Nascar whelen modifieds invade jennerstown july 9^th

JENNERSTOWN, PA (June 29, 2005) … NASCAR’s oldest and fastest racing division, the Whelen Modified Tour, will return to Jennerstown Speedway for the running of the Wheeler Brothers 150 on Saturday July 9^th. The event will mark the first appearance for the powerful, open wheel modifieds at the Somerset County half-mile paved oval since 1999.

“The Whelen modified division predates even the Nextel Cup class in the NASCAR history books,” said Jennerstown general manager Larry Mattingly. “The modifieds are the ‘grass roots’ of NASCAR. These are the cars that launched the sanctioning body back in 1948.”

Today’s modified, however, bears very little resemblance to those old 1937 Chevy’s and Ford’s that used to bang around makeshift dirt tracks following World War II.

“The current NASCAR modified has evolved into a fully custom-built race car,” said Mattingly. “The modifieds look totally different from any other stock car raced at Jennerstown. They have no fenders, run huge tires, and the bodies barely resemble anything that’s on the road today. Modifieds even sound different. The earth literally shakes when these cars are racing flat out. These machines are the fastest stock cars in the world.”

Many of today’s NASCAR stars began their careers in the NASCAR modified division, including Geoff and Todd Bodine, Steve Park and Jimmy Spencer. NASCAR Nextel Cup crew chiefs Tom Baldwin Jr. (Kasey Kahne) and Greg Zipadelli (Tony Stewart) are also ‘graduates’ of the modified division.

Leading the Jennerstown modified assault, which will mark the Whelen Tours only 2005 Pennsylvania appearance, is four-time and defending series champion Tony Hirschman Jr. of Northampton and current points leader Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn.

Also on the racing card will be a feature-only format for Jennerstown’s NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series competitors.

Spectator gates will open at 2:00 PM, with NASCAR modified qualifying set for 4:00. Dodge Weekly Series features will begin at 5:00. A special NASCAR modified on-track autograph session will be staged at 7:00. The Wheeler Brothers 150 will receive the green flag at 8:15. Rain date for the event is Sunday, July 10 at 2:00.

Advance adult tickets are currently on sale for $15.00, with special pricing for seniors, students and children. All advance tickets must be ordered before July 8. Adult gate admission the day of the race is $25.00.

For more information go to: www.jennerstown.com, or call the speedway office at 814 629-6677. 

###