On April 8 the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will kick off its 2021 season at Martinsville Speedway.
On Tuesday we connected exclusively with Whelen Modified Tour series director Jimmy Wilson to talk about the excitement that comes with another season and we also put him on the hot seat with some tough questions about some of the issues the series faces in 2021 and beyond.
This is special Unmuffled Quickcast is presented by our Patreon marketing partners from New England Racing Fuel, Swanson Buick/GMC, LifeCare Family Chiropractic, SAFCO Foam, Tick Mike’s Organic Tick & Mosquito Spray, Mid-State Site Development, TFR Distribution, Draco Racing Springs, Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair, Tri-Track Open Modified Series, Compressed Air USA, Hoosier Tire East, MidState Compressor, Casagrande Builders, Falmouth Ready Mix, Wheelers Auto, Rent A Race Car New England, Sign Pro, North End Auto Parts, Magna Steel Sales, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Riverhead Raceway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway.
I’m surprised he agreed to do this.
JD,
Why would you say that?
You did it. Asked the tough questions that are on a lot of peoples minds and did it in a way that did not come off as abrasive or confrontational in any way. Were the answers completely forthcoming? Not completely in my view but non answers and strategic deflections can provide information as well. Did some answers deserve a follow up that might be a little more pointed. You betcha but this isn’t 60 Minutes and it doesn’t pay to alienate a guy that you have to have a continuing working relationship with.
The only question that could have been asked but probably was better not asked is about streaming rights. There’s two ways NASCAR can go on that one. First is to hope streaming races never turns into a meaningful revenue source. Or more likely they are going to have to change that ridiculous policy of having control over NASCAR sanctioned tracks content.
They can overcome all the issues of race locations, car count numbers, geographic challenges and all the rest. In fact Mr. Wilson did just that making a strong case for the NWMT payout structure from races to the point fund. However they can’t talk there way into convincing a track like Seekonk you can only stream your races if you use our platform, we control the pricing structure and we get a piece.
Clearly, negative WMT news has become good for business. Negative WMT news always generates the most comments. It always generates the most interest. Jimmy coming on here only feeds the beast.
Put another way, RaceDayCt is to TT/Open Events what CNN is to democrats. RaceDayCt is where the non WMT supporters come to gather now.
Just my observations. No agenda here. I still enjoy the site myself but on the same token I don’t see what Jimmy has to gain by doing it.
Anyway, there is an honest answer to your question.
🌈JD🌈 graduated from Trump University.
Pure zero content trash talk.
Tri Track will come and go. Open events will be inconsistent in the future. The Mod Tour will still be around….. Let me ask a question. You can only win 1 Mod race in your life…. What series would you want to do it in???….Exactly. Me too.
Of course Jimmy would do something like this. It’s called transparency. The TrumpPandemic and the consequences are not his fault. Most of us realize the TrumpPandemic is causing disturbances.
Look, the TrumpPandemic is not a great stimulus, it’s a YUGE ball & chain for the economy, or discretionary spending, or expensive hobbies like racing, or events such as sports arenas where large gatherings of people are required. Any similar business or other entity will be hurting as a result of the TrumpPandemic.
There’s a pandemic going on. >>557,000 Americans have died from this coronavirus 🦠. Why can’t some of you understand that? Just how daft are you? ☣️☣️☣️☣️
If you want to talk about surprised, I was always shocked Trump made public speaking appearances. They were disasters. Like watching NASCAR to see the wrecking.
CNN typically has an audience under a million. Like all the rest of cable news mostly geezers like myself that have little else to do and love getting fired up with a steady diet of controversial stories real or hyped. The Democratic Party consists of tens of millions of people many of which don’t even know CNN exists or know but could care less about their or any other of the cable news channels news entertainment offerings that perpetuate ignorance. The whole right/left cable news deal is a big deal with a few million partisan rabid partisans that are more interested in a cable news dodge ball fight then news.
At the top of the RaceDayCT home page the first name under the Series News is Nascar Whelen Modified Tour. Along with Stafford it is and has been one of the staples of RaceDayCt since the site was created. The last ten stories under the Nascar Whelen Modified Tour banner excluding polls are as follows:
-Unmuffled Quickcast With Whelen Modified Tour Series Director Jimmy Wilson
-Mayhew To Sponsor NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Pole Award Again For 2021 Season
-Tune-Up Time: Whelen Modified Tour Teams Get Up To Speed For Return To Martinsville Speedway
-Local Race Team Owner Sully Tinio Passes
-Ranking The Races: Top-10 Modified Events In New England In 2021
-Richmond Raceway And Virginia Tourism Partner For NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Event
-Ryan Preece Going Camping World Truck Series Racing In June
-Whelen Modified Tour At Jennerstown To Salute Veterans, Active Duty Military
-Dave Farrell Eager To Take On Whelen Modified Tour Tech Director Role In 2021
-Matt Swanson, Boehler Racing Enterprises Mixing Up Their Modified Racing Schedule For 2021
My guess would be that Mr. Wilson understands that RaceDayCt is one of the most important if not thee most important regional publications promoting the NWMT. The stories as you can see are not skewed in any particular editorial fashion and the press releases by NASCAR given full exposure on RaceDayCt.
It’s becoming a theme now in the comments, the most notable topic being the Speedbowl. The mere mention of certain aspects ends up getting ridiculed. In this thread none of the content of the interview being ridiculed but it’s mere presence drawing fire. The only way to stop it would be to purposely omit stories or press releases that may be fertile ground for negative reaction by ignorant race fans with their own personal agenda’s. Depriving the vast majority that may not even read the comments that like the content for the updates contained in the stories.
The confusion may be that some in the RaceDayCt audience want it to be like cable news. Where they expect to hear and read only the things they want to hear of read and the cable news channel be it right or left delivers what they want. RaceDayCt isn’t cable news.
From my barkalounger in the basement it appears neither cable news nor stories about the NWMT or the Speedbowl are the problem. More likely it’s purposely ignorant folks that expect a skewed fairy tale approach to racing news like they get with their favorite cable news channel that paint the mere appearance of a person in RaceDayCt in a negative light without having any knowledge of the content.
The Atomic Punk,
I’ll give you my breakdown. I think for you to say Tri-Track will “come and go” is making a statement that fully ignores any trending indicators of late. Tri-Track has been trending upwards in all sorts of categories in the last few years. You have a solid management base. You have a series that is turning tracks away. You have a roster that continues to grow every year in both overall numbers and depth of talent. You have purses and bonuses on the rise every year. I think they’ve positioned themselves very well to be a strong force as a short schedule player and they also have created a product that has a ton of growth potential should the market open up because a series might go away.
You’re absolutely right, the Whelen Modified Tour is still THE series. It still pays the most in purses and bonuses and point funds. But I think when it comes to trending barometers, there’s a lot to be worried about. If you asked me to bet on the series still existing in five years, I’m not sure where I would put my money as of this moment. This is a short track based series. I don’t think it’s a good sign that in 2021 only four short track operators in America want to bring this series to their facilities. And two of those operators (Stafford and Riverhead) represent close to half of the events on the schedule (six of 14) in 2021. To me, that should be the scariest trend of all. And I don’t see this being a series that survives long term on outside promoters leasing facilities week after week, so to me that’s another trend that doesn’t indicate positivity right now. I think every series needs to strike a balance between teams leaving the series and new teams replacing them. I’m seeing that category trending wrong right now too.
I’m a huge fan of the Whelen Modified Tour, but I think you have to be realistic in analyzing the trends and data when judging where things stand. That’s my take.
The pandemic is sending disturbances throughout just about all business models. The pandemic is not the kind of thing that gets considered in a business model. Since travel and socializing during this pandemic are very bad for staying healthy and alive, races and events that rely on travel are in trouble, and sanctioning has become almost worthless. As a result, something like TTOMS becomes an instant star. TTOMS is a LOCAL, homegrown series that is exactly what the pandemic ordered to supplement the NWMT.
Folks, there’s a PANDEMIC 😷 ☣️☣️☣️☣️ going on, it is disrupting just about everything.
Don’t get too worked up about what is going on now, just be safe.
When the pandemic is over, and we can get back to steady-state behavior, then we can postulate what is going to happen, and jaw about who will be the survivors.
As of a couple days ago, 1 in 599 Americans have died during this pandemic. 😷 ☣️ That is NOT an insignificant statistical fact. It should be cause for some serious thought, and care.
That’s 1-in-599 Americans have died as a result of this pandemic. Feeling lucky, punk?
Doug,
This is nothing new, it’s just interesting to me that it seems in motorsports there are more people who believe that the media should only produce positive coverage and that any coverage of anything that isn’t positive is that media outlet showing a agenda of disdain toward the subject. When I was at The Hartford Courant and covered things like UConn football, the NFL and other major professional sports, you didn’t see the same fervor from the fan base for crucifying the media for honest coverage. When I covered the UConn football team if a player on the team got arrested and I reported that I didn’t get accused of having an agenda or trying to ruin the team. But in motorsports there’s a huge segment of the fanbase that seems to believe honest, objective coverage is negative coverage. It’s a segment that believes a reporter covering the sport should ignore negative topics. There are still people connected to the New London-Waterford Speedbowl who to this day will say I should have never reported anything on the legal issues of the ownership because it hurt the track. People who will say I should just ignore it and only write about racing because it’s better for the track that way and I should want to help the track.
Someone like JD sees objective coverage of topics that may be negative as that media outlet having a vendetta against the entity that is the subject of the negative coverage. It’s an attitude carried by a significant segment of motorsports fans that will never go away in this sport.
Shawn, it’s not just racing, it’s all over. Whenever Trump was caught and reported he accused the media of bias, lies, hoax, etc. It’s all over the place. When people get caught, or exposed, they attack the messenger.
Those that attempt to kill the messenger are admitting guilt.
I just laugh at those doing the disingenuous attacking, for it proves the report was indeed correct.
Shawn, great analysis as always! I have to say I always find it humorous when anyone insists a particular racing series is the ONLY one that is important and berates the other sanctions or tracks. They end up punishing themselves by missing some great racing put on by the other series and tracks. Not that long ago, we had only the WMT and SK Mods. Now we have WMT, TriTrack, Stafford Opens, Thompson Opens, and MRS along with SK’s and SK Lights/Sportsman Mods. This is a great time to be a Modified fan for sure!
Shawn, writers/reporters that have gone on to become the greats were the likes of Woodward and Bernstein. They took on the tough stories that were consequential.
Then there are those that are nothing more than shills.
“Shoot the messenger” is a badge of honor!!!! Wear it proudly. Most of all, enjoy it!!!!
I don’t know about anyone else but if it wasn’t for Dafella and his reminders that there is a pandemic going on, I wouldn’t have known. I think there should be some sort of reward. Maybe a medal that Dafella deserves. Think of the countless lives he has and is saving with his commentary. On behalf of everyone, we salute you Dafella. Beautiful Dafella
Atomic answer to your question The one that PAYS the most!!
This was an excellent listen. It was an interesting interview, not to be confused with a promo. Shawn asked probing questions about real issues facing the tour and Jimmy answered them clearly, realistically, and honestly, sounding perfectly comfortable providing his thoughts.
Several topics that seem to come up here often were answered, especially the NWMT running at non-sanctioned tracks.
Thanks 🌈🦄2020.
I’ll try to step it up to help save even more lives.
Too bad there is not an ignore button….. LOL
It appears that the NWMT has not been flexible enough to maintain some of the tracks/events that were routine before the pandemic. It will be interesting to see if the tour rebounds when conditions are more “normal”.
With respect to TV/streaming rights, I believe Riverhead continues to be a NASCAR track, and has arranged for weekly streaming in a manner acceptable to the track and NASCAR. I’m a bit surprised, but not disappointed, that Stafford and NASCAR weren’t able to agree on a streaming deal.
JD is saying that maybe not all scribes are as objective as they think they are. Saying you are objective is not the same as being objective. Especially when the bottom line is effected by the number of responses your words generate.
JD,
So you’re judging my objectivity as a journalist during this interview despite not having listened to this interview?
🌈JD🌈 went to Trump University, and flunked out.
Terrific observation on streaming at Riverhead offered via NASCAR’s partner streaming platform SpeedSport in association with Advance Auto parts.
Last year the cost was $5 more at each level then Stafford. $25 for regular shows, $35 for Specials and $15 for race replays. No announcement I can find about this years plans.
I did message Seekonk asking if they were going to offer weekly streaming and this is word for word how they responded. “Some of our bigger events will be streamed but not the weekly racing as NASCAR owns the rights to those events.” I’d guess that means events like the two Tri Track races once again being offered by Speed51 with or without a blackout area depending on what Seekonk decides.
As of now we’ll be able to see White Mountain and Stafford weekly events on FloRacing at a one shot $!50, a bargain by any standard buys you that access.
It is true Riverhead did make an accommodation with NASCAR to show their races. I’d ask if it’s obsolete less then one year later as the market is changing so fast. Riverhead was a little more expensive last year and now is over twice as expensive unless they change the pricing structure from last year dramatically.. Secondly why isn’t Seekonk doing something similar. I never referred to NASCAR in my message to Seekonk it is they that mentioned NASCAR as a barrier.
Perhaps I’ve worded it too strongly saying their policy is ridiculous. However from the outside looking in and as a fan making streaming choices NASCAR’s approach to NASCAR sanctioned tracks as it stands looks less viable by the month in my view.
That all said you can read this update regarding the NASCAR/SpeedSport/Advance Auto Parts plans for 2021 written at the end of January. The fifth paragraph refers to rolling out more content and you can decide for yourself if that will have any impact on tracks like Seekonk and Monadnock going into the future.
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/01/25/nascar-speed-sport-continue-streaming-partnership/
Shills are never objective.
I said it months ago, and it still applies: Any open port in a storm.
That the NWMT ran at unsanctioned tracks proved that. Prior, a track had to be sanctioned in order to get a NWMT event.
The TrumpPandemic COVID-19 coronavirus crisis is the storm. ⛈ It has produced havoc for anything that requires people, gatherings of people. For the preservation of the health and safety of the community at large, people are not to gather and mingle to prevent the spread of this deadly pathogen 🦠. The authorities are not allowing large gatherings of crowds to protect the people. Well, the responsible authorities.
But there are other things going on, such as other non-NASCAR series that have popped up over the years, that have been successfully carving out a niche. In particular, TTOMS has developed itself as a pretty good bullring series. It’s a short series, for now. But it’s a very different series than the NWMT where NASCAR visits all sorts of tracks from bullrings to super speedways (from a Mod perspective).
And it seems that weekly series have gotten pretty good. Riverhead is exceptional. Stafford with the homegrown SKs and SK lights are a great show. In some respect, Stafford brings the NWMT to get people to the track to show off the SKs, and get people to the track on non-NWMT nights.
It used to be that tracks wanted and courted the NWMT, but these TrumpPandemic conditions have changed everything. Given that it is unknown if and when a track may operate, and at what capacity, if a COVID-19 surge may happen, it is extremely risky, difficult or impossible to commit to a NASCAR-like arrangement. And NASCAR has a sunk-cost floor that must be covered, for they, or anybody else for that matter, will take to losing money. That it not a way to run a business. You get what you pay for.
We all hear and know the stories of non-NASCAR “series” not paying out the purse. Well, NASCAR is what it is because it has a mature rule set, good safety protocol and record, and they pay the purses. You get what you pay for.
So now, with the TrumpPandemic and constrictions it presents, the tracks have a bit more negotiating leverage when dealing with the NWMT, and they have numerous other options. It’s a perfect stahm. ⛈
We shall see in a year or so, when a large portion of the population has been fully vaccinated, even the macho 🐓💩 GOP who say they won’t get it, if it is safe to go outside again and resume minimally or unencumbered social gatherings and racing. When that happens, track owners will feel less apprehensive to deal with the risks involved with the NWMT. Or those risks will have gone away with the TrumpPandemic.
Remember folks, the TrumpPandemic COVID-19 coronavirus virus 🦠 pathos is real, it is not a hoax. And it’s certainly not over.
So those that have gotten the TrumpPandemic COVID-19 coronavirus virus 🦠 vaccine, how does the microchip work? 😝☣️🤣😁🤣☣️😝
THE DAREALGOODFELLA TRUMP COUNTER
STARRING DAREALGOODFELLA
DAY 1 STARTING ON MARCH 21, 2021
1. the TrumpPandemic has been impacting
2. Like Trump got secretly vaccinated
3. Just like Trump, these people
4. they look like an idiot, like Trump
5. For example, Trump constantly
6. Trump would have been better by shutting up
7. And that Trump has turned his dogs
8. Trump and sustained by his minions like Blewett
9. Trump frequently said
10. JD graduated from Trump University.
11. Look, the TrumpPandemic is not a great stimulus
12. result of the TrumpPandemic
13. I was always shocked Trump made public speaking appearances.
14. Shawn, it’s not just racing, it’s all over. Whenever Trump was caught
15. JD went to Trump University, and flunked out.
TRUMP REFERENCES-THREE ARTICLES-COMMENCING 3/21 15
AVERAGE TRUMP REFERENCES PER ARTICLE 5
AVERAGE TRUMP REFERENCE PER DAY 3.75
TOTAL REFERENCES TO CURRENT PRESIDENT 0
Doug, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bottom line for Stafford and NASCAR had something to do with all the support Stafford gets from NAPA. I’m betting NASCAR’s Advance Auto Parts wouldn’t be too happy having to promote the NAPA Spring Sizzler, among others. Conversely NAPA would probably be more reluctant to support the Advance Auto Parts racing series.
Dareal, you’re not saving lives. Leave that to us professionals. And don’t forget, if A, then B, is not science. #BidenPandemic.
That’s a good point and clearly the NAPA vs Advance backing was a big part of the conversation. However I also believe the move Stafford made was far bigger then a title sponsor. What Stafford has done in less then a year regarding the TV angle that they specifically said was a big reason for leaving the NASCAR sanction behind is nothing short of breathtaking. Stafford does nothing capriciously. If they have made all these changes you can bet they are convinced it’s the future of local short track racing. As much as NAPA means to them I doubt they did it all for Genuine Auto Parts.
I have a question for you Eddie. How many NASCAR sanctioned events does Stafford host in 2022. 3, 2,1 or zero.
Shhh knuckles. Don’t talk about Dafella like that. He has saved countless lives. Between us knuckles, of course he hasn’t. But do you really want to be the one to crack the poor guys fragile ego?
And let’s not talk about the border DISASTER
Ken L, I agree, the billions and billions of 💵 spent on the easily breached and crossed border wall is a disaster.
“Fixed fortifications are monuments to man’s stupidity. If mountain ranges and oceans can be overcome, anything made by man can be overcome.” – Gen. George S. Patton
Doug, to answer your question, I’ll say “not 3”. My theory is that 2022 will be closer to “normal” so NASCAR tracks will be more willing to host a WMT race. I also think the “open” events will gain in popularity and car counts, making them more profitable and viable. I’d say the definite one would be the Fall Final, the maybe one would be the Sizzler. I don’t think the Friday event in August will make the cut; that will be another “Open” event.
The Riverhead web site indicates that streaming will be available “every week” in 2021, but I couldn’t find any pricing info.
I’m not judging objectivity based on this interview. It’s Jimmy’s thoughts and words.
The objectivity police will be out and about
I cut myself off. As I was saying…
The objectivity police will be out and about this season. I’m sure there will opportunities to revisit this.
Good call on two NWMT races at Stafford. Bet they have no idea what they will do. It will all depend on how the season shakes out. How they do with attendance and TV viewership, how Michaud and Mayberry do with their NASCAR-less racing and of course the impacts of Covid19.
🌈JD🌈, you judging objectivity is absurd. 🤪
I must confess. I am Q.
Good questions by Shawn, but very limited new info provided from Jimmy.