Whelen Engineering Inc. Returns as NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Entitlement Partner
Whelen Engineering Inc. Returns as NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Entitlement Partner
- Partnership includes increased financial commitment to driver payout throughout finishing order
- NASCAR also announces 2025 Whelen Modified Tour schedule
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 26, 2024) – NASCAR today announced an extension of the entitlement partnership of its original series as Whelen Engineering, Inc. returns to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour through 2029 in a partnership that guarantees increased team payouts starting with the 2025 season. In conjunction with the announcement, NASCAR released the 16-race 2025 Whelen Modified Tour schedule.
Whelen's commitment to the Whelen Modified Tour in the coming years will see the largest Tour purse increase in the last decade, with championship prize money increasing by 250%. Additionally, the entire starting field will see the benefits of the new partnership, as each entry will see a minimum $2,000 payout to start the race – in several cases more than double the current payout for lower-finishing positions. Race winners will get a minimum of $11,000 in Whelen payout.
"The heart of NASCAR is in our regional racing and long-time partners like Whelen help support the high quality racing our fans and competitors deserve in the grassroots programs," said Joseph Dennewitz, Managing Director of NASCAR Regional. "By building up the purse for all in the garage, Whelen is putting their money where their mouth is in ensuring the success and health of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for years to come."
Competitors in the Whelen Modified Tour will begin seeing the benefits of the extended partnership next season at the season opener at New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 8. This will mark the fourth consecutive year that the Tour will open at the track that is just down the road from the birthplace of NASCAR.
The Whelen Modified Tour is NASCAR's oldest and original series, which began racing in 1948 in Daytona Beach. The partnership between Whelen and the Tour originated with the 2005 season, and over the past two decades, Whelen has demonstrated a continued commitment to the dedicated fans and competitors of the Tour. The extension of the entitlement of the Whelen Modified Tour brings the partnership to 25 years in 2029, making them one of the longest-running sponsors in NASCAR.
"We are incredibly proud to extend our longstanding partnership with NASCAR and celebrate 20 years as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour," said Peter Tiezzi, General Manager of Motorsports for Whelen Engineering Company Inc. "For the past two decades, being part of this iconic series has been both an honor and a reflection of our commitment to grassroots racing. As the Official Warning Lights of NASCAR, we are excited to continue supporting the sport while further strengthening our ties within the racing community. This partnership highlights our dedication to safety and performance, both on and off the track."
The Tour will continue to partner with NASCAR national series event weekends to highlight the extremely competitive nature of the racing. On Sunday, May 18, the Whelen Modified Tour will be part of a unique double-header as the opening act for the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Richmond Raceway will host the Tour on Thursday, Aug. 14, as part of its late summer NASCAR weekend, and the Tour joins the lineup for the NASCAR Playoff weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a Saturday, Sept. 20, race.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, Martinsville Speedway will again host the championship race as an opener for a week of camping and fan activity that leads into the national series Playoff weekend.
Fan favorite Whelen Modified Tour tracks such as Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (Connecticut), Monadnock Speedway (New Hampshire), and Riverhead Raceway (New York) will each host multiple events.
"We are proud to once again have a strong mix of types of tracks on the 2025 Whelen Modified Tour schedule that allow our drivers to put on an impressive show for fans in multiple markets," said Jimmy Wilson, Senior Director, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. "As you can see by the quality of racing and the intense championship battle to the end this year, these events showcase the various strengths of each of our drivers and allow for competitive racing from the first race to the finale."
Thompson will host a trio of high-profile events, starting with the Sunday, March 30, event as part of the Icebreaker Weekend – now the second race on the Tour's schedule. They will also host a Wednesday night mid-summer showdown on Aug. 6, and the penultimate race of the season as part of the World Series of Speedway Racing on Sunday, Oct. 12.
Monadnock will host two events on Saturday, May 3, and Saturday, July 19. Riverhead will have a pair of races on Saturday, June 14, and Saturday, Sept. 6.
Seekonk Speedway (Saturday, May 31), Lancaster Motorplex (Saturday, July 12), Oswego Speedway (Saturday, Aug. 30) will once again host Tour races next season. Additionally, White Mountain Motorsports Park returns to the Whelen Modified Tour schedule for 2025. The New Hampshire track previously held a pair of Tour races in 2020.
"The short tracks of the Northeast are at the heart of the Whelen Modified Tour and offer so many options for our teams to compete close to home in front of their friends and family," added Wilson. "We have strong historic ties to many of these facilities and all host great events for everyone who comes through their gates."
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will crown its champion later today (Saturday, Oct. 26) at 8 p.m. ET at Martinsville Speedway.
Over the two-decade partnership Whelen has held with the Modified Tour, 10 different drivers have won the Whelen Modified Tour championship, led by Doug Coby's six titles (2012, 2014-17, 2018) and three from Justin Bonsignore (2018, 2020, 2021). Ron Silk, the reigning champion, also won the title in 2011.
This season, in one of the more thrilling – and contentious – championship battles in Tour history, Silk and Bonsignore are continuing the rivalry stemming from their down-to-the-wire title bout from a year ago.
Silk entered the penultimate race of the season last week at North Wilkesboro Speedway up by 11 points. But a dominate win on Sunday afternoon by Bonsignore flipped the script and put the driver of the No. 51 atop the points standings for the first time since August with a 10-point advantage entering the finale. Each driver heads into the championship race with four wins and 14 top 10s.
Tonight's championship race may be streamed live on FloRacing, while schedule and ticket information is available at nascar.com/whelen-modified-tour.
2025 NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR SCHEDULE
Date | Race / Track |
New Smyrna Speedway | |
Sunday, March 30 | Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Saturday, May 3 | Monadnock Speedway |
Sunday, May 18 | North Wilkesboro Speedway |
Saturday, May 31 | Seekonk Speedway |
Saturday, June 14 | Riverhead Raceway |
Saturday, June 28 | White Mountain Motorsports Park |
Saturday, July 12 | Lancaster Motorplex |
Saturday, July 19 | Monadnock Speedway |
Wednesday, August 6 | Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Thursday, August 14 | Richmond Raceway |
Saturday, August 30 | Oswego Speedway |
Saturday, September 6 | Riverhead Raceway |
Saturday, September 20 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
Sunday, October 12 | Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park |
Saturday, October 18 | Martinsville Speedway |
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation's major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.
About Whelen Engineering
Since 1952, Whelen Engineering has been a proud ally and supporter of our nation's first responders. Driven by a mission to protect those who protect others, Whelen provides the high-quality, reliable products and technology needed to aid them in their critical missions. From warning lights to white illumination, sirens, controllers, and software, every product that bears the Whelen name has been thoughtfully designed, manufactured, and tested right here in America to perform at the highest level in any condition. Whelen is honored to have earned the trust of first responders around the world as leaders of the emergency warning industry and carries that responsibility earnestly, always striving to ensure that the everyday heroes serving under the illumination and protection of Whelen products are equipped to do their jobs with enhanced efficiency, reliability, and safety.
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