event of 2018. It’s huge. It died. Died from lack of interest as far as comments are concerned and where were you.
Maybe you’re just a more benevolent Lionel Train Engineer. Looking for some place to make waves. I haven’t touched that threat nor have you. What’s up with that?
Doug wrote: I’m Doug and I don’t even care what Doug wrote. But I do know that Lionel Train Engineer is. A a phony, lying, narcissistic, petty trouble maker. His specialty, destroying others hope. Go Pats!
The topics speak for themselves. I just love getting a reaction out of you guys. LOL
Waterford is not on the schedule?
Riverhead has two dates. Riverhead is a trip back in time. Long Island was a great place for racing with all those tracks. Riverhead keeps the tradition alive and strong.
Doug, obviously certain circumstances with the track besides paying the fee exist, even with the track lease NASCAR decides whether a race goes to the track, just like NASCAR not allowing Tommy Barrett a NASCAR License after his arrest the same after the owner of WATERFORD arrested.
An update on the doors from my old GMC plow truck. Welding, bondo and paint complete and they came out great. Put them on the truck. Passenger side is perfect but drivers sticks out at the bottom like 4 inches. Welded it up all kinked. Slit the bottom from front to back. Bend the door back into place, take it off the truck, weld it again, paint it again and remount. Perfect. Now the front fenders. No buying replacements for me. I’d rather spend an equal about of money on mig wire, argon/co2, sheet metal and time fixing fenders that should be thrown out.
The WMT I could care less about other then it’s good for Stafford and what they need I like. Best events on the Stafford schedule for sure and their success funds many of the other more mundane events I like. Time trials is the reason I stopped going. Don’t get it. Support NASCAR’s decision on the Speedbowl and hope they return if all the myriad of moving parts is somehow sorted out over the next few years and they still exist. Go Pat’s.
I would rather see Langley dropped and Richmond replaced. Virginia still gets a race and Richmond is a better track.
Tyler, I second that emotion.