The 2026 season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour kicks off tonight with the running of the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at New Smyrna Speedway.
It’s a season of new for NASCAR’s oldest division.
What’s New
New Leadership
On Nov. 10, 2025 NASCAR announced that Gary Putnam would replace Jimmy Wilson as the Whelen Modified Tour series director.
Wilson had been the series director since 2013.
Putnam, a Vernon native, moved south in 1996 to work full-time in motorsports and has worked in various high level crew positions with an assortment of some of the most recognizable teams in the top level NASCAR Cup Series. He most recently worked for Trackhouse Racing. Throughout his career he has also remained tied to Modified racing as a part-time driver, car builder and team owner.
“Obviously it’s a huge change for me coming from the competition side going over to the administration side,” Putnam told RaceDayCT. “Modifieds have been a passion of mine for my whole life. When this opportunity arose, at first I didn’t take it seriously, but then it developed into everybody was pretty focused on that I could help the growth of the [Whelen Modified] Tour and me being a Modified guy, I really wanted to be a part of that.”
New Places
The 2026 Whelen Modified Tour schedule includes some big changes.
After a four-year hiatus, the series returns to Stafford Speedway on Aug. 28. The series has run 135 events at Stafford since 1985. Justin Bonsignore won the last event at Stafford on Sept. 25, 2021.
The series returns to Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Me. for the first time since 1991 on May 2. The series has run five events at the track. Jeff Fuller won the last event at the track on June 23, 1991.
Claremont Speedway also returns to the schedule for a July 10 event. Claremont has previously hosted the series three times with the last race taking place on July 29, 2022, won by Jon McKennedy.
Thompson Speedway hosts three series events in 2026 with the division’s championship deciding event returning to the track on Oct. 11.
New Rubber
Late in 2025 NASCAR held two test sessions with American Racer tires.
Hoosier had been the exclusive tire provider for the Whelen Modified Tour since the 1999 season.
On Dec. 24, 2025 NASCAR management informed team owners that the series would make a change to American Racer for the 2026 season. That change was officially announced by NASCAR and American Racer on January. 29.
New And Returning Faces
In 2025 there were 11 drivers who started all 16 series events. That number is expected to rise in 2026.
Mike Christopher Jr., who has nine career series starts and one win (2022 at Jennerstown Speedway), will make his first full-time effort with the series running for the Elite Motorsports team.
Max Zachem and Ryan Morgan will team up to split time in a Morgan family owned full-time effort in 2026. Zachem has 68 Whelen Modified Tour starts since 2013 and finished fifth in the series standings in 2016 in the second of his two previous full-time efforts. Morgan, a longtime Late Model standout, has never made a Whelen Modified Tour start.
Teddy Hodgdon has also announced he will make his first full-time effort with series in 2026.
Six-time series champion Doug Coby announced recently that he will make nine Whelen Modified Tour starts in 2026 for Jett Motorsports. Coby made one Whelen Modified Tour start in 2025 and hasn’t run full-time with the series since 2021.
Two-time series champion Ron Silk had a series leading four Whelen Modified Tour victories in 2025 despite running only 11 events. Silk, the 2011 and 2023 series champion, will return to running full-time with the series in 2026.
New Title Contenders
With the return of Silk to full-time action, it makes for a stout group expected to contend for the series title in 2026.
Austin Beers is back with KLM Motorsports to defend his 2025 series title. Justin Bonsignore, who had two wins in 2025 and finished second in the series standings, goes looking for his fifth series title in 2026.
Craig Lutz, who finished third in the standings in 2025, goes looking for his first series title. Matt Hirschman, looking for his first Whelen Modified Tour championship, also has announced his intentions to run full-time in 2026. Hirschman was fourth in the standings in 2025.
Patrick Emerling with his newly rebranded USNEPower Motorsports team, is also considered a favorite to contend for the series title. Emerling was fifth in the standings in 2025. Jon McKennedy, the 2022 Whelen Modified Tour driver’s champion, returns to a full-time role with the series as a driver/owner.
Kyle Bonsignore and Tyler Rypkema are also considered dark horse possibilities to contend at the top of the standings.
Faces In The Crowd At New Smyrna
The season opener will see a multitude of drivers looking to make the show who are expected to make part-time showings in 2026.
That group includes former series champion Ryan Preece, who is coming off his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in Wednesday’s exhibition Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Other notables on the entry list at New Smyrna include Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Joey Coulter, Jimmy Blewett, Luke Baldwin, Sam Rameau, Carson Loftin and Luke Fleming.
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This should be quite interesting in 2026, With Big Money racing full time , now with everything in house , He should be a force to be reckoned with . Ron Silk , Beers, Justin , Emerling, McKennedy should all Win Races and contend for the Championship…Mike Christopher should be Rookie of the year.. would not be surprised if Mike jr grabs a Win driving for the former Elite team of Matt H… Mike jr has the Right Stuff and His own style of driving that should suit him well in the longer races…Tyler Catalano is really talented and may be a contender also..Time will tell…