For decades Connecticut has been the home base state for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
But in a COVID-19 pandemic gripped world of state restrictions and crowd capacity guidelines, it seems New Hampshire is looking to take ownership of home state bragging rights for the series in 2020.
Multiple sources close to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Monadnock Speedway have confirmed to RaceDayCT that series officials are in discussions with management at the Winchester, N.H. track to put on a Whelen Modified Tour event on Aug. 29.
Monadnock Speedway general manager Jeff Zuidema said Friday morning he couldn’t comment on scheduling matters at the facility.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour series director Jimmy Wilson wasn’t immediately available for comment on Friday morning.
An Aug. 29 event at the quarter-mile Monadnock oval would mark the fourth new event added to the 2020 Whelen Modified Tour schedule since June and the third new event added at a New Hampshire facility.
The Whelen Modified Tour ran for the first time in its history at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. on July 4. A second event at White Mountain has been added to the schedule for Aug. 1.
The first event of the 2020 season – the Wade Cole Memorial 133 presented by Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer on June 21 at Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway – was also an add-on to the series schedule.
Justin Bonsignore, the 2018 Whelen Modified Tour champion, has won both events run this season.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has run 12 times at Monadnock Speedway since the series’ inception in 1985. The division ran one event each year from 1985 to 1990 at Monadnock. There was a 20 year layoff in between events at the facility before the division returned in 2010.
The series ran one event annually at the track from 2010 to 2016. Timmy Solomito won the last event at the track on July 24, 2016. Bonsignore won events at the track in 2013 and 2014. Reigning Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby won at Monadnock in 2015.
A source close to management at Monadnock said if a deal isn’t finalized between the track and NASCAR by July 25 the Aug. 29 event will probably not happen.
COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns have decimated the original 2020 Whelen Modified Tour schedule.
Thus far, six of 17 events on the original NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event have been cancelled. Events have been cancelled at Thompson Speedway (April 5), Stafford Speedway (April 26 and Aug. 7), Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (May 8), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18) and Iowa Speedway (July 31).
Stafford Speedway is scheduled to host the Whelen Modified Tour on Sept. 27 as part of its NAPA Fall Final weekend though it seems unlikely that event will take place with 25 percent capacity restrictions in place for Connecticut tracks.
It was announced late last month that Thompson Speedway will host the Whelen Modified Tour on Aug. 19 and Oct. 11 with the events run by a new operational group led by the track’s former general manager Terry Eames.
The Whelen Modified Tour had added an event to the schedule to be run May 30 at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway but it was ultimately postponed due to weather. NASCAR has not rescheduled that event.
The Jennerstown event originally scheduled for May 23 was rescheduled to Aug. 22.
The June 6 event Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway and July 11 event at Wall (N.J.) Stadium have been postponed indefinitely.
The event scheduled for June 20 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway has been postponed to Oct. 17, with Riverhead still scheduled to also host the series on Sept. 19.
The Whelen Modified Tour Musket 200, as part of Full Throttle Weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, remains scheduled for Sept. 12. A Sept. 5 event at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway also remains scheduled.
Any port in a storm.
Some damn fine news. Conflict free weekend too. Well, outside of Oxford. Let’s do this!!
And if they did nothing people would be complaining that they dont care about the MODIFIEDS.so yes any race at any track i say hell yeah
Good move, maybe they should call it the Whelen Bullring Tour. At least they’re racing.
I really hope this happens, that would be the day after that $10k tour mod show at Claremont. Would make it a another dream weekend for NH Mod fans.
You complain when there is no racing then you complain when there is racing. Make up your mind.
Even though I choose not to attend the races, I am glad they are racing. Back in April, the Outlook was bleek. Now new news reports are predicting an even stronger wave in the fall, so I hope people enjoy it while they can. Maybe we’ll get lucky enough that winter weather will hit before that second wave, which will at least get us close to a full season.
Canada is not allowing baseball to happen, and that the MLB can not play in Toronto.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agree with Earl.
DaReal, the Blue Jay’s have a beautiful AA stadium in Manchester NH. Most of their players have been through here in recent years. Hotel on site too. I think the invitation may have already been extended. Problem solved.
🌈JD🌈, the southeastern Manchester, NH area has the highest COVID death-infection rate in New Hampshire. You do understand that the Canadian Government prohibited play in Toronto to prevent the spread of COVID?
What problem is solved?
🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
Hey 🌈JD🌈, President Pine Sol had an interview the other day that made me think of you. He kept insisting that COVID will eventually go away and he was going to be right. Remember back in March he said the 15 cases we knew about back then were just going to go away? And then he said it was all just going to go away when summer weather got here? He said numerous times it was just going to go away. He also called it a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats.
President Pine Sol completely ignored the few hundred thousand people that will die or be permanently maimed, but insisted eventually COVID will subside and he’ll be right.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😝😝😝🤪🤪🤪😝😝🤪🤪🤪😝🤪
🌈
For those of you that think COVID will just go away, like President Pine Sol has promised so many times, we’re into the 4th decade of HIV and that hasn’t gone away yet either. COVID-19 is far more contagious than HIV.