Stafford Motor Speedway management announced today that the Whelen Modified Tour event scheduled for Aug. 7 at the track has been cancelled.
It’s the second of three Whelen Modified Tour events scheduled for the track in 2020 that have been cancelled. The track also cancelled the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 which was scheduled in late April.
“Unfortunately we were unable to come to an agreement with NASCAR to make the State of CT mandate of 25% capacity number work for the August Modified Tour event,” Stafford Speedway president Mark Arute said in a release. “2020 has been very challenging but we are happy to be racing and think we’ve come up with a great schedule for July and August.”
Stafford is also scheduled to host the Whelen Modified Tour for the NAPA Fall Final 150 on Sept. 27. That event currently remains scheduled.
The cancellation of the Aug. 7 Stafford 150 means that six of the 17 events on the original 2020 Whelen Modified Tour scheduled have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Also cancelled were events at Thompson Speedway (April 5), Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (May 8), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18) and Iowa Speedway (July 31).
Stafford announced a revised August schedule that will feature seven events over 31 days including the NAPA SK 5K on Saturday Aug. 8 and the newly added NAPA Auto Parts Open Modified 100 event for Aug. 7, replacing the previously scheduled Whelen Modified Tour event.
“If the weather cooperates, we have a heck of a schedule lined up for July and August,” Arute said. “We can’t thank NAPA Auto Parts enough, they’ve been a great partner over the years. We’re happy to continue the tradition of the NAPA SK 5K which has become one of the best events of the Summer. Pairing that with a 100-lap open show the night before puts together a great weekend of racing on the half-mile.”
Revised August Schedule At Stafford
Saturday, August 1st (Rain date Sunday, August 2nd)
Twisted Tea Open Modified 80
Open Modified 80, SK Light Modified 30 (non-track points), Street Stock 20 (non- track points)
Friday, August 7th
NAPA Auto Parts Open Modified 100
Open Modified 100, Limited Late Model 20 Street Stock 20
Saturday, August 8th (Rain date Sunday, August 9th)
NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K
SK Modified® 100, SK Light Modified 20, Late Model 30
Friday, August 14th
Stafford Speedway Weekly Racing – The Senator’s Cup
SK Modified® 40, Late Model 30, SK Light 20, Limited Late Model 20, Street Stock 20
Friday, August 21st
Stafford Speedway Weekly Racing
SK Modified® 40, Late Model 30, SK Light 20, Limited Late Model 20, Street Stock 20
Saturday, August 22nd (Rain date Sunday, August 23rd)
Call Before You Dig Pro Late Model 81 & Lincoln Tech Open Modified 80
Open Modified 80, Pro Late Model 81
Friday, August 29th
Stafford Speedway Weekly Racing
SK Modified® 40, Late Model 30, SK Light 20, Limited Late Model 20, Street Stock 20
Based on this press release one can assume Nascar told Stafford about Aug 1st days ago. Unless the peanut gallery thinks Stafford whipped up a new race schedule in the last 2hrs. All is good now. Win Win for the fans. Win Win for the teams. Let’s move on and enjoy some racing.
This is a great schedule- less divisions per race – IMO. Big show on a Saturday with Prostocks and Modifieds should be a great show
So now we got 5 open 80s, definitely a win for Stafford, a head to head battle with a Stafford Saturday show seems verry silly by Wmt. Stafford is selling these shows out in less than 48 hrs, White Mountain was still selling tickets day of Race. Team wise will be interesting, some guys not far up in points might favor the Open 80 over the haul north, also another caveat is its Riverheads opener as well on August 1st.
hence the whelen tour Aug 1st race at White Mtn being discussed. Nascar and Stafford having a little pissing war. Oh yeah well we will just schedule over you. Now Assuming everything goes off as scheduled or discussed. You have MRS at Beechridge., open tour type mods at Stafford and Whelen at White MTN. I think that might be the Riverhead opener as well. That is a lot of tour type modified all running the same night. I am thinking there may be a short field of tour type mods at one of these tracks on that night. Its a crazy year. Just keeps getting crazier. wash up mask up.
Stafford doesn’t need the tour. In my opinion I rather watch the SK Regulars they always put on one HELL OF A SHOW. The sign welcome to the Show fits in perfectly. I just hope we can get to 50,%soon I been going to Stafford since Danbury Race arena closed. Once I went to Stafford that was it, It was the cleanest baddest track around Bar none. I just hope I can get tickets as it is sold out Everytime I try to buy them.
MRS has suspended their schedule until further notice. They have not run an event yet despite ME and NH tracks being open.
Rich, I don’t know where to begin. Stafford is selling out but only allowed 25% capacity. All season ticket holders are included in that 25%. WMMP is allowed 50% capacity and I think we all agree they went over that on July 4th. Meaning, they won’t sellout regardless of the number of people who show.
There have only been 2 races. Nobody is in or out of the points. WMMP was a huge hit among the drivers. I would expect another 30 cars at the next race there.
Almost none of the tour guys run Riverhead on a regular basis. In a normal season the WMT runs against Riverhead all the time.
I know those pesky facts get in the way of some people’s arguments. I think the schedules are set for Aug now with really only one conflict between the WMT, TT and Stafford. I think we will all survive. August will be a great month for modified fans. Really it starts at Star on July 25th.
A month ago we had no racing. I think this is a little better than that
JD,
This is not a press release.
JD,
You must be a NH guy, if you think White Mtn can compete with Stafford you are nuts. CT is the Hub of Modified Racing and Stafford is the King Track. Their is no incentive for Teams to go back to White Mtn, the purse is low and it coud be the last event seeing as WMT has no schedule and more and more travel restrictions are coming out from other states, WMT is making it up as they go, so where you stand in points right now absolutely matters. 25% at Stafford is a sell out at a small place like White Mtn. You need to look at your WMT race rosters 4 Riverhead teams have participated in 1 of the 2 races sofar and it will definitely impact car counts moving fwd.
It’s an anecdote but on Tuesday Connecticut had zero deaths from Covid19 for the first time in months. The numbers continue to be fairly stable in the good zone for now. Personally I think Lamont and the state have done a fantastic job managing this crises working in a regional context.
We all see what’s going on elsewhere and especially down south. It’s virus anarchy. Every person for themselves. Connecticut is still using the iron fist not allowing certain activities now so it’s pretty clear the 25% at Stafford will be the rule for a while anyway. It’s a good thing.
Mr. Courchesne can correct me but it appears to me the 25% capacity number is very close to typical for a regular show so they can make a buck especially with StaffordTV. Sorry for the NWMT fans but the opens rock in my view, some will be packed together so there will be special events a plenty to see. 25% would be a tough nut on normal open nights but could work since they are spinning off from Friday night with fewer divisions and again StaffordTV. I’m happy to pay a $30 PPV for less value and consider it a small price to pay under the circumstances.
They can do whatever they like at rodeo’s in Texas or races in New Hampshire. That has nothing to do with what’s best for Connecticut. We have a denser population, come from a worse place and have more to lose by pushing the limits prematurely. The goal should be not blowing what we have now rather then pushing the capacity limits too early and wrecking it all.
“Unfortunately we were unable to come to an agreement with NASCAR to make the State of CT mandate of 25% capacity number work for the August Modified Tour event,” Stafford Speedway president Mark Arute said in a release.
That’s the most telling line. Smells like NASCAR wouldn’t budge on their fees to hold the race, even though Stafford would take in essentially 75% less to host the Tour.
I didn’t realize MRS suspended their season. I didn’t know that. I went to their website and it still had Aug 1st on their schedule as of the time I wrote my post. Given they were struggling just to put together a schedule and were not invited back to several tracks they regularly attended perhaps it is for the best to take some time off. Thanks for the information.
It will be hard for the MRS to run a race with only 12 drivers registered for the series. Out of the drivers registered, almost every one of them will be at the Tour race or Stafford for the Open on August 1st. Over half their schedule is Waterford and Thompson. I think the odds of them running this year is equal to the Speedbowl opening.
Beech Ridge announces their revised schedule a couple weeks ago and MRS was removed from the schedule
The coronavirus 🦠 is still in total control over the fragile masculinity.
And the coronavirus will remain in control until science is allowed to address the pandemic.