NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Expands By Three

Outlaw Speedway Makes History In Oklahoma
Kopellah Speedway Increases Dirt Presence In Wisconsin
North Carolina’s Caraway Speedway Adds Friday Program

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 16, 2009) – NASCAR announced today three new track sanctions for the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season: Outlaw Motor Speedway in Muskogee, Okla., Kopellah Speedway in St. Croix Falls, Wisc., and a second night of racing at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.

The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series has been the national championship short-track program for NASCAR since 1982 and encompasses tracks throughout the United States and Canada.

“Short track racing throughout North America is the heart and soul of NASCAR,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “The addition of these three racing programs – from making history by racing in Oklahoma, to more dirt track racing in Wisconsin, to another night of racing at one of North Carolina’s historic venues – will continue to bring the excitement and passion of NASCAR racing home to the fans that make up the foundation of this sport.”

Outlaw, a .375-mile clay oval, becomes the first track in The Sooner State to join the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The track’s season opens on March 13, and the Modified division will be the Feature Division. Outlaw Motor Speedway will also host its Grand National, 360 Modifieds, Factory Stocks and Pure Stocks each week. Champions of those divisions in 2009 respectively were Joe Duvall, Kevin Flock, Patrick Goodnight, Ronnie Palmer and Kyle Slader. The track will operate on Friday nights.

“We’ve been in discussions with NASCAR for some time,” said Lynn Skinner, who operates the five-year-old track with Danny Womack and facility manager Eric Shannon. “We’re proud to partner with NASCAR to be the first and only NASCAR-sanctioned track in the state.”

NASCAR’s dirt track presence in Wisconsin will expand with the addition of Kopellah. The .250-mile clay oval is located about a half-hour drive from NASCAR-sanctioned Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisc. Kopellah’s Feature Division is the Midwest Modifieds.

Kopellah Speedway has been operated by Marguerite Lindblom since 1999 and operates on Friday nights. Opening day is scheduled for April 23.

“Being part of NASCAR will benefit our racers, our track and our community,” Lindblom said. “We’ll be part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at the home town level. I really believe in this program.”

Jason Vandekamp of Forest Lake, Minn., won the Midwest Modified track championship at Kopellah and Cedar Lake in 2009. Kopellah Speedway will also host its Hobby Stock, Pure Stock and Hornets divisions each Friday.

Caraway, a .455-mile paved oval in Asheboro, N.C., has added a weekly Friday night NASCAR-sanctioned racing program for the 2010 season. The addition enhances the track’s long-time weekly Saturday night racing program.

“We’ve been hosting races two nights a week since 1999 and we’ve been kicking around the idea of sanctioning our Friday night events for several years,” track operator Russell Hackett said. “It’s time for our Friday guys to get more recognition and be eligible for their own NASCAR point fund.”

The Sportsman Division will be Caraway’s Friday night featured division. Joining them will be the Late Model Super Trucks, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks. Saturday night’s fare includes Late Model Stock Cars, Limited Sportsman, Super Mini Trucks and Pure Stocks. Race time each night is 8 p.m.

Caraway Speedway opened as a dirt track in 1966 and was paved in 1972 when the Hackett family took over the operation. It was been part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series since 1994. Graduates of NASCAR weekly racing at Caraway include track champion drivers such as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, 18-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race winner Dennis Setzer, and 1995 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Mike Skinner. Three-time Late Model division track champion Travis Swaim also won the 2009 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series North Carolina state championship.

Competitors from the three programs are part of a network of NASCAR home tracks across the United States and Canada. At each track, the featured division participants will be eligible to compete for track and state championships, point funds and, ultimately, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national title.

State or province champions are determined by drivers’ highest 18 finishes at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks within a state.

Since its inception, NASCAR’s national short-track racing series has served as a springboard in the careers of many top drivers. NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler and Brian Vickers all began their careers racing at their local short tracks.

NASCAR Announces 2010 Whelen Southern Modified Tour Schedule
Four New Tracks Added To Schedule; Series Returns To Bristol

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2009) – NASCAR has announced the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule, which is highlighted by four new tracks and traditional stops at historic venues.

The 2010 season – the sixth for the Whelen Southern Modified Tour – will open and close on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends as the quarter-mile tracks at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway will play host to the Tour for the first time. Atlanta’s “Thunder Ring” will be the site of the Southern Tour season-opener on March 5 and the 2010 champion will be crowned at Charlotte on Oct. 14 at the quarter-mile track made popular by the “Summer Shootout Series.”

“The 2010 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule features an exciting blend of traditional stops with new venues, and an opportunity to both open the season and crown a champion in conjunction with high-profile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations. “We are very pleased to have these new venues on board to feature the Tour as it continues to establish roots throughout the southeast.”

A third national series companion event is slated for a return visit to the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” After the success of the inaugural event at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2009, the high-banked facility will return to the schedule in 2010, once again as a combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The Modifieds will run as a part of a doubleheader on Aug. 18 with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

In addition to the Atlanta and Charlotte bullrings, also new to the Whelen Southern Modified Tour’s schedule will be .4-mile tracks Langley Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway. Langley, which has a history of NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series events in its storied past, will welcome the Southern Modified Tour to Hampton, Va., on Sept. 4. Tri-County, located in Hudson, N.C., is on the schedule for Sept. 25.

Whelen Southern Modified Tour staple Caraway Speedway will play host to three events on March 14, July 2 and Aug. 28. The .455-mile high-banked track in Asheboro, N.C., has held more Southern Tour races than any other facility with 29.

A pair of historic facilities will also welcome back the Whelen Southern Modified Tour in 2010. Perhaps the most storied Modified track in the south, Bowman Gray Stadium will feature the Southern Tour on Aug. 7 at its venerable quarter-mile in Winston-Salem, N.C., while South Boston (Va.) Speedway is slated to bring the Southern Tour back for the second year in a row on April 3. This year’s race at South Boston will be run as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Series East.

NASCAR Announces 2010 Whelen Modified Tour Schedule
Companion Events At Bristol and Loudon Return; Lime Rock And Monadnock Added

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2009) – NASCAR has announced the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, which is highlighted by 14 events in five states with two venues added.

Staples on the schedule since the Whelen Modified Tour’s inception, Connecticut ovals Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson International Speedway will once again play host to seven combined events in 2010. The half mile at Stafford will entertain the Tour four times and Thompson three, including the season-opener on April 11 and the finale on Oct. 17.

Also returning to the schedule will be the traditional events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 26 and Sept. 18 in Loudon, N.H. The Whelen Modified Tour, which has a history of producing exciting finishes at the “Magic Mile,” held its 50th all-time event at The Granite State oval this past fall.

After the success of the inaugural event at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2009, the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” will return to the schedule in 2010, once again as a combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. The Modifieds will run as a part of a doubleheader on Aug. 18 with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“NASCAR is pleased to announce that the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will once again feature some of the premier short tracks and speedways that New England and the eastern region has to offer, as well as the exciting addition of a road course back to the schedule,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations.

The 2010 schedule will feature two venue additions: Lime Rock Park and Monadnock Speedway.

The 1.53-mile road course at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., will play host to the Whelen Modified Tour for the first time on July 3 as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Series East. It will mark the first time the Tour has competed on a road course since 2000. There have been six previous road course races in Tour history, all at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The competitors will run the course in the traditional clockwise fashion, but will utilize the “new course.”

The July 17 event at Monadnock, located in Winchester, N.H., will mark the return for the Whelen Modified Tour to the quarter-mile oval for the first time in two decades. The Tour held five events there from 1986-90.

Other 2010 schedule highlights include:

• In addition to the first and last races of the year, Thompson will also play host to the Tour on Aug. 12. Thompson has held 109 Tour races all-time, the most of any venue.
• Stafford will have the traditional Spring Sizzler (April 25) and Fall Final (Oct. 3) events, which will bookmark mid-season dates at the historic half mile on May 28 and Aug. 6. The May race will be extended to 125 laps in 2010. Stafford’s 94 all-time Tour races are second only to Thompson’s total.
• Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway will return to the schedule on July 31. Riverhead and Thompson are the only venues to play host to the Whelen Modified Tour in each season of its existence.
• Martinsville (Va.) Speedway will welcome the Whelen Modified Tour for the 35th time on June 6. In a change for 2010, Martinsville will be a doubleheader with the Camping World Series East, and not a combination race with the Whelen Southern Modified Tour. The 2010 race will be 200 laps just like in 2009.

Morris Crowned Champ At Whelen All-American Series Banquet

CONCORD, N.C. - A week of activities and celebration in the hub of NASCAR racing concluded Friday evening as Philip Morris was crowned national champion at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet in the Embassy Suites and Concord Convention Center.

Morris, from Ruckersville, Va., joined Larry Phillips as the only drivers in the history of the Whelen All-American Series program to earn three or more championships with yet another stellar performance in 2009. Morris finished first in the nation in 2006 and 2008, and a third national title this season was accented by his seventh track championship at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., and a third straight Virginia State Championship.

"What a great privilege it has been to drive the No. 26 Clarence's Steakhouse car," Morris said. "Since combining forces with Clarence and Allen Pickurel, it seems like a blur of one celebration after another."

Morris recorded nine wins, 20 top fives and 23 top 10s in 28 starts this season and accumulated 841 points to clinch the title by 25 over Keith Rocco of Wallingford, Conn.

As driver and owner of the No. 26 Chevrolet Late Model, Morris also took home the Lincoln Electric Car Owner Award and his crew chief, Chad McCoy, was recognized with the Lunati Crew Chief Award.

"This team has incredible depth and expertise," Morris said. "Every man contributed to this championship. As a car owner I marvel at their pursuit of excellence, self control, focus and selflessness."

Rocco, who competed in the Modified division at three Connecticut ovals (Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson International Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl) during the season and won the track championship at Thompson, had the best season of his career. After finishing third in the nation in 2008, the two-time Connecticut State Champion tallied 13 wins, 31 top fives and 35 top 10s in 45 starts.

Nick Joanides from Woodland Hills, Calif., finished third in the national standings thanks to 13 wins with top-five efforts in each of his 21 starts. Joanides was the California State champion and the track champion at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Headlining the evening's special awards was the inaugural Whelen All-American Series National Rookie of the Year Award presented by Jostens. Jacob Gomez, a 16-year-old from Manteca, Calif., took home the award on the strength of three wins and 14 top 10s in 18 starts between three California short tracks.

Jason Romero, who captured the track title at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., was bestowed the prestigious Wendell Scott Trail Blazer Award. Tommy Lee, the crew chief for driver Eric Blackard at Colorado National Speedway, took home Craftsman Mechanic of the Year honors.

Also honored Friday were:

• NASCAR Whelen All-American U.S. State and Canadian Province champions: Erica Thiering (Alberta), Richie Davis (Arizona), Dave Haworth (British Columbia), Joanides (California), Bruce Yackey (Colorado), Rocco (Connecticut), Paul Antley (Georgia), Ricky Bilderback (Illinois), Andy Eckrich (Iowa), Mark Underwood (Louisiana), Mike Rowe (Maine), Terry Senneker (Michigan), Adam Royle (Minnesota), Bill Leighton Jr. (Nebraska), Jeff Connors (Nevada), Phillip Baril (New Hampshire), John Fortin (New York), Travis Swaim (North Carolina), Donnie Hill (Ohio), Steve Robblee (Ontario), Jeff Strunk (Pennsylvania), Marty Ward (South Carolina), Morris (Virginia), Naima Lang (Washington) and Kevin Nuttleman (Wisconsin).

•NASCAR Whelen All-American track champions: Chris Spieker (Adams County Speedway), Romero (All American Speedway), Joe LeMay (All-Star Speedway), Gord Shepherd (Barrie Speedway), Rowe (Beech Ridge Motor Speedway), Tim Brown (Bowman Gray Stadium), Swaim (Caraway Speedway), Yackey (Colorado National Speedway), Hill (Columbus Motor Speedway), Robblee (Delaware Speedway), Eckrich (Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, West Liberty Speedway), Thiering (Edmonton International Raceway), Lang (Evergreen Speedway), Ron Klein (Farley Speedway), Strunk (Grandview Speedway), Roger Powell (Greenville Pickens Speedway), Andy Mercer (Hickory Motor Speedway), Justin Shepker (Holland Motorsports Complex), Leighton (I-80 Speedway, Junction Motor Speedway), Senneker (Kalamazoo Speedway), Justin Alsip (Kil-Kare Speedway), JT Herbst (LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway), CE Falk III (Langley Speedway), Antley (Lanier National Raceway), Kyle Gottula (Madera Speedway), Underwood (Monroe Motor Speedway), Morris (Motor Mile Speedway), Mark Cottone (Motordrome Speedway), Willard Lawrence II (Old Dominion Speedway), Royle (Raceway Park), Fortin (Riverhead Raceway), Jerry Gille (Rockford Speedway), Justin Johnson (South Boston Speedway), Amy Catalano (Spencer Speedway), Haworth (SunValley Speedway), Adam Hensel (Superior Speedway), Connors (The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Rocco (Thompson International Speedway), Davis (Thunder Raceway) and Joanides (Toyota Speedway at Irwindale).

• NASCAR Whelen All-American U.S. State and Canadian Province Rookies of the Year: Lloyd Spearchief (Alberta), Davis (Arizona), Gomez (California), Nick Burton (Colorado), Joey Allegro (Connecticut), Scott Riechers (Iowa), Underwood (Louisiana), Bradley Babb (Maine), Brian Bergakker (Michigan), Bob White (Minnesota), Timmy Solomito (New York), David Wilson (North Carolina), Sloan Henderson (Ohio), Addison Meitzler (Pennsylvania), Bouchard Paquin (Quebec), Justin Ashley (South Carolina), David Polenz (Virginia) and Natalie Sather (Washington).

For the first time, the Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet was streamed live online at www.nascarhometracks.com. Saturday night's NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala will also be streamed live from the Concord Convention Center, starting at 7 p.m.

NASCARHomeTracks.com to Provide Live Streaming of NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series and NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 4, 2009) – NASCAR’s historic two night celebration of its champions from across North America will feature another first – both the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala will be streamed live online at www.nascarhometracks.com

The awards nights will be held Nov. 13-14 at the Concord (N.C.) Convention Center in an historic two-night celebration of the top drivers in NASCAR’s developmental series.

For the first time, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet will be held in the Charlotte, N.C., area. The event, which honors champions from across North America in the series that is NASCAR’s grassroots foundation, will be Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. ET

The inaugural Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala will be held the following night at 7 ET. The event will bring the top drivers and car owners from NASCAR’s top developmental series on stage for one memorable evening.

Earlier this season, live audio of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race from New Hampshire was streamed on the website to an overwhelmingly positive fan response. In addition, the final two NASCAR Camping World Series East races – from New Hampshire and Dover – could be heard live online.

“NASCAR continues to look at ways to improve the championship racing experience for our fans and to elevate the stature of our developmental racing programs”, said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “We are very pleased to provide unprecedented access to these two special celebrations for the fans of local NASCAR short track racing and our five regional touring series.”

“With moving the banquets to the Charlotte area, we have received tremendous response from drivers, teams and sponsors who plan to attend. We realize, though, that fans do not have the opportunity to travel to North Carolina and be part of these two major events. Being able to view the awards ceremonies live online is a great way for fans across the United States and Canada, and literally around the globe, to become NASCAR VIP virtual guests at these ceremonies, and be able to cheer for their favorite drivers and hometown heroes.”

Invited attendees to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards banquets include the 2009 national champion, U.S. state and Canadian provincial champions, all 58 track champions, the national/state/provincial Rookies of the Year, and the 2009 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner among others.

The NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Gala will feature the champions and top drivers from all of NASCAR’s North American regional touring series including invitees from the NASCAR Camping World Series East, the NASCAR Camping World Series West, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

NASCARHomeTracks.com provides NASCAR.COM with weekly touring series news, photos, standings and results, and features all the latest information from all of NASCAR’s developmental series.

Lia Wins Modified Tour Title, Christopher Takes Thompson Win
Second Championship In Three Years For Long Island Driver

THOMPSON, Conn. (Oct. 25, 2009) – Donny Lia led the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in victories in 2009, but in the end, it was a fourth-place finish in the season finale Sunday in the World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart that was enough to give the Jericho, N.Y., native his second Tour championship in the last three years.

Defending Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher won the race by 1.187-seconds over Ryan Preece, but Lia’s finish was enough to give him the title by 16 points over Preece. It was the closest championship margin since 1996 when Tony Hirschman edged Steve Park by 12 points.

Christopher took the lead for the final time from Lia on Lap 132 and led the rest of the way. However, Christopher was mathematically eliminated from championship contention when the field took the green flag Sunday afternoon. He finished third in the standings, 89 points behind Lia.

In the 25th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Lia joined Mike Stefanik (seven), Tony Hirschman Jr. (five) and Jimmy Spencer (two) as the only drivers to win the championship more than once. In addition, he gave car owner Bob Garbarino his second championship in three seasons. Garbarino had fielded the No. 4 “Mystic Missile” in Modified competition since 1961 for some of the biggest names in the division’s history without winning one until Lia broke through in 2007.

“It feels completely different than the first time we won the championship,” Lia said. “One isn’t really better than the other, it’s just different, I can’t really explain it.”

Lia left in 2008 to run the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series before returning to the seat this season. He won four times in 2009, with victories at Tour staples Thompson, Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, as well as the inaugural visit to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Lia took the points lead for the first time in 2009 with the win at Stafford in the next-to-last race of the season on Oct. 4, but it was a slim 26-point advantage over Preece. After a scheduled week off, the World Series was supposed to run on Oct. 18, but weather postponed the event a week and prolonged the wait for the championship contenders.

“It really feels good to do it [win the title],” Lia said. “I feel like I’ve been walking around with a 100-pound dumbbell on by shoulders for two weeks now, so it really feels good to get it over with.”

Although Preece finished just 16 points back of the championship in just his third Whelen Modified Tour campaign, the runner-up effort on Sunday – his 19th birthday – was his Tour-high eighth podium finish of the season.

“I’m just happy to have a great season,” Preece said. “When we first got in the [number] 3 car, a lot of people had doubts, but we’ve grown as a team and I’ve grown as a driver. I’ve learned a lot, learned to be patient. I really just want to win races, I wanted to win this one bad today.”

Doug Coby finished third in Sunday’s race, followed in the top 10 by Lia, Rowan Pennink, Chris Pasteryak, Erick Rudolph, Kevin Goodale, Ron Silk and Woody Pitkat.

Christopher led twice for 93 laps, while Lia led twice for 57 laps. Lia started on the pole after rain washed out Coors Light Pole Award qualifying Saturday.

The win was the third of the season for Christopher, his ninth triumph at Thompson and his third in the season-ending World Series. Now with the 34 career wins, he is now one victory shy of tying Hirschman for fourth on the Whelen Modified Tour career list.

“It was a great way to end the season,” Christopher said. “I’m glad we ended it like that, winning this race. That car was really, really fast and I was pretty happy with it. Our strategy worked perfect.”

As a touring series champion, Lia earned a protected starting position in the prestigious NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown to be held on Jan. 29-30 at California’s Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The seventh running of the event, which is run in NASCAR Camping World Series cars, brings together the top racers from across North America for the “Daytona 500 of short-track racing.”

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams is the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, N.C. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at which Lia and the rest of the touring series champions will be honored.

Happy Ending: Brunnhoelzl Earns His First NASCAR Championship
Wins finale & claims Whelen Southern Mod title

ASHEBORO, N.C. -- George Brunnhoelzl III capped off his first NASCAR championship a victory in the Fall Classic 150 at Caraway Speedway, the final race of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour season.

Brunnhoelzl needed to only start the finale in his No. 28 OvalSpeed/Fibrwrap/PT Ford to clinch the championship. He assured himself of that by claiming his sixth Coors Light Pole Award of the season which gives him the overall award for the season winning the most poles.. He went on to claim his fifth win of the season and third at Caraway.

The championship was the first NASCAR title for the West Babylon, N.Y. third-generation driver.

“I can’t put into words what this means to me and my family,” Brunnhoelzl said. “I don’t think it has sunk in yet as we have been talking about and waiting (for this night) for a couple of weeks.”

Brunnhoelzl made reference of the three week wait after winning at Ace Speedway on Oct. 2nd and the Fall Classic 150 postponed on its original date on Oct. 10th.

He started fifth after the post-qualifying redraw of the top six, and took over the lead on Lap 73 when Brian Loftin came down pit road under caution. He briefly lost the lead to John Smith at the line on a Lap 142 restart, before retaking the point.

Smith got under Brunnhoelzl on the final lap and the two drag-raced out of Turn 4, with Brunnhoelzl taking the win. Jason Myers followed in third, followed by Frank Fleming and Burt Myers.

Loftin, the 2008 NWSMT champion, appeared to be on pace to collect his second win of the year at Caraway leading the first 73 laps of the race until he gave up the lead to pit under caution.

That gave the lead to Brunnhoelzl and he and Smith broke away from the pack after the restart leading third place Frank Fleming by five car lengths.

Smith was able to stay within striking distance and was pleased with his finish in a new car he raced for the first time.

“I gave it everything I had to get past George but after the luck I have had recently we’ll take it and use that momentum heading into next year,” Smith said.

The race was slowed four times for caution with the only multi-car incident of the race brought out the final yellow of the race on Lap 136 after Bryan Dauzat and Loftin got together on the track. The two once again made contact with one another and Dauzat was black flagged by NASCAR officials for hitting Loftin under caution in Turn 4.

Andy Seuss recovered from a last-lap incident with Zach Brewer to finish sixth and hold on to second place in the season-ending point standings. Seuss finished second to Brunnhoelzl in wins on the Tour this season with four and was happy with his overall performance this season.

“I congratulate George on his championship,” Seuss said. “We had a good year in our Advance Auto Parts Dodge and I want to thank everyone at Riggs Racing and my family and friends for all of their support this season. We’ll come back next year ready to challenge again for the championship.”

Burt Myers, who earlier in the day competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at nearby Martinsville Speedway, finished third in the final standings.

George Brunnhoelzl Jr., a former modified driver himself, was obviously a proud car owner, crew chief and parent.

“I am so proud of George,” he said. “His grandfather won track championships and I won track championships but neither of us won a national championship and I am so proud of what George has done. I took a lot of help from a lot of people to make this happen and I want to thank all of them.”

Brunnhoelzl's best points finish was seventh last year. The 27-year-old West Babylon, N.Y., native entered 2009 with one win in 25 career starts over three seasons. In addition to his five wins this year, he had 13 top fives in 14 races.

As a touring series champion, Brunnhoelzl earned a protected starting position in the prestigious NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown to be held on Jan. 29-30 at California’s Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The seventh running of the event, which is run in NASCAR Camping World Series cars, brings together the top racers from across North America for the “Daytona 500 of short-track racing.”

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour teams is the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, N.C. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at which Brunnhoelzl and the rest of the touring series champions will be honored.

NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Fall Classic 150 Rescheduled

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 13, 2009) – NASCAR announced today the rescheduled date for the Fall Classic 150, the final race of the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour season.

The race will be run Saturday, Oct. 24. The event was rained out from its originally schedule date of Saturday, Oct. 3.

NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour director Sherry Clifton and Caraway Speedway track owner Russ Hackett worked together to finalize the date, which will impact a number of positions in the points standings. Points leader George Brunnhoelzl III can clinch his first NASCAR championship by starting the event.

“Mr. Hackett realizes that NASCAR Championships are rare, sometimes once-in-a-lifetime events,” Clifton said. “Russ felt with so many points positions still up for grabs, it was important to give every team their final chance to do their best and we appreciate the Hackett family’s dedication and support of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour."

Practice for the Fall Classic 150 will begin at 4:30 p.m., with qualifying at 6:30 and the green flag set to fly at 8 p.m. Caraway Speedway will also hold races in five of its weekly divisions Saturday, highlighted by a 30-lap Sportsman Division race.

NASCAR ANNOUNCES 28 STATE, PROVINCE CHAMPIONS FOR 2009

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Two NASCAR Whelen All-American Series drivers won their state NASCAR championships for a third consecutive year – Virginia’s Philip Morris and Colorado’s Bruce Yackey. They are among the 28 U.S. state and Canadian province champions for 2009.

Morris, 44, of Ruckersville, Va., also won his second consecutive and third overall NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship in 2009. Morris competed at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., and South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2009. Yackey, 43, of Greeley, Colo., scored his sixth career track championship at Colorado National Speedway">Colorado National Speedway near Denver. Both compete at their respective tracks in the Late Model division.

Eight other drivers were able to repeat their 2008 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state or province championships in 2009.

They include Erica Thiering, Alberta, Canada (Edmonton International Raceway); Dave Haworth, British Columbia, Canada (SunValley Speedway); Keith Rocco, Connecticut (Waterford Speedbowl, Thompson International Speedway and Stafford Motor Speedway); Bill Leighton Jr., Nebraska (I-80 Speedway and Junction Motor Speedway); Jeff Strunk, Pennsylvania (Grandview Speedway); Jonathan Bouvrette, Quebec, Canada (Autodrome St. Eustache); Marty Ward, South Carolina (Greenville Pickens Speedway); and Naima Lang, Washington (Evergreen Speedway).

Andy Eckrich of Iowa City, Iowa, who races at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, Farley Speedway and West Liberty Raceway, won the Iowa NASCAR state championship for the second time in three years in 2009.

The crowning of champions in a state or province continues a tradition of honoring the best short-track racers which dates back to the earliest days of NASCAR. Former state champions include Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett, Richie Evans, Red Farmer, Ralph Earnhardt, Harry Gant and Jack Ingram. NASCAR resumed the format in 2007.

This year, 16 drivers earned their first NASCAR state/province championship including Nick Joanides, California (Toyota Speedway at Irwindale); Richie Davis, Arizona (Thunder Raceway); Paul Antley, Georgia (Lanier National Speedway); Ricky Bilderback, (Rockford Speedway); Mark Underwood, Louisiana (Monroe Motor Speedway); Mike Rowe, Maine (Beech Ridge Motor Speedway); Terry Senneker, Michigan (Kalamazoo Speedway); Adam Royle, Minnesota (Raceway Park); Philip Baril Jr., New Hampshire (Lee USA Speedway); Jeffrey Connors, Nevada (Las Vegas Motor Speedway">The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway); John Fortin, New York (Riverhead Raceway); Travis Swaim, North Carolina (Caraway Speedway), Donnie Hill, Ohio (Columbus Motor Speedway); Steve Roblee, Ontario, Canada (Delaware Speedway); Reese Coffee, South Dakota (Park Jefferson Speedway); and Kevin Nuttleman, Wisconsin (LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway).

All 28 state and province champions will be honored Friday, Nov. 13 at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet at the Concord (N.C.) Convention Center along with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion, track champions and special award winners.

Since its inception, NASCAR’s national short-track racing series has served as a springboard in the careers of many top drivers. NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler and Brian Vickers all began their careers racing their local short tracks.

Lia Takes Stafford Win, Points Lead
2007 Champ Has 26-Point Lead Heading To Season Finale

STAFFORD, Conn. (Oct. 4, 2009) – Donny Lia took destiny into his own hands Sunday at Stafford Motor Speedway as he captured the CARQUEST Fall Final checkered flag and left with the championship points lead with one race remaining on the schedule.

Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge), who entered the day just one tally back of points leader Ted Christopher, took the race lead for the final time on Lap 115 and held on through multiple restarts and a green-white-checker finish for his fourth win of the season. As a result of his win, and a pair of accidents that relegated Christopher to a 31st place finish, Lia will take a 26-point lead to the season finale in two weeks at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

It marked the 15th career win for Lia, and his third at Stafford. Lia also earned the 15th Coors Light Pole Award of his career earlier in the day.

“It was a great day for us – we won the pole, won the race, and had a great race car,” Lia said. “We were able to get to the front and lead some laps, then we pitted and were fortunately able to come back through and get the lead again and just maintained the lead from there on out.”

Lia’s primary competition for the title in the season finale will be Ryan Preece, who challenged Lia for the lead on a couple of occasions in the later stages of the race, but crossed the line third to stay within striking distance of the championship. Now in his third full season, this will be his first shot at the Whelen Modified Tour crown.

“I had nothing for the 4 [Lia] at the end,” Preece said. “My best bet was to rattle him up and be very aggressive getting through traffic, but at the same time we wanted to finish this race, and we’ll carry it over to Thompson.”

Doug Coby was the race runner-up on Sunday. Following Preece across the line were James Civali, Chris Pasteryak, Rowan Pennink, Eric Beers, Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggiero and Erick Rudolph.

Christopher, who was involved in accidents on Lap 17 and Lap 23, slipped to third in the standings and is now 109 behind Lia. The 2008 Whelen Modified Tour champion had a 48-point lead after New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 19, but engine trouble at Martinsville Speedway the following week combined with Sunday’s result, has dealt in a damaging blow toward his bid to repeat.

“What are you going to do? Sometimes it happens,” Christopher said. “It all started last week at Martinsville. You end up having a bad day there and it unfortunately it rolled over to this week.”

Christopher had maintained the championship lead for 17 of the last 18 races dating back to last year before Sunday’s reversal of fortunes.

Todd Szegedy, fourth in points entering Sunday, remained in the same position with a 20th place finish and is now 113 out of first. Pennink also still maintains a mathematical shot at the championship, but in fifth place and 148 points out of first, he and Szegedy will both be officially eliminated from contention when Lia takes the green flag in the season finale.

As the attention now shifts toward Thompson, Lia will be gunning for his second title in three years. The Jericho, N.Y., native clinched the 2007 crown at the Fall Final with one race to go in the season, but it will all be on the line in this year’s World Series.

“This year it’s tighter,” Lia said. “I think this is what makes you a champion, even more so than 2007, because we’ve had to work [harder] for it this year. We’ve had to come from behind. We had some bad luck, but now we’ve put together a good run of finishes, and that’s a testament to this crew.”

Lia can clinch his second Whelen Modified Tour crown by finishing fifth or better at Thompson, but with Preece just 26 points out, there are a number of scenarios that will make every lap important in the season finale.

The World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart will commence with practice and qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday, Oct. 17. The 150-lap race is set to go green on Sunday, Oct. 18 at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Brunnhoelzl Moves Closer
Win at Ace puts him on verge of title

ALTAMAHAW, N.C. - George Brunnhoelzl III moved closer to the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship Friday night with his fourth win of the season in the Lightning Fast 150 at Ace Speedway.

Brunnhoelzl, who started the race second, took the lead from pole sitter Burt Myers on a Lap 26 restart. He held the lead until Myers was able to pass on a restart on lap 72 but he quickly resumed the top spot one lap later and clearly had the best car all night.

“My crew gave me a really good car tonight,” Brunnhoelzl said in Victory Lane. “I was able to get a good run off of the turns and I think that is what made the difference for us tonight.”

Brunnhoelzl remained out front until the final restart of the race on lap 106 after Frank Fleming backed into the Turn 2 wall to bring out the final yellow of the race on Lap 102. Myers once again made a pass to lead a lap before Brunnhoelzl made one final pass for the lead and remained out front the rest of the night. Brunnhoelzl led four times for 124 laps.

Andy Seuss passed Myers on lap 110 and finished second. Seuss, who also sits second in the points standings, knew he had to win and Brunnhoelzl have some problems if wanted to have a shot at the title.

“We had a pretty good car tonight and gave it all we had but George was just a little bit better than we were tonight,” Seuss said. “Now we are just going to go out next week at Caraway and try and end our season with another win.”

Brunnhoelzl heads to the final race of the season next weekend at Caraway Speedway with a 150-point lead over Seuss. With his lead all Brunnhoelzl will have to do to win the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship is start the race. It will be the first title for the third-generation driver from West Babylon, N.Y.

Myers, who has enjoyed a string of top-five finishes over the last third of the season, settled for third place.

“Man, we keep getting better and better,” Myers said. “We were really good coming off of Turn 2 but we couldn’t get the car to get a good run off of 4, and that is where George and Andy were able to make their moves by us. We are not where we want to be but we are getting there. I would love to end the season with a win for my guys.”

Defending NWSMT champion Brian Loftin was fourth and Jason Myers completed the top five. Gene Pack followed in sixth.

Earlier in the day, Burt Myers won his fourth Coors Light Pole Award of the season and 21st of his career, and broke the track record with his lap of 14.606 seconds.

The race was slowed five times by caution in the make-up race held after rain forced a postponement earlier in the spring.

The Fall Classic will be the season-ending event for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour next Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

While Brunnhoelzl has the title all but clinched there are several other positions in the top five that could change next weekend in the finale. Seuss leads Burt Myers by just 72 points for second place (2,055-1,983) and Burt Myers leads Loftin by just 35 points for third place (1,983-1,948).

Morris Claims Third National Championship In Four Years
Virginia driver edges Connecticut’s Rocco and California’s Joanides

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2009) – Every time Philip Morris thinks he’s reached the pinnacle of his racing career, he goes out and tops himself. The Ruckersville, Va., driver did it again this year as he claimed the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship for the third time in four years.

The 44-year-old Morris finished the season with his seventh Late Model championship at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. Combined with his performance at South Boston (Va.) Speedway, Morris collected nine wins, 20 top fives and 23 top 10s in 28 starts to outdistance runner-up Keith Rocco of Wallingford, Conn., and Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, Calif., for NASCAR’s top short-track honor.

Morris previously won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship in 2006 and 2008.

“I thought the first we won would be the best,” Morris said. “When we won last year by two points, I thought that was going to be untoppable. Having this year go the way it did, this is definitely the most gratifying, the hardest earned, and I thought, the most competitive. This was the best one yet.”

Morris finished with 841 points, pulling away from Rocco (816 points) and Joanides (813) over the final month of the season.

Track, state and province, and the top three finishers in the national standings earn invitations to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet in Concord, N.C., Friday, Nov. 13.

By virtue of his national championship, Morris also earned a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to be held at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) Jan. 29-30, 2010.

Morris is just the second driver in the history of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, which dates back to 1982, to win multiple championships. The late Larry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., won five titles between 1989-1996.

In his first two championship seasons, Morris won the title by just two points – equal to one position on the track during the course of the season. Although his final margin of victory was larger this year, Morris said this one was definitely harder, and therefore, more special.

It started out easy, as Morris won six of his first nine races. He also had two second-place finishes and a third.

Then came the dry spell.

From May 23 to Aug. 1 – a span of 13 races – Morris went to Victory Lane just once. He had seven finishes outside the top five and four of worse than 10th.

“We stepped up our energy level,” Morris said. “We just poured ourselves into getting back. The more we failed to get to Victory Lane, the more we tried. When it came back at the end of the season, the victories were so much sweeter and it was so much more appreciated.

“That extra effort, that extra sacrifice, made it mean so much more when we finally won the championship again.”

In the last six races of the season, Morris had two wins, two seconds and a third to reclaim the top spot in the national points standings. Behind crew chief Neil Perkins and driving cars he owned in addition to equipment owned by Jim Dean, Morris also earned his third straight NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Virginia state championship.

A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals.

Rocco, who was fourth in the nation in 2008, had 13 wins, 31 top fives and 35 top 10s in 45 starts this season in the Modified divisions at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, and Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl.

“It was just an awesome season,” said Rocco, who credited his relationship with crew chief Shane Hopkins over the past three seasons as a big reason for his success. “You sit here and think about it, and it all comes down to the people behind you. I wouldn’t be where I was today if it wasn’t for the people surrounding me.”

Rocco also earned his second straight NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Connecticut state title.

“I can’t say enough about the Whelen All-American Series for giving us an awesome series to race with,” Rocco said. “And I can’t forget about the tracks – Stafford, Thompson and Waterford. Without them being NASCAR-sanctioned, we wouldn’t be able to get where we are either.”

Joanides ended up 13 wins and 21 top fives in 21 starts in the Super Late Model division at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.). He won his second straight track title and is the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series California state champion.

“It was an incredible year,” said Joanides. “I didn’t think we even had a shot at the national championship initially. It’s tough – almost bittersweet – to come that close. But the fact that a West Coast track was in contention until the final week was incredible. You have to give credit to Toyota Speedway with coming up with a schedule that allowed us to compete for the championship.

A bent valve in the second-to-last race of the season produced a fifth-place finish in that event. It was just the second time he finished outside the top two all season.

“The team did a really great job on the car to help me run well,” said Joanides. “Fortunately, I did my job. It was one of those dream seasons.”

Bill Leighton Jr. of Omaha, Neb., who won dirt Late Model championships at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., and I-80 Speedway in Omaha, finished fourth with 803 points. Plainville, Conn., driver Ted Christopher, who races against Rocco at Thompson and Stafford, rounded out the top five with 779.

Under the points structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner received two points for every car in the event up to 23 cars. Second place received two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there were 23 cars, the winner received 46 points, second got 44 and third 42. If there were 15 cars, the winner received 30 points, second got 28 and third 26. Race winners received an additional five bonus points.

NASCAR announced today the 2010 schedules for its three national series, which will open their seasons at Daytona International Speedway on the weekend of Feb. 12-14, and conclude at Homestead-Miami Speedway on the weekend of Nov. 19-21.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will again have a 36-race schedule starting with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, plus two “non-point” events – the Feb. 6 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona and the May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Other key dates for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series include:

June 27 and Sept. 19 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the respective openers in the “Race to the Chase” and the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup”; the Coca-Cola 600 on May 30 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway; the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25; and the annual “Chase cut-off race” at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 11.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will again race 35 times, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will again have 25 events, including one of the most intriguing additions to the schedule in the series’ 15-year history: a new event at Pocono Raceway’s 2.5-mile triangle-shaped track on July 31, as a companion to one of the two traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends there. The Pocono truck race will be the only new event on any of the three series’ schedules. It replaces the truck series’ previous February event at Auto Club Speedway.

There will be some significant “shuffling” of events in 2010, compared to the current season’s schedules.

In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

• Qualifying for the Daytona 500 will be held on Saturday, Feb. 6, the same day as the Budweiser Shootout. Previously, qualifying was held the day after the shootout.
• The season’s first Dover International Speedway race will be on May 16, before the all-star race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Dover traditionally has followed that consecutive two-week stop in Charlotte.
• Phoenix International Raceway’s first race will be April 10, with Texas Motor Speedway’s first event April 18. Previously, Texas went first in April.
• Also, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will have four “off” weeks including the traditional Easter holiday on April 4.

In the NASCAR Nationwide Series:

• A Nashville-Phoenix-Texas run on April 3, April 9 and April 17 will replace a Texas-Nashville-Phoenix spring lineup.
• The first Dover race will be run earlier than usual, on May 15, in companion to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:

• The Kansas Speedway race will be May 2, one week later.
• The series’ race at Dover, as in the other two national series, will be held two weeks earlier, on May 14, kicking off a national series tripleheader weekend.
• The Iowa Speedway and Gateway International Raceway events will be two months earlier, on July 11 and 16.
• Nashville Superspeedway’s date moves a week later, to Aug. 7.
• Kentucky Speedway’s date moves from July to Sept. 3.

Click Here for 2010 Schedules

Morris Chasing One More Goal
Defending national champ battles Deiny for Motor Mile track title

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 9, 2009) – Short-track racing is built upon good, old fashion neighborhood rivalries, and championships are measured by the contenders that are overcome.

Even as Philip Morris eyes a third NASCAR Whelen All-American Series title in the last four years, the 44-year-old Ruckersville, Va., driver has a more immediate focus: a seventh Motor Mile Speedway Late Model division championship.

“It’s a feeling of completing what you’ve started, like finishing a building,” Morris said. “If we don’t win the track title, it’s going to be like the steeple is missing or you didn’t get the chimney all the way to the roof. For the crew, especially, that’s going to make or break us right there.

“In this series, you start out at the beginning of the season to win your track championship. Every week, that’s in your focus because the national championship is so far out. You’ve worked longer and harder on that. Obviously we want to bring that home to Ruckersville.”

Standing in his way is Frank Deiny Jr. The 36-year-old Ashland, Va., driver sits just two points behind Morris heading into the final race of the season at the .416-mile asphalt oval in Radford, Va. – a 150-lap Saturday night shootout. Because Morris holds the tiebreaker by virtue of more wins (6-2), Deiny needs to finish two spots ahead in the race.

“My goal this year was to beat Philip Morris wherever he was going to race,” Deiny said. “If you’re going to be in this business and are going to be successful in this business, you have to go beat up the biggest bully. Obviously, the national champion is going to be the biggest in the yard, so that’s who we went after.”

It’s likely that Morris will know the fate of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship by the time he takes the green flag Saturday night. With 835 points, he holds a 19-point advantage over second-place Keith Rocco of Wallingford, Conn.
Rocco made up some ground this past weekend. While Morris wrecked out of his race at South Boston (Va.) Speedway, Rocco finished first and fourth in twin 25-lap SK Modified features at the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl.

Rocco has three scheduled races remaining: Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway Thursday, Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway Friday and Waterford Speedbowl Saturday. He would need to win at least one, with a second and third in the other two to tie Morris – if all three events have the maximum 23-car fields.

Bill Leighton of Omaha, Neb., and Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, Calif., are tied for third with 803.

Leighton wrapped up the dirt Late Model championship at I-80 Speedway in Omaha with a seventh-place run Sunday in the track’s final points race. He has one race remaining at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., and can wrap up the track championship there.
Joanides has twin Super Late Model features Saturday at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

Neither Leighton nor Joanides can match Morris’ total if they only run their scheduled races.

A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals.

Steve Robblee of Dorchester, Ontario, Canada, was first and second in twin features on the final NASCAR points race weekend at Delaware (Ontario) Speedway to jump from 14th to fifth with 769 points.

For Morris, who has already clinched a third straight NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Virginia state title, the 2009 season won’t feel complete without that Motor Mile title. For Deiny, it’s all about walking away with that trophy. He is third in Virginia state points and 17th nationally.

Overall, Morris has nine wins, 19 top fives and 22 top 10s in 27 starts racing at Motor Mile and South Boston. Six wins and 13 top fives have come at Motor Mile, where Deiny runs exclusively and has recorded two wins and 15 top fives in 17 races.

Deiny operates FDJ Motorsports, which fields several Late Model teams and a Limited Late Model program. Last week, driver Justin Johnson won the season-finale at South Boston – beating Morris in the process – to claim the team’s first track championship.

“All in all, it’s been a good year,” said Deiny. “To be running as good as we are, I’m feeling pretty good. We had to come up with what worked best. I feel like we gave him a head start. I think we’ve caught up and passed him. I think he’s been searching these past couple months, where we’ve been refining and getting better.”
Deiny is the last driver other than Morris to hold up the championship trophy at Motor Mile when he claimed the top prize in 2004. That year, he also won the Late Model title at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., and finished third in the Atlantic Region under the old NASCAR format. Deiny has also won track titles at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C., (2001), South Boston (2002) and Old Dominion in Manassas, Va., (2006).

Since 2005, Deiny has focused more on competing in various regional touring series, and said he believes that if he had been running at Motor Mile full time he’s not sure Morris would have won those multiple national titles.

While Deiny is fueled by the desire to knock off the king of the mountain, Morris shrugs off such talk.
“I think Frank’s got a little rivalry going with me; I don’t really with him,” Morris said. “He’s just another competitor, another guy we’re going to have to beat, another guy who’s stepped up this year and run good. It’s always somebody.”

Morris points out that it’s been Rocco on the national stage this season.

In each of Morris’ previous two national championships, he’s won the final race of the season to claim the crown by just two points – or one track position. In 2006, he won at Caraway Speedway to edge veteran dirt Late Model driver Joe Kosiski of Omaha, Neb. Last year, Morris’ win in the finale at Motor Mile provided the final margin over dirt Late Model driver Brian Harris of Davenport, Iowa.

Lia Makes It Two In A Row With Thompson Win
Third Win of 2009

THOMPSON, Conn. (Sept. 3, 2009) – For the second race in a row and the third time this year Donny Lia earned a trip to Victory Lane with his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph Thursday night in the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers at Thompson International Speedway.

Following a win last time out at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 19, Lia once again had a dominant car at Thompson. The Jericho, N.Y., native led three-different times Thursday night for 49 laps and got past Ted Christopher for the final time on Lap 140 after an intense back-and-fourth battle to earn his third win of the season.

Lia, the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, also won this year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of the next race on the schedule. Thursday’s win was the 14th of his career overall, and his second at Thompson. Earlier in the day he also earned his 14th career Coors Light Pole Award.

Christopher, who led a race-high 50 laps, settled for a second-place finish and extended his season points lead to 34 on Todd Szegedy, who crossed the line third Thursday night. Rowan Pennink and Keith Rocco rounded out the top five.

Eric Beers, Eric Berndt, Bobby Grigas III, Glen Reen and Erick Rudolph brought home the top 10.

With the win, Lia moved past Ryan Preece in the season standings and is now 72 points behind Christopher. Preece led eight laps early in the race Thursday, but suffered two spins and had to settle for 18th place.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will hold its 10th race of the 2009 campaign at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 19.

NASCAR Lowers Minimum Age For Weekly Divisions
Learner’s Permit program to be implemented in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 2010

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 3, 2009) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today it was implementing a Learner’s Permit License for its NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks beginning in 2010.
The license will lower the age-limit for NASCAR-sanctioned tracks’ entry-level division from 16-years-old to 14. The change provides an intermediate step for young drivers looking to make the move from non-NASCAR beginner-level racing series to running at their NASCAR home track.

The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is NASCAR’s national championship program for its more than 55 sanctioned short tracks across North America. More than 10,000 drivers compete in the series annually.

“The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series includes most of the best organized, professionally run, family-friendly racetracks in North America,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “There are no better venues for the next generation of racing talent to gain real-world experience. NASCAR is approaching this in a responsible manner, providing young drivers an opportunity to learn their craft in suitable equipment.”

In 2007, NASCAR took a similar step with its touring series, lowering the minimum age from 18 to 16. Benefits for the series, teams and drivers were immediate. Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano, then 17, won the NASCAR Camping World Series East championship in 2007.

Ryan Truex, 17, is currently leading the NASCAR Camping World Series East points standings. Ryan Preece was 17 when he set the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record for youngest winner at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway last year, and Erick Rudolph, 17, eclipsed that mark this year. Also, 16-year-old Brett Moffitt broke Logano’s record for youngest race winner and pole winner in the NASCAR Camping World Series East this season.

The Learner’s Permit License will be limited to the track’s Charger Divisions – which are the track’s NASCAR-sanctioned support divisions.
The goal of the new initiative is to provide an opportunity for up-and-coming drivers to participate in a track’s NASCAR program and gain experience in lesser-powered race cars. All rights and benefits of a Charger license, including the NASCAR Participant Accident Insurance Coverage, will be extended to the Learner’s Permit License.

In addition, because many racing teams are made up of friends and family, the age adjustment will also extend to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series crew members.

Loftin Breaks Long Absence From Victory Lane
2008 Champion Gets His First Win In Over A Year

Asheboro, N.C. – It has been long overdue for 2008 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Brian Loftin.

Loftin made a strong pass by L.W. Miller to take the lead on Lap 72 and held off current championship points leader George Brunnhoelzl III on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Caraway 150 Saturday night.

Loftin’s previous series win was at Caraway Speedway just over a year ago. Following Brunnhoelzl was Andy Suess in third and L.W. Miller in fourth. John Smith completed the top five.

Brunnhoelzl, who won his fourth Coors Light Pole Award of the season earlier in the day in qualilfying, started on the outside of row 1 after the redraw and quickly took the lead from Frank Fleming at the start of the race.

The race was slowed six times for caution and 15 of the 16 cars finished the race. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour visits Myrtle Beach Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Lia Storms To Victory At Bristol
Second Win Of 2009 Comes In Combo Race

BRISTOL,Tenn. (Aug. 19, 2009) –Donny Lia overcame a late-race miscue to capture the inaugural UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night.

Lia led 40 of the final 43 laps en route to his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win of the season. He jumped a restart on lap 138 and briefly lost the lead to Ted Christopher when race officials ordered him to give his advantage back. However, Lia drove back by Christopher three laps later to take the lead for good.

Lia, who won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June, beat Christopher to the line by 3.126 seconds in the first event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

Ryan Preece finished third while George Brunnhoelzl III was the top finishing NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver in the combination race. Woody Pitkat rounded out the top five.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour proved once again to be strong in the combination race format, which sees both Tours compete for one purse, but receive points based on their finish against other drivers on their tour. Including Lia and Christopher, eight of the top 10 cars across the line were from the Whelen Modified Tour.

Brunnhoelzl will be credited with first-place points and a win for the Whelen Southern Modified Tour standings.

The rest of the top 10 consisted of Todd Szegedy, Rowan Pennink, Ed Flemke Jr., Burt Myers and Erick Rudolph.

It appeared to be Christopher’s race to win the majority of the race. Fastest in the first two practice sessions, the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion led the first 107 circuits.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman finished 28th and 37th, respectively. Newman was caught in an accident on the second lap of the race and Kahne retired on Lap 100 with engine failure.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race Saturday, Aug, 29 at Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified will also return to the track Saturday, Aug. 29 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.

Back-To-Back Tour Wins For Preece
Earns First Victory at Stafford

STAFFORD, Conn. – Six days after reaching Victory Lane for the first time in 2009, Ryan Preece made it two in a row on Friday as he captured the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Town Fair Tire 150 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

Preece (No. 3 Davidson Co./Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), who won last week at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway, got past Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) on Lap 104 Friday night and withstood numerous charges from the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the later stages for his third career win.

Christopher, who led the first 103 laps, elected not to pit on two different occasions when the rest of the leaders came in for tires. He was able to push Preece to the limit, but could not get past, and Preece stretched out his lead in the closing laps.

Chris Pasteryak (No. 59 Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet) finished third, which tied his best career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour effort, previously also set at Stafford. Eric Beers (No. 46 Cape Cod Aggregates/J&R Pre-Cast Chevrolet) and Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

Erick Rudolph, Donny Lia, Jimmy Blewett, Woody Pitkat and Todd Szegedy rounded out the top 10 finishers. Coors Light Pole Award winner Eric Berndt finished 16th.

Christopher regained the season points lead with his runner-up effort. He now leads Szegedy by 14 points after seven events.

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers on Thursday, August 13 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

Fleming Scores Upset Win
Gets Win In First Career Start

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Luke Fleming asked his dad, Chris, earlier in the month if he could drive his car in the Advance Auto Parts 199. Good thing his dad, who runs in the weekly Modified division at Bowman Gray Stadium, said yes.

Luke Fleming’s No. 13 Jerry Hunt Auto Sales Chevrolet survived a wreck-filled race and the 22-year-old Mount Airy, N.C., driver held off George Brunnhoelzl III to record the win in his first career start in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

“I can’t believe this has happened,” said an emotional Fleming in Victory Lane. “I asked my dad a couple of weeks ago if I could drive his car in this race and here we are. We were just able to avoid the wrecks late and be in a position to win.”

Luke Fleming is the nephew of NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour regular Frank Fleming, and runs in Bowman Gray NASCAR Whelen All-American Series on a weekly basis.

Brunnhoelzl held on with damage to his No. 28 Oval Speed/Fibrwrap/PT Ford get second while third-place Gene Pack recorded his best finish since second at Martinsville in 2006.

The final 20-lap sprint to the finish was set up after L.W. Miller spun in Turn 2 to bring out the last of 10 cautions given to the field.

The race was a typical action-packed race as several contenders suffered tough luck after being involved in incidents on the track.

Andy Seuss was the first contender involved as he hit the outside wall on a restart on lap 27. Seuss came into the weekend second in points and just 17 points back of Brunnhoelzl. He finished the race 58 laps down in 14th. Brunnhoelzl now leads Seuss by 66 points after six events.

The next incident involving a contender occurred on Lap 79 when Luke Fleming and Jason Myers got together in Turn 1, collecting Bobby Hutchens and Burt Myers.

The accident ended the night for Jason Myers, who had been eighth in points. Burt Myers’ car suffered damage but he was able to continue. Luke Fleming lost a lap, but was able to get it back when he was the beneficiary on a later caution.

John Smith, who took over the lead on lap 28, remained out front with Brunnhoelzl as the duo brought the near-capacity crowd to its feet exchanging the lead 10 times between laps 38 to 144 with Burt Myers leading one lap on Lap 29 before he suffered his bad luck.

Smith appeared to have a winning car until bad luck hit him. While leading on Lap 144, his car lost power suddenly ending his night and chances for a first career win on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

“We don’t really know what happened,” said a frustrated Smith. “We think it is some kind of pick-up problem. This is the second time we have been in position to race for the win here and something happen to us. It is tough to take.”

Brunnhoelzl, who suffered damage to his left front wheel in an early incident, took over the top spot and raced with Miller for the lead.

On a restart on Lap 168, Miller and Brunnhoelzl make contact racing for the lead in Turn 2 and the incident in front of the field collected four cars driven by Bobby Hutchens sitting partially on the top of Frank Fleming’s car. Both drivers walked away from the incident.

Miller was able to continue and eventually finish fourth and Bryan Dauzat scored his best career finish in fifth. Brian Loftin won the Coors Light Pole Award during qualifying on Friday but was involved in one of the on-track incidents and finish ninth.

Completing the top 10 were Dean Ward, Frank Fleming, Randy Butner, Loftin and Hutchens.

The race was slowed 10 times for caution for 53 laps.

Following Brunnhoelzl (985 points) and Seuss (919), defending champion Loftin is third in points with 891. Frank Fleming is fourth with 877, while Miller is fifth with 862. Burt Myers, in sixth, also has 862. Jason Myers, Pack, Smith and Buddy Emory round out the top 10.

The Whelen Southern Modified Tour will join the Whelen Modified Tour competitors at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, Aug. 19 for the running of the UNOH Perfect Storm 150.

Preece Earns Riverhead 175 Victory
Second Career Win, First of 2009

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Ryan Preece dominated the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action Saturday at Riverhead Raceway and earned his second career win in the Riverhead 175.

Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), who earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light during afternoon qualifying, led 137 of the 150 laps in Saturday night’s main for his first win of the season, and his first at Riverhead.

Preece, who had previously won at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in 2008, held off Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installation Chevrolet), Howie Brode (No. 96 Freightliner Chevrolet) and Dave Brigati (No. 98 Integra Shocks Chevrolet) on a number of restarts on the quarter-mile track for the win.

Brigati came home second followed by Brode, Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 Freightliner Chevrolet) and Glen Reen (No. 17 Reen Orthodontics/Pep Boys Chevrolet). It was a new career-best finish for Reen.

Eric Beers, Jamie Tomaino, Todd Szegedy, Chris Pasteryak and Rowan Pennink rounded out the top 10 finishers.

Christopher, who ran neck-and-neck with Preece early on, made contact with the wall on Lap 83 and was forced out of the race. Consequently, he lost the points lead to Szegedy for the first time this year with an unofficial finish of 20th. Szegedy now leads Christopher by 22 points heading into the seventh race of the season.

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the Town Fair Tire 150 on Friday, August 7 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

Brunnhoelzl gets the Firecracker 150 Win

Asheboro, N.C. – George Brunnhoelzl III avoided a spinning race leader L.W. Miller on lap 113 and took the lead for good on lap 119 en route to winning the Firecracker 150 Friday night at Caraway Speedway.

It was the second career NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour win for the third-generation driver and first since last season at Lanier National Speedway.

“I was racing L.W. as hard as I could and we here using up our brakes to stay off of him,” said Brunnhoelzl after the race. “We have worked really hard get the No. 28 Oval Speed/Fibrwrap/PT Ford back to Victory Lane and I am glad we finally got back here. We had a really good car tonight.”

Frank Fleming (No. 40 Jerry Hunt Automotive/Pro Health Systems Pontiac) followed in second and Seuss (No. 47 Advance Auto Parts/Q Racing Oil/Stuart Automotive Dodge) was third. Ron Silk and Brian Loftin rounded out the top five.

Brunnhoelzl pushed his points lead to 17 over Seuss.

The race was slowed seven times by caution with one red flag for cleanup following Jay Mize’s engine issues. Miller, who led four times for 94 laps, finished 12th after his late-race spin.

Seuss won his first Coors Light Pole Award of the season with a time of 15.881 seconds (102.009 mph) earlier in the day.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour returns to action on August 1, at Bowman Gray Stadium.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race At New Hampshire To Be Broadcast Live
New England 100 Will Have Live Radio Broadcast With Online Stream

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 21, 2009) – Modified fans everywhere can follow all the race action from New Hampshire Motor Speedway June 27, as NASCAR has announced that play-by-play audio for the New England 100 will be streamed live on www.nascarhometracks.com, the official site for NASCAR’s touring and weekly series.

Matt Carey and Jay Coffey, hosts of the “Carey & Coffey Show,” and Kyle Rickey will handle the broadcast of the New England 100 on Saturday, June 27 in Loudon, N.H.

The “Carey & Coffey Show,” which airs on Sunday’s from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and streams live at www.careyandcoffey.com, is a NASCAR talk show that regularly features NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour topics and often has drivers from the Tour as guests.

Rickey, a Connecticut native now living in Charlotte, N.C., works for Motor Racing Networks as a pit-road and Turn reporter for all three NASCAR national series. He is also the host and producer for NASCAR Today Midday on MRN. Rickey got his start covering Modifieds as race announcer at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway (1998-2007) and Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway (1999-2004).

In addition to the online coverage, fans will be able to tune into the New England 100 on ESPN Radio 940 WINE or 1510 WPUT, the flagship stations of the “Carey & Coffey Show.”

The New England 100, which produced the closest race in NASCAR history last year when Chuck Hossfeld edged Ted Christopher by 0.001 seconds, is set to take the green flag at 1 p.m. on June 27. The live broadcast will begin with pre-race at 12:30 p.m. and conclude with the post-race press conference live from the Jack Ratta Media Center.

The New England 100 will be the fourth race on the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, and the first of two dates for the Tour at New Hampshire. For event and ticket information, please visit New Hampshire’s official Web site, www.nhms.com.

New Weekly Series Rookie Award To Be Presented By Jostens
By Paul Schaefer, NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Minneapolis-based Jostens, a leading provider of special awards, rings and trophies, has joined the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, sponsoring the series’ new Rookie of the Year Award presented by Jostens. The company will reward a national Rookie of the Year, as well as state and province rookies of the year. All award winners will be recognized at the series’ year-end awards banquet in Concord, N.C.

The national award winner will also receive a $2,000 bonus, while each state or provincial Rookie of the Year will receive a bonus of $1,000.

“Every race becomes a great story and we are pleased to help recognize and remember each event,” said Curt Bruns, Jostens. “We are very excited about our new relationship with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and the Rookie of the Year program. It’s truly a great honor to support the grassroots of racing and help recognize the young stars of NASCAR.”

One rookie contender with hopes of establishing his career is Zach Germain, 24, of Columbus, Ohio. Germain is the son of Steve Germain. Steve and his brothers, Bob and Rick, operate Germain Racing, who won the 2006 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with their longtime driver, Todd Bodine. The family also operates Toyota, General Motors, Ford and other dealerships in Ohio, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas.

Zach Germain advanced to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division at Columbus Motor Speedway after two years in Legends cars. Prior to launching his racing career, Germain received a degree in Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

“I went to the Finish Line Racing School in Florida this past winter, and that gave me some confidence,” Germain said.

That led the Germains to purchase a Late Model to race at Columbus starting this spring. They were also able to attract veteran crew chief and former driver Bob Cumbow to lead the effort.

After mechanical issues in their first start and a DNF, their second start showed potential. On May 2, Germain finished fifth in his heat race and then brought home a third-place finish in his first completed Late Model feature. He has three top 10s in six starts.

“Bob Cumbow is the reason we got that third-place finish so soon,” Germain said. “He knows his stuff and the car was good.”

Sponsors of the Germain Toyota Camry include Dent Wizard, Terra Firma Sports Management and Columbus Fair Auto Auction.

All NASCAR Whelen All-American Series participants who hold a Division I License this year for the first time in their career are automatically eligible for the awards. The national Rookie of the Year Award presented by Jostens recipient will be the rookie who finishes highest in the series’ final 2009 points standings. State and provincial rookie of the year award winners will be the highest-finishing rookies in the state and provincial final points standings. Complete rules governing the program are available at www.nascarmembers.com.

Jostens supplies trophies and championship rings for all of the NASCAR-sanctioned series. The company created the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series “crystal cup” national championship trophy in 2007. The company is also the exclusive designer/provider of all NASCAR championship rings.  Jostens has created 27 of the 42 NFL Super Bowl rings, including the ring for the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl I victory. Jostens has also created NBA Finals and World Series championship rings, as well as rings for collegiate sports championships, and is an official sponsor of the Heisman Trophy,. The company’s products also include school yearbooks and class rings.

Early Run Has Joanides Upbeat

• Four wins has California driver fourth in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
• Defending champion Virginia’s Philip Morris leads first standings
  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 27, 2009) – Nick Joanides figures it’s about time. By his calculation, the veteran driver from Woodland Hills, Calif., has had enough bad luck on the race track to last several lifetimes.

Now he’s enjoying the good times.

Joanides leads the Super Late Model and Late Model division points at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. More importantly, his four wins and three runner-up finishes in seven Super Late Model starts has him fourth overall in the first release of the season for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship points standings.

“We’ve had a great season so far,” said the 38-year-old Joanides. “We won opening night and have been leading ever since. I’ve been very fortunate to have a great owner in Loyd McGhee.”

Joanides has 324 points.

Defending NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Philip Morris of Virginia leads the series with 440 points. Connecticut’s Keith Rocco is second at 407, followed by Nebraska’s Bill Leighton Jr. at 376 and Joanides. Matt Buller, who races against Leighton at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb., rounds out the top five with 315 points.

Last year, Morris became just the second driver in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series history to win multiple championships. He started off his title defense by winning the first four races he ran. Morris, from Ruckersville, Va., has six wins and nine top fives in 10 starts at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va.

“I’ve had a good year so far,” Morris said. “It got us all pumped up right at the beginning. We usually don’t start that good. It usually takes us about five races to get a win. Now we’re just trying to get back in our groove where we normally are at midseason.”

Morris is coming off a 15th-place finish at South Boston in which he wrecked while battling for the lead and has spent the week getting the car put back together for Motor Mile this Saturday.

It’s a position Joanides is all too familiar with.

“I went through 15 years of bad luck,” said Joanides, who is averaging a series-leading 46.3 points per race. “You name it and it happened to me. I went through all the years of heartache. Everybody kept saying, ‘your luck will change.’ And year after year, I would say, ‘When? When I’m 90?’ “

Ironically, the turn came just when he was ready to walk away. He had already announced his retirement in 2006, but after running the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, he got an offer from a car owner to stay in the sport.

In 2007, he recorded seven top fives in 12 Super Late Model races, and won five times in the track’s Late Model division. Last year, Joanides rolled to 10 victories and 17 top fives in 21 starts. He captured the Super Late Model title at Toyota Speedway, finished second to Jason Gilbert in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series California state championship and ended ninth overall.

He also finished second in Toyota Speedway’s Late Model standings – missing a sweep of the championships by just eight points.

“The last couple years have made up for all the bad years,” said Joanides.

He hopes to continue that good fortune throughout the rest of 2009.

The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion also earns a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to be held at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in 2010.

Under the points structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 23 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 23 cars, the winner receives 46 points, second gets 44 and third 42. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26. Race winners receive an additional five bonus points.

Blewett Returns To Victory Lane At Stafford

Led Wire-To-Wire For Fifth Career Win

STAFFORD, Conn. (May 22, 2009) – Jimmy Blewett was able to slow down Ted Christopher’s dominant start to the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season when he took home the checkered flag in the TSI Harley-Davidson Classic Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway.

Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) had won the first two races of the season, and earned his third-consecutive Coors Light Pole Award earlier on Friday, but Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers/Snake Pit Enterprises Chevrolet) started on the front row on the redraw and led flag-to-flag for his fifth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory.

Blewett survived six restarts during the race, including a green-white-checker finish, but would not be denied his second career win at the Connecticut half-mile.

Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) ran up front the majority of the race with Blewett, and tried once to go around on the outside late in the race, but Blewett never relinquished the lead. Szegedy settled for a third place finish when Christopher got past him on the white flag lap.

Mike Stefanik and Reggie Ruggiero rounded out the top five finishers in the 100-lap event. Chris Pasteryak, Rowan Pennink, Woody Pitkat, Doug Coby and Ryan Preece brought home the top 10.

The fourth race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will take pace at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The New England 100 is set for Saturday, June 27 in Loudon, N.H.

Christopher Continues To Roll With Spring Sizzler Victory

Plainville, Conn., Racer Has Won Both NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Races In 2009

STAFFORD, Conn. (April 26, 2009) – Ted Christopher, the dominant car for the first half of Sunday’s 200-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race, survived a cut tire and an accident in the second 100 to earn his second trip in a row to Victory Lane in the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST at Stafford Motor Speedway.

Christopher, of Plainville, Conn., piloted the No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet from mid-pack with 70 laps to go to earn his 33rd career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory. The Coors Light Pole Award winner on Saturday, Christopher led 82 of the first 100 laps and appeared early to be the dominant car for the second week in a row. While under caution, Christopher had to come to pit road on Lap 121 with a cut tire and surrendered the lead on to Mike Stefanik. After rejoining the field, seven laps later he was skidding through the grass on the backstretch after getting caught up in an accident and a second-consecutive victory seemed unlikely.

All that didn’t deter the defending series champion from returning to Victory Lane, however, as he quickly moved up through the field and finally got by Todd Szegedy on Lap 182. The result was his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Spring Sizzler win and his ninth career tour triumph at the Connecticut half mile.

Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) finished as the runner-up and led three-different times for 33 laps in the race. Ryan Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Logan Steel Chevrolet) posted a third-place finish while Stefanik (No. 16 Diversified Metals/Sanderson-MacLeod Pontiac) and Chris Pasteryak (No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers on Sunday included Donny Lia, Woody Pitkat, Ron Silk, Jimmy Blewett and Ed Flemke Jr.

The third race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will also take place at Stafford Motor Speedway. The TSI Harley-Davidson Classic, the first race under the lights in 2009, is schedule for Friday, May 22.

Seuss Dominates Lanier 150 for Second Win of the Year

BRASELTON, Ga. -- Last week Andy Seuss wondered what might have happened if he had another few laps last week when he finished second to Ted Christopher in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at Caraway.

Seuss didn’t need any more laps this week as he drove the No. 47 Advance Auto Parts/Q Racing Oil/Stuart Auto Dodge past Christopher on lap 43 and led the rest of the way to win the Lanier 150 at Lanier Speedway Saturday night. It was the second win in the past three races for the Hampstead, N.H. driver who now has four career wins on the Tour.

“It is fun to race when you have a car as good as this one was for us tonight,” said Seuss. “We are on a roll lately after the past three races.”

Seuss qualified fifth and started the race seventh after the redraw but quickly moved into the top five by lap 10 and was second to Christopher by lap 20. Seuss was able to get by Christopher on lap 44 and remain at the point the rest of the night.

The race was slowed just two times for caution with the final yellow flag given to the field when Gene Pack spun coming out of Turn 4 on lap 108 setting up a sprint to the finish and erasing a two second lead Seuss had over George Brunnhoelzl III (No. 28 Oval Speed/Fibrwrap/PT Ford)

“I didn’t want to see that last yellow because I knew that George (Brunnhoelzl) is good on restarts,” said Seuss. “We were able to get a good restart and I was actually surprised and how big a lead we got there at the end.”

L.W. Miller and Burt Myers made contact in Turn 2 on the final lap while racing for third, and Myers went spinning. Miller went on to score his best finish of the year in third, with Brian Loftin and Jason Myers completing the top five. It was also the first top-five finish of the year for Myers.

“I know we are going to win one of these soon,” said Brunnhoelzl. “We came up just a little short tonight but we are qualifying well and running up front every race. We know what we have to do and we are going to go back and do our homework and get ready for the next race.”

Miller, who won the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship in 2007, ended a streak of three races finishing outside the top five and was happy with this finish and spoke about his last lap incident with Burt Myers.

“We were racing real hard on the final few laps and I knew on the last lap he was going to try to run me up (the track) and he knew I was going to hold him down and we got together,” said Miller. “Typically I wouldn’t be happy with a third-place finish but with the way our season has been going I will gladly take this.”

Ted Christopher, who won his first two NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races, finished seventh, while Burt Myers ended up ninth.

Earlier in the day, Brunnhoelzl won the Coors Light Pole Award with a record time of 13.374 seconds (100.942 mph).

“For once I feel like luck is on my side and I am going to ride it as long as I can,” said Seuss. “The car was so good and my crew is giving me such a great car. The past couple of weeks have been a lot of fun.”

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will take its spring break and return to action on Friday, July 3 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Christopher Wins Third Icebreaker
Defending Tour champion starts season in Victory Lane

THOMPSON, Conn. (April 5, 2009) – Ted Christopher capped his 2008 championship with a win at Thompson International Speedway, and he begun his title defense Sunday in similar fashion. Christopher’s No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet led 106 laps en route to capturing the Icebreaker, the season-opening race to the Silver Anniversary season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Christopher had to hold off a final challenge from runner-up Jimmy Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers Chevrolet) as a green-white-checkered finish extended the race to 154 laps.

Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge) finished third, followed by Ryan Preece and Todd Szegedy.

Jamie Tomaino, who became the first driver in tour history to make his 500th career start, led twice for 27 laps. Pit strategy, however, left him with a 13th-place finish.

The win was Christopher’s eighth at Thompson and his third in the track’s Icebreaker. He also won the traditional season-opener – which hosted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s first race in 1985 – in 2004 and 2005.

Christopher also moved into sole possession of fourth-place on the tour’s all-time win list with his 32nd victory. He trails only Mike Stefanik (69), Reggie Ruggiero (44) and Tony Hirschman (35).

Blewett briefly passed Christopher for the lead following a lap 147 restart. But Christopher was able to use a cross-over move to slide back under Blewett in Turns 3 and 4 to move back in front.

Christopher received the first commemorative Tissot wrist watch, which will be presented by NASCAR and tour sponsor Whelen Engineering to each of the 14 race winners throughout the 25th anniversary season.

Christopher won the Coors Light Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action with the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on April 26.

Seuss Rebounds In Win At South Boston

South Boston, Va. – What a difference a week makes for Andy Seuss. After mechanical problems ended his night just four laps into the season-opening race two weeks ago, Seuss was able to hold off George Brunnhoelzl, III to win the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified 150 Saturday night at South Boston Speedway.

Seuss (No. 47 Advance Auto Parts/Q Racing Oil Dodge) started 8th after the redraw and quickly moved into the top five by lap 40. Seuss passed Brunnhoelzl, III (No. 28 Oval Speed/Fibrwrap Ford) on lap 87 and was able to stay out front the rest of the way.

“I can’t tell you how much this means to me to get this win tonight for the Advance Auto Parts team,” said Seuss. “We had a fast car and when I was able to get past George (Brunnhoelzl) I knew we had a chance to win the race. The car was that good.”

The win was the third career win for Seuss in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. The Hampstead, N.H., driver has previous wins at Music City (2007) and Caraway (2008).

Burt Myers finished third with Tim Brown and defending NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Brian Loftin completing the top five.

J.R. Bertuccio (No. 2 Gershow Recycling Chevrolet) started on the front row after the redraw and led the first 25 laps before Buddy Emory (No. 02 RCS Construction Chevrolet) assumed the top spot until Brunnhoelzl took the lead on lap 54.

Bertuccio rebounded from mechanical problems which forced him to pit while running second on lap 47 to finish sixth with L.W. Miller 7th and Gene Pack 8th. Jason Myers and John Smith completed the top 10.

The race was slowed four times for caution with an average race speed of 72.801 (MPH).

Brunnhoelzl won the Coors Light Pole Award during Saturday afternoon qualifying with a time of 14.778. and he leaves South Boston as the early leader in the driver points standings with 335. Burt Myers is second with 325 and Miller is third with 292 points. Seuss (283) and Bertuccio (280) round of the top five in the standings.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will return to action this weekend with a doubleheader scheduled. The Tour competitors will visit Ace Speedway on Friday night with the Lightnin’ Fast 150 and will race at Caraway Speedway on Saturday night.

NASCAR Unveils Major Events For Its Touring And Weekly Series

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet Moves To Concord, North Carolina

“2009 NASCAR Night Of Champions Touring Awards Gala” Announced

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 9, 2009) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today that its “stars of tomorrow” and short track veterans will gather in the greater Charlotte area for two special year-end celebrations.

NASCAR will host a special week of activities culminating in the 2009 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) Awards Banquet on Friday, November 13, and the new NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala on Saturday, November 14.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to raise the bar for all of NASCAR’s developmental racing series, by bringing the champions from all of our series to the core of much of the motorsports industry,” said George Silbermann, managing director of racing operations. “In addition to these two prestigious awards banquets, we are planning a number of special activities for our series champions, for attending track operators, and for the industry. We look to take full advantage of what this hub of the stock car racing industry has to offer.”

Both season-end awards banquets will be held in the recently-completed Embassy Suites Hotel Concord Convention Center which is located near the NASCAR Research & Development Center, in proximity to the future NASCAR Hall of Fame complex, as well as the home bases of many of today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams.

Moving the banquets to the Charlotte area compliments the commitment the community has made to the business of NASCAR and the development of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The NWAAS Awards Banquet will feature weekly racing drivers from top short tracks across the United States and Canada. Invited attendees will include the 2009 NWAAS National Champion, NWAAS State and Provincial Champions, all 58 track champions, the national/ state/provincial Rookies of the Year, the 2009 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner, and many others.

The NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Gala will feature the champions and top drivers from all of NASCAR’s North American regional touring series including invitees from the NASCAR Camping World Series East, the NASCAR Camping World Series West, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Further details will be released in the coming months.

Christopher Preseason Favorite To Repeat As Modified Champion
Media Picks Connecticut Racer To Defend 2008 Title

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 26, 2009) – The media has tabbed defending champion Ted Christopher as the favorite win the title this year, according to the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Preseason Poll.

Christopher, who earned his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour crown in 2008, garnered 236 points and 13 first-place votes in the pole conducted among the tour’s media. The Plainville, Conn., driver compiled four wins and 13 top 10s in 16 starts during his championship season a year ago. Christopher already has a victory under his belt in 2009 as he captured the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour season opener at Concord (N.C.) Speedway on March 21.

Todd Szegedy, who finished third in the championship chase a year ago, received the second-highest points total in preseason balloting at 187. Szegedy, of Ridgefield, Conn., earned the 2003 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title and has finished in the top five in the championship standings in each of the past three seasons.

Norwalk, Conn., native Ron Silk collected the second-most first-place votes with five and finished third overall in the poll with 179 points. Silk was fifth in the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings on the strength of a pair of wins and top-five finishes in half of the races.

Mike Stefanik, the most-successful competitor in the 24-year history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, finished fourth in preseason balloting. The Coventry, R.I., resident garnered 177 points and three first-place votes from the media. Stefanik will enter 2009 as the tour’s all-time record-holder in nearly every statistical category, including championships (seven) and wins (69).

Donny Lia, from Jericho, N.Y., finished fifth in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Preseason Poll. Lia, who competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year, is returning to the same team he captured the Modified championship with in 2007. He earned three first-place votes in balloting and collected 172 total points.

Poll vote totals were weighed on a points scale that ranged from 10-1, with 10 points for first place and one point for 10th place. The voting pool was made up of members of both print and electronic media who cover the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The 2009 campaign will mark the 25th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which held its inaugural event at the Icebreaker on March 31, 1985 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway. The Silver Anniversary season will commence at the same spot when the 2009 Icebreaker opens action on April 5. For ticket information, please visit Thompson’s official Web site (www.thompsonspeedway.com).

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour takes the green flag on the season Sunday, April 5 at Thompson International Speedway in Thompson, Conn.. As the drivers and teams get ready for the season, NASCARHomeTracks.com takes a look at one of the drivers who has made the tour his home for a quarter century and is on the verge of an historic milestone.

499 AND COUNTING ...
Tomaino on verge of historic 500th Tour start

When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour begins the 2009 season at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Sunday, April 5, more than just the series’ Silver Anniversary will be celebrated. For one of its stalwarts, taking the green flag will be a historical accomplishment.

When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour held its first race at Thompson on March 31, 1985, Jamie Tomaino started in the third row right behind the legendary Richie Evans.

When the series held its first superspeedway event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1990, Tomaino finished third to strengthen his title bid. When the NASCAR Modifieds ran a road course for the first time in 1996 at Watkins Glen International, Tomaino qualified 19th. And when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour celebrated its 500th race at Martinsville Speedway last September, Tomaino turned in a top 10.

In the first 24 years and 503 races that comprise the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, about the only thing as predictable as the actual waving of the green flag to start a race, is that Tomaino would be cruising down the frontstretch, ready to put the pedal to the metal.

Of those 503 races, the Howell, N.J., driver has not started in only four. His total of 499 starts is 60 more than any other NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver. When he takes the green flag at the Icebreaker next Sunday, Tomaino will officially become the first driver in any of NASCAR’s current touring series to reach the 500-start milestone. In fact, no driver has compiled that many starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series either.

Please go to www.nascarhometracks.com for complete story.

Houston Motorsports Park Joins NASCAR Whelen All-American Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 24, 2009) – NASCAR announced today that Houston Motorsports Park will be a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track in 2009.

Houston Motorsports Park, a D-shaped .375-mile banked asphalt and concrete oval, opens with the five-division, NASCAR-sanctioned “Fiesta’s Speedfest 09 presented by Cricket Wireless” Saturday, March 28. The track is located inside Beltway 8, not far from downtown Houston.

“Our mission is to provide the highest quality affordable fun for the fans, the highest quality racing environment for the racing teams, and an outstanding value for the investment of sponsors,” said John Mandabach, vice president for marketing. “NASCAR is the next step in our evolution. It brings more excitement and prestige for our track and greater recognition for our participants.”

“We are very pleased to welcome Houston Motorsports Park into the NASCAR family,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “It is a tremendous facility in one of the biggest markets in the United States. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is the foundation of the sport and is exemplified by tracks like Houston. The state of Texas has a long history of great racing and a large NASCAR following. We look forward to crowning the first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Texas state champion.”

Houston Motorsports Park is owned by Graham Baker and opened as a dirt track in 1977. It was paved in 2000. Unique to the track are two lanes of concrete racing surface in the turns, much like Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

“The concrete lends itself to letting the drivers have two grooves for side-by-side racing,” Mandabach said.

Weekly divisions at the track include NASCAR Fiesta Late Models, NASCAR Cricket Modifieds, Pro Trucks, Pro Stocks, Limited Modifieds, Eco-Stocks, Legends and Bandoleros. The track operates on an every-other Saturday night basis. The track website is www.houstonmotorsportspark.com. The facility also includes an award winning .125-mile NHRA-sanctioned drag strip.

Since its inception, the NASCAR Home Tracks have served as a springboard in the careers of many NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex Jr. and Brian Vickers all began their NASCAR careers racing in one of the NASCAR Home Tracks’ series. More information on NASCAR Home Tracks is available at www.nascarhometracks.com.

Clifton Named NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Director
Former Track Promoter Brings Experience To Young Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2009) – Sherry Clifton, who most recently served as promoter of Hickory Motor Speedway for more than a decade and has been involved in motorsports most of her life, has been named the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Director. Clifton will lead the Tour that began racing in the southeastern United States in 2005.

“We are very pleased to welcome Sherry Clifton to our NASCAR team,” said Richard Buck, NASCAR Director of Touring Series. “She brings a wealth of short-track racing experience and knowledge. She is a perfect fit to take the helm of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.”

Clifton, whose father Hal Houston is an older brother to retired NASCAR Nationwide Series legend Tommy Houston, was practically raised at Hickory Motor Speedway. She would often accompany her father to the track to watch him race.

“I am honored to be named director of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour,” said Clifton. “I think this tour is one of the most popular and exciting racing series in the southeast, and I look forward to being a part of the growth expected for this series in 2009.”

“I have been involved in racing practically my entire life and I welcome this new opportunity given to me by NASCAR,” added Clifton.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour 2009 schedule consists of 16 races at nine tracks in five states. The season opener will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2009 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C. The series will make history this year by making its first visit to the high-banked Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Clifton replaces Ed Cox, who served as interim director of the Tour in 2008 and will return to his previous position at NASCAR as Special Projects Director of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

NASCAR To Hold Bristol Test Session For Modified Tours
Open Wheel Series To Make First Appearance At “World’s Fastest Half Mile”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2009) – Six teams from NASCAR’s Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours will head to Tennessee to participate in a tire test session at Bristol Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in preparation for an event at the famed .533-mile concrete short track later this summer.

The NASCAR Modifieds will visit the high banks of Bristol for the first time in either series’ history at a combination race on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The primary purpose for bringing teams in next month will be to test Hoosier tires, the series’ official tire supplier. The August Bristol date marks the first time that either the NASCAR Whelen Modified or NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours have raced on a completely concrete surface.

“The Bristol Modified race is an important event on the 2009 schedule,” said Chad Little, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series Director. “Since the cars have not raced at Bristol in the past, we felt it was important to coordinate a tire test with Hoosier.”

Bristol features significantly more banking – between 24 and 30 degrees in the turns – than the venues in which the Modified series regularly compete. The test session will also serve to evaluate the performance of the race car as a whole.
“We will examine tires and other chassis and engine items,” Little said. “We want this race to be exciting and safe for everyone and the tire test will help determine a good baseline for all competitors.”

NASCAR and Hoosier have invited three teams from each series for the test. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers invited include: defending series champion Ted Christopher, past champion Todd Szegedy, and Ronnie Silk. Reigning champion Brian Loftin, past titlist L.W. Miller, and Bobby Hutchens were selected to represent the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

While specific teams were selected to test on the track, the session will be open for all teams from both series to attend and observe.

NASCAR’s suspension on 2009 testing for the three national series and the NASCAR Camping World Regional Series, announced last November, does not apply to either the NASCAR Whelen Modified or NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours.

In a format that has been used in recent years at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, the NASCAR Whelen Modified and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours will run together in a combination race at Bristol on Aug. 19, a date they’ll share with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2009 Schedule Announced

Silver Anniversary Season Will Open On April 5 At Thompson
Companion Weekends At New Hampshire With NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Series To Return To Martinsville And Debut At Bristol With Combination Races

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 19, 2008) – The Silver Anniversary campaign of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will feature a 14-race schedule that includes stops at NASCAR’s premier short tracks.

The schedule for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s 25th season includes races at tracks that have been staples of the tour throughout its history, as well as an exciting new addition. For the first time, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race at Tennessee’s famed Bristol Motor Speedway in a combination event with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. The race will be part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series August race week.

"The 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour calendar will again feature premier racetracks, both in the series home base of New England, as well as regionally," said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “The Silver Anniversary season of the tour will be contested on a great mixture of short tracks, bullrings, speedways and as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series companion events."

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will visit four tracks that held tour races in the tour’s first season: Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Stafford will play host to four races, highlighted by the Spring Sizzler on Sunday, April 26 and the Fall Final on Sunday, Oct. 4. The half-mile track has held 90 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races since 1985.

A fixture on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule since the Loudon, N.H. track opened in 1990, New Hampshire Motor Speedway will once again be the site for a pair of races on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends. Last year’s New England 100 in June produced the closest finish in tour history when Chuck Hossfeld edged Ted Christopher by .001 seconds. The 2009 Modified race dates are June 27 and Sept. 19.

Thompson will open the 2009 schedule on Sunday, April 5 with the Icebreaker, and the season will also conclude at Thompson with the World Series on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Other 2009 highlights include:

• Stafford will have mid-season dates on May 22 and Aug. 7 in addition to the Spring Sizzler and Fall Final.
• New York’s sister tracks Chemung Speedrome (Aug. 29) and Spencer Speedway (July 11) will return to the schedule for the second year in a row. This will be the third all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Chemung and the sixth at Spencer.
• In addition to the Icebreaker and the World Series, Thompson will also have a race on Aug. 13.
• The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return for the 25th consecutive season to Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Schedule Notes:

The 2009 schedule features a total of 14 dates at eight different tracks across five states.
The Martinsville date will mark the fifth year in a row that the event will be run as a combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. In 2008, Martinsville played host to the 500th race in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history.

• The Bristol date, also a combination race, will fall on the same day as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the track.
• Bristol will become the 36th track the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has held a race at in its 25-year history. Tennessee will also become the 13th state to welcome the Modifieds since 1985.
• Riverhead and Thompson have been part of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule in each of the series’ first 24 years. The only year Stafford was not on the schedule was 1988.
• New Hampshire has held 48 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races all-time. Ted Christopher, 2008 series champion, has a series-leading eight wins at the track.
• The date at Chemung was moved up from the first weekend in October in 2008 to the last weekend in August of 2009.
  

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), celebrating 60 years in 2008, is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S., and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in more than 30 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

About The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

The oldest and only open-wheeled division of NASCAR, the Whelen Modified Tour features cars that weigh 2,610 pounds and have a wheelbase of 107 inches. Whelen Modified Tour cars drive on wide Hoosier bias-play tires, while power is provided by “small block” 350 to 360 cubic-inch engines. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour holds races throughout the Northeast, on tracks ranging in size from .25-miles to one-mile.

NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour 2009 Schedule Announced

Series’ Fifth Season Will Open On March 15 at Caraway, First-time Trips To Bristol, South Boston, Myrtle Beach and Concord
  & Fifth Annual Combination Event With Whelen Modified Tour At Martinsville

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 19, 2008) – The fifth season of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will feature 16 races spread across nine tracks in five different states.

The 2009 schedule, announced today, is an exciting blend of the top short tracks in the southeast.

The 15 dates include the return to the traditional venues of Caraway Speedway, Bowman Gray Stadium, Ace Speedway, Lanier National Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, and adds trips to South Boston Speedway, Concord Motorsports Park, and Myrtle Beach Speedway.

Also new to the 2009 calendar will be an inaugural visit for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour to historic Bristol Motor Speedway as part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series August visit.

“The calendar for the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour is a strong mixture of traditional venues and new markets,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “We thank our promoters and competitors throughout the southeast for their continued support, and look forward to the new events at Concord Motorsports Park, Bristol Motor Speedway, South Boston Speedway and Myrtle Beach Speedway.”

Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., will once again serve as the site for the season-opening race. L.W. Miller is a two-time defending champion of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150, which will kick off the 2009 season on Sunday, March 15.

Caraway, a .455-mile high-banked oval, is slated for seven NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races in 2009. In addition to the opener, the season will also close at Caraway on Saturday, Oct. 10. Caraway has held 23 races in the first four years of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

The 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour slate is also highlighted by first-time visits to four long-time southern NASCAR venues. Concord (N.C.) Motorsports Park, a half-mile oval, will host the second race of the season, Saturday, March 21.South Boston (Va.) Speedway, a .4-mile track, has a date on Saturday, April 4, while Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway, a half-mile oval, will bring the Modifieds to town on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Like the Martinsville date on Sunday, Sept. 27, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour’s first trip to Bristol will be a combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The high-banked half mile in Tennessee will welcome the Modifieds for the first time on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Other 2009 highlights include:

• Ace Speedway, in Altamahaw, N.C., will hold multiple NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races in 2009 as the series is set to visit on Friday, March 27 and Friday, Oct. 2.
• Legendary Winston-Salem, N.C., quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium will play host to the series on Saturday, Aug. 1.
• Lanier National Speedway, in Braselton, Ga., will have a race for the second year in a row on Saturday, April 18.

Schedule Notes:

• The Martinsville date will mark the fifth year in a row of the combination race format with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours.
• The Bristol race, also a combination race, will fall on the same day as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the track.

While this is the first visit for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour to South Boston, the track played host to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2001. That race featured current NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour drivers Jay Foley, Junior Miller and L.W. Miller in the starting lineup.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), celebrating 60 years in 2008, is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S., and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in more than 30 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

About The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour was established in 2005. While the Tour itself was a new addition, Modified teams have competed in championship events up and down the east coast since the earliest days of NASCAR. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour are the only open-wheeled series in NASCAR. The race cars weigh 2,610 pounds and have a wheelbase of 107 inches. They drive on wide Hoosier bias-play tires, while power is provided by “small block” 350 to 360 cubic-inch engines. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour holds races throughout the Southeast on short tracks ranging in size from a quarter-mile to just over a half-mile.