The debut of a new showcase track, the highly-anticipated return to an Virginia venue, and a strong slate of premier northeast short tracks make the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule one of the most anticipated in recent years.
Three new tracks will be on the schedule:
The tour will make its furthest trip west with the debut of Iowa Speedway. The “Fastest Short Track on the Planet” will host NASCAR’s only open-wheel division on Friday, July 31. The Whelen Modified Tour slate will also add returns to Martinsville Speedway and Jennerstown Speedway.
“The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is coming off an exciting year in which we saw Doug Coby continue his historic championship run and we saw the level of competition and number of competitors increase,” said Brandon Thompson, NASCAR managing director, touring series. “We are excited about the mix of high-profile national series tracks that will showcase the great racing on the Modified tour, and the strong short tracks that have been the backbone of Modified racing.”
Martinsville, Virginia’s famous half-mile, is steeped in NASCAR Modified history. The modified division first raced at Martinsville in 1960 and was part of the original tour schedule in 1985. The Maxpro Window Films 200 will run on Friday, May 8 as part of the spring Cup Series weekend.
Jennerstown, a .522-mile oval in western Pennsylvania, will feature the tour on Saturday May 23. The track has held 14 tour races over the years, with the late Ted Christopher being the last to visit Victory Lane in 2006.
The Whelen Modified Tour will open the season with a return trip to Virginia’s South Boston Speedway on Saturday, March 21. Connecticut will serve as the traditional opening of racing in New England with the 46th Annual Icebreaker weekend at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 5, followed by the NAPA Spring Sizzler weekend at Stafford Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 26.
The season will conclude with the 48th annual NAPA Fall Final weekend at Stafford on Sunday, Sept. 27, and the 58th annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing at Thompson on Sunday, Oct. 11.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway will again feature a 100-lap showcase on Saturday, July 18. The Whelen Modified Tour will also return with the 200-lap main event for the track’s Full Throttle Fall Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Other schedule highlights include:
- In addition to Jennerstown, the tour will make the trip to western New York to be part of Oswego Speedway’s 64th Annual Budweiser International Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5.
- Riverhead Raceway, a staple of the Whelen Modified Tour, will host two events. The first will be on Saturday, June 20, with a return trip to Long Island on Saturday, Sept. 19.
- A pair of bullrings will factor into the championship picture: Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway will bring the tour to town on Saturday, June 6, while New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway will run on Saturday, July 11.
The complete NBCSN schedule, including broadcast times, will be released at a later date.
2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Schedule
DATE |
TRACK |
CITY |
Saturday, March 21 |
South Boston Speedway |
South Boston, Va. |
Sunday, April 5 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson, Conn. |
Sunday, April 26 |
Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford, Conn. |
Friday, May 8 |
Martinsville Speedway |
Martinsville, Va. |
Saturday, May 23 |
Jennerstown Speedway |
Jennerstown, Pa. |
Saturday, June 6 |
Seekonk Speedway |
Seekonk, Mass. |
Saturday, June 20 |
Riverhead Raceway |
Riverhead, N.Y. |
Saturday, July 11 |
Wall Stadium Speedway |
Wall, N.J. |
Saturday, July 18 |
New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
Loudon, N.H. |
Friday, July 31 |
Iowa Speedway |
Newton, Iowa |
Friday, Aug. 7 |
Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford, Conn. |
Wednesday, Aug. 19 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson. Conn. |
Saturday, Sept. 5 |
Oswego Speedway |
Oswego, N.Y. |
Saturday, Sept. 12 |
New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
Loudon, N.H. |
Saturday, Sept. 19 |
Riverhead Raceway |
Riverhead, N.Y. |
Sunday, Sept. 27 |
Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford, Conn. |
Sunday, Oct. 11 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thompson. Conn. |
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