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78-549: Riverhead Raceway has seven racing divisions: Modified , Riverhead Modified Crate Figure Eight , Late Model , Blunderbust, Super Pro Truck, and Legends . It hosts races for the Whelen Modified Tour , Whelen All-American Series , and the Northeastern Midget Association . Other events include demolition derby , school bus racing, monster trucks , enduro, one-on-one spectator drags and go-karts up until

156-587: A "claim rule", wherein a racer may buy a competitor's engine for a small amount of money (usually around $ 500). This rule was intended to keep engine prices from skyrocketing. The IMCA Sportmods appear very similar to their brethren, but have distinctly different engines. The Afco KidModz appear the same as the others, but sport full tube chassis, and by rules, have to have Ford 2300 cc inline 4-cylinder engines. Sanctioning bodies WISSOTA Promoters' Association and United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) also have classes that are almost identical to IMCA's modifieds, with

234-509: A 76-inch (1,900 mm) track make these cars are fast and nimble. 2300 cc, four-cylinder power plants from Fords, Toyotas and even an odd Nissan are common, but the Ford Pinto Lima is the favored motor. Motor rules have stayed very stable over the last ten years with the only rule change coming in 2008 which allowed the Esslinger aluminum d-port head, due to the declining availability of

312-444: A Cup car. By rule, tour-type modifieds weigh at least 2,610 lb (1,180 kg) (with additional weight for engines 358 cu in [5.9 L] and larger) and have a wheelbase of 107 in (270 cm). They are powered by small-block V-8 engines, usually of 355 to 368 cu in (5.8 to 6.0 L) of displacement, although larger or smaller engines can be used. Engine components are largely similar to those used in

390-545: A career best eighth place finish twice, once in 1993 and again in 2008. His 371 starts place him eighth all time since the series inception in 1985. Cole died in a home accident on March 15, 2020. In 2020 a race on the tour was renamed for him. Click here for a list of all champions including 1948–84 National Modified champions. NASCAR stopped awarding the Most Popular Driver Award in the Modified Tour from

468-495: A decal displayed on the cars and with Woody Pitkat driving Ted Christopher's modified. Stafford Motor Speedway retired his number 13 from its weekly modified racing. The NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series dropped a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in favor of Las Vegas . New Hampshire replaced the series with the "Full Throttle Weekend", with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Musket 250. It became

546-436: A few small exceptions. The AMRA, or American Motor Racing Association also follows this popular formula for modifieds. NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace own and race UMP Modifieds on off weekends from NASCAR. Some tracks sanction modifieds with IMCA-like specifications, such as Slinger Super Speedway . IMCA designed a new lower-cost class of SportMod cars in 2004 to complement its Modified division. The division

624-528: A roll cage installed, and a souped-up motor. NASCAR began by organizing the modifieds, and ran its first race in Daytona Beach in February 1948 at the beach road course. (In June 1949, NASCAR organized its first " strictly stock " later model car race at Charlotte, North Carolina, which evolved into its well known premiere division.) What started out as minor modifications to the cars became visibly apparent as

702-699: A separate Dirt Modified Tour in 2005. In late 2004, NASCAR bought out the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (SMART), and promptly renamed it the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. The southern tour uses exactly the same set of rules as the northern tour, but races primarily in the southeastern section of the US. The majority of races on the southern tour schedule occur before late April and after August as not to interfere with weekly racing at Bowman Gray Stadium . Once per year,

780-521: A step which could bend in hard impacts rather than passing the force to the driver. The death of Tom Baldwin, Sr. in 2004 led to more safety modifications, with HANS devices (or equivalents) and left side headrests becoming mandatory. For the 2008 season, rear bumpers were shortened in response to the 2007 death of John Blewett III . After a severed wheel caused a fatality at an Indy Racing League event at Lowe's Motor Speedway , NASCAR, in July 1999, required

858-783: A very successful career. Coby would form his own team in partnership with Steve Pickens, scoring one win at WMMP. Jon Mckennedy showed great speed on his way to second in points driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing , while Craig Lutz had a breakout year scoring wins at Jennerstown and Thompson. 2021 saw the WMT return to two popular southern venues in Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway , as well as an additional race at both Oswego Speedway and Riverhead Raceway . Lancaster Raceway and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway also made their returns after long stretches without WMT races. Patrick Emerling proved

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936-509: A worthy competitor to Justin Bonsignore, as the two ran head to head right down to the wire at the final race of the season at Stafford Speedway . Bonsignore would celebrate a long awaited win at the storied CT race track as he clinched the 2021 title on the strength of 2 wins. Cup series regular Ryan Preece would have a solid year, scoring wins at New Hampshire, Stafford, and Richmond. Tragically his car owner Eddie Partridge would pass away in

1014-444: Is a "manufacturers" logo placed on the car, and a logo indicating the type of road car it is alleged to be. Neither logo is actually associated with the actual manufacturer of the race vehicle. Whelen Modified cars are also largely fabricated from sheetmetal, with the front wheels and much of the front suspension exposed. A NASCAR Whelen Modified car is 11 in (280 mm) shorter in height and over 23 in (580 mm) wider than

1092-614: Is a 5/8th scale of a Dirt Modified. Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Modified Division is NASCAR's oldest division, and is the only open-wheeled division that NASCAR sanctions. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events are mainly held in

1170-425: Is aimed at attracting younger drivers as an entry-level class. It closely follows UMP's Modified rules, with a few exceptions. The engine must be a 2300cc Ford Pinto (also known as a Lima) inline 4-cylinder, and the drivers can be no younger than 12, nor older than 18. Some tracks will allow children aged 10 or 11 to race if the track's insurance will allow. The KidModz are also allowed to run tubular chassis, whereas

1248-535: Is divided into Northern SportMods and Southern SportMods divisions. The Northern SportMods have a few small differences from the Southern SportMods in the body of the car. These cars are somewhat smaller and have less powerful engines. They can be differentiated from IMCA Modifieds because the car has a break in the body that extends from the rear roof to the spoiler at the rear. This relatively inexpensive (when compared to their "adult" counterparts) racing series

1326-527: Is now known as an asphalt-oval-only series, this was not always the case. The series originally started on dirt, and as more and more asphalt tracks opened, the series migrated to racing on the newer tracks. The series also had previously made forays into road racing with stops at Watkins Glen International in New York . Drivers like Bobby Allison and Red Farmer started in the NASCAR Modified series, which

1404-506: Is the only Northeast dirt modified series to present two events offering $ 50,000-plus to win annually: one at Port Royal Speedway in Pennsylvania and another at Fonda Speedway in New York. While modified racing remained popular on the east coast, varieties of the " strictly stock " / " late models " became the primary class in other parts of the country. In the late 1970s, the dirt modified

1482-443: Is usually a coil-over setup, with a torsion-bar set-up for the rear suspension. They utilize full tube chassis, which to the untrained eye, looks like a sprint car chassis, but is much different in reality. The small block or "358 modifieds" emerged from NASCAR's Sportsman division , which had been formed in 1950 as NASCAR's short track race division. The sportsman cars were older model cars and could be modified, but not as much as

1560-534: The Arkansas , Louisiana , and Texas area. They are called Ark-La-Tex Winged Modifieds. These outlaw modifieds sport full tube chassis, and bodies that look like the Advanced Auto Parts Super DIRTcar racers, with the exception of the sprint car -like wing affixed to the roofs of the cars. These cars can also be found deeper into Texas such as Dallas and Waco. They are not always bodies that look like

1638-874: The Chevrolet Cavalier and Monte Carlo , the Dodge Avenger and Stealth , the Ford Mustang and Escort , the Plymouth Laser and Sundance , and the Pontiac Sunbird , J2000, and Grand Prix . Richie Evans ' 1985 death at Martinsville, along with other asphalt modified fatalities such as Charlie Jarzombek (in 1987), Corky Cookman (1987), Tommy Druar (1989), Don Pratt (1989), and Tony Jankowiak (1990), led to questions about car rigidity with tour modifieds, and safety changes. In particular, straight frame rails were phased out, with new chassis required to have

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1716-585: The Modified series cars . By 1967 the limitations had evolved to include small block engines, a single carburetor and pump gasoline. The norm for many NASCAR-sanctioned tracks was that Modifieds and Sportsmen raced side by side, but top-finishing Sportsmen received bonus money, and separate points were tallied for both divisions. Looking to differentiate the Sportsman as a truly separate class, and expecting spectators to relate better to newer model cars, NASCAR dropped

1794-516: The NASCAR All-Star Race schedule at North Wilkesboro Speedway (which hosted a standalone race in October 2024 that became part of a CARS Tour and SMART Modified weekend because of Hurricane Helene). Typically, a name driver is recruited to participate in the race to pique the interest of casual fans. For example, Cup Series driver Carl Edwards and defending Cup champion Tony Stewart raced in

1872-542: The 1960s, with aftermarket performance parts and later-model chassis (such as the 1955–57 Chevrolet's frame) becoming more common. Modifieds became known for technical innovation, both in homebuilt parts and in adapting components from other types of vehicles. By 1970, many modifieds featured big-block engines, fuel injection, eighteen-inch-wide rear tires, radically offset engine locations, and other technologies that made them faster on short tracks than any full-bodied race cars including Grand National cars. The predecessor to

1950-584: The 1970s, but the competition and will to win has remained the same. The ultra-fast, super nimble cars race primarily in the Northeastern US and in Canada , but have had a race added in the Midwest on the 2007 and the 2008 schedules. NASCAR and World of Outlaws Late Model driver Tim McCreadie came from this series, as did World of Outlaws Late Model drivers Tim Fuller and Vic Coffey. All of those drivers still race in

2028-577: The 21st century, several books about historical modified drivers have been published. The series was featured in the EA Sports NASCAR series starting in NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup , though beginning with NASCAR 08 , the series became exclusive to PlayStation 2 releases; additionally, all Whelen Modified Tour drivers in the aforementioned games (and NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona , the first video game to feature

2106-785: The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar racer with a wing, some of the Winged Modifieds use bodies called skinny bodies that are not currently being made, but some drivers still have these. Winged Modified racing began at Boothill Speedway in Greenwood, LA and spread throughout the area, soon Heart O' Texas Speedway in Waco was running them, so on Friday nights anybody from the Ark-La-Tex went to Waco and drove Winged Modifieds there, and on Saturday nights they were at Boothill Speedway. Some of

2184-563: The Cup Series, but Whelen Modified Tour engines use a small four-barrel carburetor (rated at 390 cu ft [11 m ] per minute, about half the airflow of previous modified carburetors), which limits their output to 625 to 700 hp (466 to 522 kW). On large tracks such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway , the engines must have a restrictor plate between the carburetor and intake manifold, reducing engine power and car speed for safety reasons. Approved "body styles" for 2006 include

2262-617: The Cup level. Other WMT veterans such as Ryan Preece , Mike McLaughlin , and Jeff Fuller have advanced to become race winners and championship contenders in the Xfinity Series, the top minor league under the Cup Series. Two-time Xfinity Series champion Randy Lajoie also began racing modifieds in Connecticut before moving on the NASCAR. Randy’s son, Corey Lajoie has also won in the Modified Tour. Son of Mike McLaughlin, Max has also competed in

2340-652: The Featherlite Modified Series teams (and eventually all NASCAR teams) to add steel cables as tethers linking each front spindle to the chassis, the steel cables were later replaced with marine rope which is stronger and weighs less. The series has been a minor league with a strong and loyal regional following. Most national media attention has appeared in racing-centered publications (magazines such as Stock Car Racing Magazine and Speedway Illustrated , and newspapers such as National Speed Sport News and Speedway Scene ) rather than general mass media. In

2418-635: The IMCA/WISSOTA/UMP Modifieds have to have sections of frames from stock production automobiles, with other sections being steel tubing. These cars are offered for sale completely assembled and ready-to-race for under $ 20,000. The unassembled price is lower. Found in the Midwestern United States , the Great Lakes Outlaw Modifieds (GLOM) are a cross between IMCA Modifieds and UMP Late Models . These cars have nearly

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2496-581: The July 2006 race. In the past, they have raced at Bristol Motor Speedway and been part of INDYCAR races at Richmond and New Hampshire. Certain drivers are notable specifically for their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour careers. The following drivers were named to the NASCAR Modified all-time top 10 list in 2003: Wade Cole (March 9, 1953 – March 15, 2020) was a fixture in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Between 1985 and 2019, Cole competed in 371 NWMT races, achieving 7 top ten finishes. He earned

2574-570: The Modified Tour. Cup Series crew chiefs that started in WMT include Tommy Baldwin Jr. and Greg Zipadelli . Flosports has live coverage of all races, with some tape-delayed on CNBC. In 2023, the Modified Tour has support races with the New Smyrna Speedway meeting that is part of Daytona 500 ancillary events, and is part of Cup Series at Richmond Raceway , New Hampshire Motor Speedway , and Martinsville Speedway . Starting in 2025, they will join

2652-485: The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was NASCAR's National Modified Championship, which was determined by total points from weekly NASCAR-sanctioned races as well as a schedule of national championship races. Parts of the northeastern and southeastern US were hotbeds of modified racing in the 1950s and 1960s; some racers competed five nights per week or more. Often the same car was raced on both dirt and paved tracks, changing only tires and perhaps springs and shock absorbers. In

2730-712: The North Wilkesboro races part of the Cup weekend. To enable more than a few teams to contend seriously for the championship, it was decided to reformat the Modified Division's championship to a limited schedule of races not conflicting with one another. This change mirrored similar format changes to the Grand National Division starting in 1972 and the Late Model Sportsman Division (now Xfinity Series ) starting in 1982. Richie Evans ran 66 NASCAR modified features (and several unsanctioned events such as

2808-725: The Northeast but can be found from Florida to Texas to Michigan under different sanctioning bodies, as well as unsanctioned local classes. The rules packages may vary greatly. The Midwest Modifieds Tour started in 1989 as the E-Mod Series at Mount Lawn Speedway near Indianapolis IN. It has undergone several name changes including ICAR, NSTA Top Speed Modified Tour, and the USA Modified Series. This travelling series races at local short tracks in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. In 2013 they raced for

2886-554: The Race of Champions) in 1984, the final year of the old system. The modern-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was first held in 1985 with 29 races, named the "NASCAR Winston Modified Tour". It switched sponsorship to the Featherlite Trailers brand in 1994, and was renamed the "NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series". Two major changes to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour came in 2005. In 2005, Whelen Engineering took over sponsorship of

2964-914: The US' biggest legends started racing winged modifieds such as Sprint Car Veteran Gary Wright of Hooks, Texas, National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer and Boothill Speedway Hall of Fame Inductee Doug Ingalls of Longview, Texas, Boothill Speedway Hall of Fame inductee "Papa" Ray Ingalls of Longview, Texas, Late Model Veteran and Boothill Speedway Hall of Fame inductee Ronny Adams of Greenwood, Louisiana, Heart O' Texas Speedway Wall of Fame inductee Eldon Dotson of Allen, Texas, Heart O' Texas Speedway Wall of Fame inductee Joe Sturdivant of Elgin, Texas, and 2010 Ark-La-Tex Wing Modified Champion, 2011 SMP Series Longhorn Champion and 38th Annual Louisiana State Dirt Track Championships winner at Boothill Speedway 19-year-old Tyler Townsend from Longview, Texas. One type of outlaw modified in Alberta , Canada , races on both dirt and asphalt, with

3042-465: The United States after World War II , this type of racing was early-on characterized by its participants' modification of passenger cars in pursuit of higher speeds, hence the name. There are many sanctioning bodies for modifieds, each specifying different body styles and engine sizes. A typical early "modified stock car" was, as its name implies, generally a stock automobile, with the glass removed,

3120-549: The beach course at Daytona Beach, Florida. Red Byron won the event and 11 more races that year, and won the first NASCAR Modified Championship. (The Strictly Stock Division, which evolved into today's premier Cup Series, did not race until 1949.) Post- World War II modifieds were a form of "stock car" (contrasted against purpose-built AAA championship cars , sprints, and midgets) which allowed some modification, typically substitution of stronger truck parts. Most cars were pre-WWII coupes and coaches. This pattern continued through

3198-467: The bodies were channeled and lowered. The car builders started mixing and matching components from different car makers. Some modified classes are no longer based on any current production vehicles. Modified racing remained popular, particularly on the east coast, and grew away from " strictly stock " or " Late Models " and became akin to both stock cars and open-wheel cars. Until the early 1970s, drivers typically competed on both dirt and asphalt surfaces with

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3276-484: The cast-iron cylinder heads. These cars are set apart from most modified racing series in that they do not utilize roofs on the cars. US Legend Cars International of Charlotte, North Carolina , created the Legends series (while they were named 600 Motorsports) as a way of attracting more and younger people into racing with affordable cars. The cars were designed to be 5/8-scale 1930s and 1940s coupes and sedans cars raced in

3354-535: The dirt tracks in northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada, became eager for standardized rules. In 1976, the Driver's Independent Race Tracks (DIRT) was organized, and rules were implemented where the driver sits in the middle of the car, with high-downforce, wind-channeling tunnels on either side of him. Other promoters and sanctioning bodies in the region adopted similar rules shortly thereafter. The roofs are very flat, and tilted to catch additional air. The front suspension

3432-655: The drivers. The Driver's Independent Race Tracks (DIRT) was acquired by Boundless Racing in June 2004 which had purchased the World of Outlaws in February of that year. In November 2004, Boundless Racing changed its name to DIRT Motorsports and began doing business as the World Racing Group . In December of the same year, DIRT Motorsports bought Midwestern sanctioning body UMP . The former DIRT big-block (and small block) modified series has seen many changes in their car designs since

3510-433: The early 1970s. These modifieds sit on large slick tires that are exposed on all four corners of the car. The roofs of these cars are more rounded than the other types of modifieds, their bodies look somewhat squashed and have large spoilers on the rear of the cars. Drivers sit on the left side of the car, and most of the time will have some type of small plastic windshield in front of them. Asphalt Modifieds are most popular in

3588-563: The engine sizes across its member tracks to 320 cubic inches, and later to 358 cubic inches. In 1983, the Mr. Dirt 320 Modified Championship trail was created, pitting the "St. Lawrence Valley small blocks" against their counterparts in the Hudson Valley and the Twin Tiers regions of Pennsylvania and New York, thus restoring the status of the class throughout the Northeast. Not to be confused with

3666-528: The fall of 2016. The track's signature race is the non-champion Islip 300 , named for the now-defunct speedway on Long Island, which began in 2016. The open competition event allows cars run to any of four different series ("Tour Type" modifieds) specifications. Notable drivers who used to race at Riverhead Raceway include Steve Park and his uncle Bill Park, Greg Sacks , Charlie Jarzombek , Brett Bodine , Tom Baldwin , Donny Lia , and 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece . Riverhead Raceway

3744-464: The first time on a road course, near South Haven, Michigan, at Gingerman Raceway. The series changed hands for 2017, from ICAR to NSTA, after being purchased by John Robbins (nephew of the former ASA pioneers) from Dave Muzillo. The NASCAR Whelen Modified series is the only remaining NASCAR series from the sanctioning body's original season in 1948. The original style of NASCAR modifieds actually pre-dates NASCAR's existence by many years. Though it

3822-454: The first time since the merger of the northern tour and the southern tour . Beginning with 2019, all NASCAR modified events will be live on Fanschoice.tv . The 2020 season was one of constant change, as the planned season was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many races were postponed or cancelled, while others were added to help fill the schedule. Justin Bonsignore, on

3900-454: The former NASCAR Sportsman class, in 1987 a new Sportsman Division was created by the DIRT organization to help new and underfunded drivers learn how to work with and drive the same chassis as a modified. Although cars are identical to the naked eye, the sportsman engines are about 500 horsepower compared to the 750-800 horsepower, 467-cubic inch big blocks in the modifieds. The new division increased

3978-422: The gate revenues at the pit window, and created new customers for modified teams to sell their used cars to. It also put more cars on the market in the offseason, lowering prices and allowing both divisions to grow. Promotors in the northeast have also introduced a Limited Sportsman class. Although there may be some cost saving restrictions on the cars, the primary limitation rests with the experience level of

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4056-488: The hours after the win at Richmond. The loss was huge for the modified racing community, as Partridge was one of the strongest supporters of modifieds over the years, fielding cars in many series, as well as saving the Riverhead Raceway. Doug Coby made a bold move to miss the first race at Oswego to run in the inaugural Superstar Racing Experience race at Stafford - a move that proved fruitful as he would go on to beat

4134-488: The late 1960s and early 1970s, the technology of dirt and pavement modifieds diverged to make them separate types of race car. NASCAR was no longer sanctioning dirt tracks which held modified races, so the NASCAR modified rules became the standard for asphalt Modifieds. (Starting in the early 1970s, northeastern US dirt modified racetracks began to join the DIRT organization founded by Glenn Donnelly.) Most unsanctioned tracks used similar modified rules to NASCAR's, or specified

4212-671: The longest race on the tour (250 laps, 264.5 miles (425.7 km)). The weekend also featured the NASCAR K&;N Pro Series East with the Apple Barrel 125 (which featured a driver from the Euro series and another from the Mexico series , and, for the first time since its formation in 2007, a NASCAR Pinty's Series race outside of Canada (the Granite 100). For 2019, the tour went back to South Boston for

4290-561: The managing partners of the speedway decided to hold open tour type modified races instead. This did not prove popular amongst fans and teams alike, however TSMP returned to the WMT schedule for the 2022 season. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars are substantially different from their NASCAR Cup Series counterparts. Today's cars are based on tubular chassis built by fabricators such as Troyer Engineering, Chassis Dynamics, Spafco, Raceworks and Fury Race Cars / LFR Chassis. Bodies are related to their passenger car counterparts in only two ways. There

4368-424: The merger and Myrtle Beach was added to start the season. During the 2017 season, Ted Christopher died in a plane crash near North Branford on September 16 enroute to race at a tour event that night at Riverhead Raceway . The car owner later dropped out of the event and Christopher was credited with a Did Not Start and last place position. Christopher was honored during the next race held at New Hampshire with

4446-565: The most NASCAR championships in the Modifieds, won his last championship posthumously in 1985, the first year of the Winston Modified Tour. Driving his own designed and built cars and maintained in his own shop in Rome, NY for sponsor concrete magnate B.R. DeWitt, Evans won 12 of his 28 starts on the tour, including five consecutive victories at five tracks in July and August. Billy Nacewicz was

4524-542: The most successful racing organizations, boasting an average of 80–100 Dwarf Cars at 4 National, and several regional, events a year. There is also a class of Dwarf Cars that race on dirt called the Vintage Lite Series. They race a mixed field of cars, some resembling the vintage cars and some scaled-down versions of the current modified dirt cars (these cars are often referred to as the MiniMods). ModLites . A ModLite

4602-582: The northeastern United States, but the 2007 and 2008 tours expanded to the Midwest with the addition of a race in Mansfield, Ohio . The tour races primarily on short oval paved tracks, but the NWMT also has made appearances at larger ovals and road courses. The NASCAR Modified Division was formed as part of NASCAR's creation in December 1947. NASCAR held a modified race as its first sanctioned event, on February 15, 1948, on

4680-525: The northern tour and the southern tour race at Bristol Motor Speedway , in Bristol, Tennessee. The two tours were permanently merged for the 2016 season. The SMART Tour made an official full time return in 2021. The late Dick Tobias from Pennsylvania revolutionized the chassis of the dirt track modified stock car class in the early 1970s by producing an entirely homemade chassis constructed of tubular steel. Race promotors, drivers and car builders who focused on

4758-455: The old Ford flathead V8 and Chevrolet inline 6 cylinders . In 1968, they updated their rules to allow the newer small block engines, and the nearby Evans Mills Speedway opened with similar rules. Propelled by the strong economics of southeastern Canada's metropolitan areas, the "small blocks" became the premiere class in the St. Lawrence River Valley. The DIRT organization eventually standardized

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4836-573: The past in the NASCAR Modified Tour . They all have a tube chassis and spec 1250 cc Yamaha Motorcycle engines. Dwarf cars are similar to the Legends cars, in that they are scale replicas of vintage race cars. The similarity ends there, as Dwarf cars are true open "modified-style" cars without fenders, and have a 1,250 cc (76 cu in) limitation on the engine size. The Western States Dwarf Car Association, begun in 1993, has become one of

4914-813: The pre-war coupes and sedans for the 1968 season, substituting the Late Model Sportsman Series (later to become the Xfinity Series ) with 1955 and newer bodies. Several non-sanctioned venues in the Northeast continued to run a combined support class with old and new bodied sportsman. Notably the Watertown Speedway in Northern New York had a shared rule book with the Kingston Speedway in Ontario, Canada limiting engines for their primary class to

4992-442: The same car. Modified cars resemble a hybrid of open wheel cars and stock cars. The rear wheels are covered by fenders but the front wheels and engine are left exposed. There are sanctioning bodies that control the rules for this class at most tracks. Each sanctioning body has their own set of guidelines provided in an annual rule book and their own registration fees. Modifieds designed solely for asphalt surfaces began appearing in

5070-399: The same cars with cost-limiting rules such as smaller engines or narrow tires. In the 1980s, it became prohibitively expensive for modified teams to tow long distances to sixty or more races per year, including Watkins Glen International and Daytona International Speedway , Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, North Wilkesboro Speedway , and Martinsville Speedway , with

5148-399: The same cars. Started in the mid-1980s, the Alberta Outlaw Modified Racing Association (AOMRA) races in Alberta , British Columbia , and Saskatchewan . They look like a cross between IMCA modifieds and old NASCAR modifieds. Organized in Florida in the 1970s, these Outlaw Modifieds are fairly unusual. They are built on tube chassis with coil over shocks. 10-inch-wide (250 mm) tires and

5226-465: The same hand-made aluminum bodies as their UMP Late Model counterparts (without front fenders), have tubular chassis and sport unrestricted engines with aluminum engine blocks and heads. They also are allowed to utilize quick-change rear ends and aluminum wheels, whereas the IMCA modifieds are forced to race with heavier cast-iron engines, partial stock frames, steel wheels and Ford 9-inch (230 mm) rear ends. One type of Outlaw Modified can be found in

5304-482: The season ended in tragedy when Evans was killed in an accident while practicing for the final race of the tour season, the Winn-Dixie 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He had already clinched the title; Mike McLaughlin, driving for Len Boehler, finished second in the points standings. Following the 2016 season , the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour ceased operation and was merged with the Whelen Modified Tour. For 2017 , Bristol and Charlotte were brought over in

5382-468: The series on a part-time basis, between 10 and 30 times a year. Notable drivers having competed in DIRTcar modifieds include Bobby Allison , Tony Stewart , Andrew Ranger , Dave Blaney , Carl Edwards , J. J. Yeley and David Reutimann . Originated in 2013 by Brett Deyo and BD Motorsports Media LLC, the Short Track Super Series expanded by 2022 to 20 different race tracks in New York, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Florida and Louisiana. It

5460-407: The series) are fictional characters specifically created for the games. No full-time Cup Series driver competed regularly in Whelen Modified Tour events until 2010, when Ryan Newman won at Bristol and won twice at New Hampshire driving for Kevin Manion . However, Ron Bouchard , Geoff Bodine , Brett Bodine , Steve Park , and Jimmy Spencer went on from WMT competition to become race winners at

5538-418: The series, which was renamed the "NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour". Beginning in 2005 NASCAR sanctioned a new modified division in the southeastern United States known as the Whelen Southern Modified Tour . The two tours agreed to run a combined race at Martinsville Speedway . Richie Evans , the first NASCAR national touring division driver to capture nine national championships is tied with Mike Stefanik for

5616-588: The sides, and lack the downforce generating tunnels the Northeast dirt modifieds sport. The driver sits on the left side. Organized in 1915, the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) is the oldest racing sanctioning body in the US. IMCA introduced the "E-Mod" (or Economy Modified) in 1979. It has become one of the most popular dirt racing classes due to its simple design, light-weight, high power, and ability to adapt to varying track conditions easily. Most IMCA-style classes also boast

5694-454: The star studded field in front of a live national TV audience. The win parlayed Coby to his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck series start, scoring a 12th place finish at Bristol driving the GMS Racing 24 truck. A large story line was the absence of any races at the fabled Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park . After being on the WMT schedule every year since the tours inception in 1985,

5772-563: The strength of 3 wins, won the championship. Jennerstown returned to the Tour for the first time in 2006, hosting two races, while New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park hosted back-to-back races that were the WMT's first ever visit to the beautiful bullring in White Mountains. 6 time champion Doug Coby saw his Mike Smeriglio III Racing team close as Smeriglio chose to retire after

5850-419: The team's crew chief. Other strong contenders on the tour included Stefanik, George Kent, Jimmy Spencer , Brian Ross, Reggie Ruggiero , Brett Bodine , Charlie Jarzombek , Jeff Fuller , George Brunnhoelzl, Doug Heveron , Jamie Tomaino, John Rosati, Corky Cookman, Greg Sacks , Mike McLaughlin , and Bugs Stevens. Many other top racers focused on their local tracks but ran limited tour schedules. In October,

5928-563: Was featured as a filming location in the HBO series The Sopranos under the name "Chikamauga Raceway". It appears in Season 5, Episode 7 - " In Camelot ". Track also in the documentary "The last race" Modified racing#Asphalt modifieds Modified stock car racing , also known as modified racing and modified , is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks . First established in

6006-487: Was popular both in the south and the Northeast. Many NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have come from this series, including Ryan Preece , Jimmy Spencer , Geoff Bodine and Steve Park . The Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series was first developed by Andrew Harpell in 1994 as the New York Modified Series. Harpell subsequently purchased the historic Race of Champions, and rebranded the series upon creation of

6084-424: Was re-introduced in the Midwest as a mid-level class between late models and hobby stocks. One of the most notable differences in the Midwest modified series cars is the use of stock production car frame sections as part of the racing chassis. These cars also race on smaller tires than the other types of modifieds, with most sanctioning bodies specifying the same tire. The Midwest dirt modified bodies are very flat on

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