NASCAR announced Wednesday that the Whelen Modified Tour would be introducing several rules and procedural changes to “improve efficiencies” for teams for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The new rules and procedures will go into effect for the May 18 Miller Lite Salutes Wayne Anderson 200 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway on May 18.
“When we announced the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season schedule, we were proud that it provided balance for our competitors and teams, who manage their jobs and families away from the track,” Whelen Modified Tour director Jimmy Wilson said. “As we continue through the season, NASCAR is always looking for ways to improve efficiencies for our teams. By reducing the tire allotment at several events and reducing practice time at all tracks [with the exception of Martinsville Speedway], we know this will help teams maximize their resources and time without sacrificing the high quality of racing fans expect from the Tour.”
A release from NASCAR announcing the changes read:
Over the course of the remaining 12 races on the 2024 Modified Tour schedule, the overall tire allotment will be reduced, providing a financial savings for teams through the rest of the season.
In alignment with the tire reduction, at tracks that require a tire change (with the exception of New Hampshire Motor Speedway), teams will now only be permitted to change a maximum of two tires per caution period (previously, they may change all four tires during a caution period).
In addition, practice time will be reduced by approximately 15 – 30 minutes per event, excluding the Martinsville Speedway championship weekend. This will allow race-day schedules to be condensed and permit teams to arrive at tracks later in the day.
“The new tire change procedures will allow tire management strategy to come into play, putting it back on the crew chiefs to decide how and when to change their tires as we give them the adjustability to do so,” Wilson said.
Big deal couple of tires gas how about not having to pay a fee at every event to have car inspections?? Don’t know of any others paying at every event not the open modifieds etc correct me if wrong but the officials are at track anyways so don’t know who that fee goes to but that’s ridiculous to pay every event.
??? Tire allotment and number of tires per caution are related how? Teams have always had the option of taking tires or taking track position by forgoing a stop. They could do well by getting to 150 laps on any of their events as we know the racing doesn’t really start till 50 to go. I think reality is finally getting to So Fla. Reduce tires, limit pit work and low and behold a (God forbid) redraw at Monadnock (had to be a JDV thing) the pressure from the other “lessor” series and the opens is no doubt having an effect. Gonna be interesting to follow that’s for sure.
These rule changes only benefit the top teams and hurt the smaller ones. The top teams have the technology allowing them to show up at a track really close to where they need to be, so they don’t need as much practice as smaller teams. The tire rule also benefits the bigger teams who have the resources to develop setups aimed at reducing tire wear
NASCAR is just trying to lure new teams to their slowly dying series. If you’re traveling 4 or 5 hours to compete, and you work, chances are you’re taking a day off. Half an hour less practice is trivial.
Don’t matter what chassis you run now, we are racing tires!!!! 🛞
We can run paper mache chassis now.
Crazy in NY,
Redraw was announced back in February.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Brings Back Qualifying Redraw For Selected 2024 Events
Some napkin math:
The original tire forecast was 209 + 4 potential extra practice tires at NW that were TBD pending tire tests. But I’m assuming they were going to be allowed.
The new forecast shows 190 tires.
23 tire reduction for the rest of the year. ~$5,750.
Not an insignificant amount.
For the sake of example, if they run this schedule back in 2025, with the same rules from the start of the season. The tire forecast would be roughly 173. A reduction of 50 tires, ~$12,500. Fairly significant id say.
If a team commits to just changing 2 tires at change events and not making a 2nd stop, you could probably shave that down by another half dozen.
A lot can be said about the tour and their costs and what not. A nearly 50% increase in tire prices the last few years isn’t really something they can control. No one can control it.
Every track is fighting it. Riverhead has a tire bank now. stafford has 3 scheduled SK races where 0 new tires will be permitted to be purchased
I have to say, someone claiming a reduction in tire allotment only benefits the big teams is a new one for me.
Missed that Feb article Shawn thanks for the clarification.
You can throw out all the smoke and mirrors changes but you’re not going to fix anything until you address the real issues. … This should be a New England and New York based series. There are at least 13 tracks in New England that could handle one of these events and only 4 of them want a race. Why is that? Figure out that question and you probably can fix a lot of things. NASCAR doesn’t want to fix this. … Less practice time is only an advantage to the top teams. This will not be an incentive for new teams to come to the tour. Nobody is going to see there’s 30 minutes less of practice time and decide they want to run the tour. … Here’s what is going to happen. NASCAR is going to buy the Smart tour soon. Then they’re going to say they’re combining Smart with the Modified tour. The new Modified tour is going to be 19 races with 14 races in the south and 5 up here. … NASCAR doesn’t care where the races are now because they don’t care about having a crowd at the track. Everything is about being on Flo now. Monadnock gets about 600 fans for a Modified tour race and they have 3 races there and NASCAR doesn’t care. Riverhead gets about 500 fans. 10 years ago you couldn’t have a Modified tour race anywhere with a crowd of less than 4,000 people. Since NASCAR doesn’t care what the crowd is it will be way cheaper for them to put all these races at tracks in North Carolina and Virginia, slash the purses and race in front of 400 people every other week and not have to drag all their officials and equipment up to Monadnock or Riverhead to do it. … Remember how they killed the Busch North? Get ready for Busch North murder part two.
NASCAR couldn’t care less about the tour
Both SMART TOUR MODIFIED races we attended this year at Tri County Speedway & Hickory Speedway in NC were very well attended… The Smart tour now has 6 or 8 Drivers that can go out and grab a Win at any time , 2 former Cups Stars. 2 young guns Baldwin and Lofton who has Won 3 or 4 races already and his Dad . 2 of the Myers clan & Buzzie . Brown. Coulter. Big Money Matt and quite a few others who could win… I would say they have a more competitive series as far as the amount of Top notch cars.. The top 10 cars in my opinion are closer in competition than the Top 10 in the Whelen Mod Tour… The Owner is doing a fantastic job running the Tour and at Hickory the top 3 finishers of Myers.. Hirschman … and the Winner the KID Lofton all had to pull their engines after the Race and they were all dyno tested & inspected and all were within 1% of each other in HP…. He gets it .. Track tech that is real and fans who get a clean run show with Features that start early in the day or evening some fans and competitors alike can get home at a decent hour…I hope the Owner of the SMART keeps growing the series and PLEASE DON’T SELL TO NASCAR !!!!!!! You have a excellent tour you are building with Young guns and seasoned veterans all mixed in and we LOVE Watching SMART RACES….
Help me understand this…
“ In addition, practice time will be reduced by approximately 15 – 30 minutes per event, excluding the Martinsville Speedway championship weekend. This will allow race-day schedules to be condensed and permit teams to arrive at tracks later in the day.“
So now we are reducing practice time by 15-30 minutes so teams can show up to the tracks 15-30 minutes later????
Really??? How many teams and crew are gonna be like, “Oh goody, we don’t have to get there until 15-30 minutes later.”
Well Jake Stafford speedway (the inventors of racing) starts a Pit party with rain an hour away.
Can the SMART Tour top that?
NWMT Director and other esteemed moronic management: Let’s schedule races all up and down the eastern seaboard, resulting in thousands of dollars of additional cost per event, and also reduce the tires allowed per race to really suck up the racing, and make it a pacing and tire mileage event. And then they all patted themselves on the back.
Here’s some free advice NWMT Management: kiss and make up with Thompson and Stafford, and get 8-10 races between those 2 tracks.
For my compensation, I’ll take an order of fried clams at Thompson, and 2 orders of wings at Stafford, both with extra crispy fries and a Pepsi, at all events.
You’re welcome.
Well the Race at Tri County was the FIRST FEATURE EVENT , And at Hickory they moved the Race up sooner in the FEATURE EVENT lineup because rain showers were forecasted at 30% for later that evening .. Both races were on FLO so there seemed to be no big problems doing so …
Hopefully the SIZZLER will be the FIRST FEATURE TONIGHT at Stafford after they finish the Feature that was on track when the rain came in …Hopefully Stafford has dry weather for tonight’s show….
Jake,
There are six features on the schedule for tonight. The SK Light Modified feature that was started on April 28 will be completed on May 17. The SK Light Modifieds will run a full 20-lap feature tonight. In addition the schedule is the 100-lap NAPA Spring Sizzler, a 40-lap SK Modified feature, a 30-lap Late Model feature and 20-lap features for the Limited Late Model and Street Stock division. The NAPA Spring Sizzler will be the second feature of the evening. The SK Light Modifieds will run first. After the Spring Sizzler they will go Street Stocks, Limited Late Models, Late Models and SK Modifieds. Click here for the detailed schedule for May 10 at Stafford Speedway.
Excellent Schedule, Sizzler is Second Feature !!!! Love it… Then fans won’t have to hang in too long in the COLD later on in the evening ..!!! Thanks Shawn for clearing that up …. Stafford got it fixed & we are happy about that…
If there wasn’t all this travel and the extra thousands of dollars per event because of all the excessive travel, then this early season rules change to reduce tire consumption would not be an issue. If the schedule had the usual 8-10 races at Thompson and Stafford, these would be single day events, mostly everybody would be in bed that night.
Let them have tires!!!!
Because of the stupid schedule and all the STOOOOPID ¢o$tly travel, we now have to implement a tire consumption/cost reduction rule.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Stupid is what Stupid does. Here’s looking at you, Jimmy.
zig13 wrote, “23 tire reduction for the rest of the year. ~$5,750.
Not an insignificant amount.”
The cost to send a team from the northeast to some southern track for a 3-4 day event is far more than that, for just one event. Plane tickets, transportation, rental cars, Uber, hotels, hauler, feeding the team, entry fees, TOLLS, it adds up YUGELY.
NASCAR has to do this to cater to the shoestring budget teams that are slammed hard by the HUGE travel cost. Otherwise, the car counts will suffer even worse.
DRGF.
Travel is a cost. Sure.
We just had a sizzler where 30 cars showed up. Richest race of the year. Heart of modified land. Little travel. Didn’t even reach what NSS had for the tour opener.
It was also probably the least competitive tour type race of the year so far.
And how did the Stafford Friday open shows fair last season?
You could replace the 3 biggest travel NWMT races with 3 races at Stafford and the car count probably hardly changes.
The CT modified scene isn’t what it used to be. You have 1 very strong track and 2 with both feet in the grave right now.
25 cars +/- a few is going to be pretty standard for a while.
DaRealBicycleRacer, I think you need some Everclear in your Pepsi! Let’s see how the tire reduction works out for the racing and the teams before having heart palpitation over it.
Liz, less tires means more pacing and less racing.
We’ve been through this.
Why not just eliminate practice. No practice has done wonders for the National Series.
the redraw was a good thing. now how about the choose cone? definetly would add another layer of strategy.
[less tires means more pacing and less racing.]
nope..that’s what counting cautions get you.
100 lap events, 2 tires and a top 10 redraw ALL GREEN will fix the Tour more than anything. The TTOM model works pretty.
Racing is not a costs cutting sport.
You don’t go Modified racing then look to save money, sorry.
Think of all the tires 🛞 they could run with the thousands $$$$$$$ saved if they didn’t have to spend 💰 to travel 🧳 so far to most of the races.
GET RID OF THE PIT STOP!
Equipped Pit box 10,000.00
Pit crew gear 400.00 per member x 5 2000.00
Pit equipment guns jack etc 10,000.00
Licenses x5 1000.00
Travel and food 5 guys full season 4000.00 per guy 20000.00
Top teams pay their crew 250.00 per day x 5 1250.00
TOTAL SAVINGS 44,250.00
JIMMY WILSON THIS IS A SAVINGS. NOT 2 TIRES AND 15-20 MIN OF FUEL!!
Half way break or no pit stop races. You would have 30 plus cars back on the tour. Times have changed Nascar. Adapt………..
Companies can not get paid employees to show up to work these days, yet Nascar expects teams to find 7 guys to show up for 14 hour days for free? On the weekend? Best of luck with that. It’s not 1990 anymore.
Pit crew coach? Save yourself even more money by not going racing at all.
This proves how all the travel screwed the NWMT.