Whelen Modified Tour
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Inaugural season | 1985 |
| Constructors | Troyer, Chassis Dynamics, RaceWorks, Spafco, LFR |
| Engine suppliers | Hutter, Bob Bruneau, Performance Engines by Billy the Kid, Performance Technology, ECR, Robert Yates Racing |
| Tire suppliers | Continental |
| Official website | Whelen Modified Tour |
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The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Modified Division is NASCAR's oldest division, and is the only open-wheeled division that NASCAR sanctions. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events are mainly held in the northeastern United States, but the 2007 and 2008 tours expanded to the Midwest with the addition of a race in Mansfield, Ohio. The tour races primarily on short oval paved tracks, but the NWMT also has made appearances at larger ovals and road courses.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars are substantially different from their Sprint Cup counterparts. Today's cars are based on tubular chassis built by fabricators such as Troyer Engineering, Chassis Dynamics, Spafco, and Raceworks. Bodies are related to their passenger car counterparts in only two ways. There is a "manufacturers" logo placed on the car, and a logo indicating the type of road car it is alleged to be. Neither logo is actually associated with the actual manufacturer of the race vehicle. Whelen Modified cars are also largely fabricated from sheetmetal, with the front wheels and much of the front suspension exposed. A NASCAR Whelen Modified car is eleven inches shorter in height and over twenty-three inches wider than a Cup car. By rule, tour-type modifieds weigh at least 2610 pounds (with additional weight for engines 358 cubic inches and larger) and have a wheelbase of 107 inches (2,700 mm). They are powered by small-block V-8 engines, usually of 355 to 368 cubic inches of displacement, although larger or smaller engines can be used. Engine components are largely similar to those used in the Sprint Cup Series, but Whelen Modified Tour engines use a small four-barrel carburetor (rated at 390 cubic feet per minute, about half the airflow of previous modified carburetors), which limits their output to 625 to 700 horsepower. On large tracks such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the engines must have a restrictor plate between the carburetor and intake manifold, reducing engine power and car speed for safety reasons. Approved "body styles" for 2006 include the Chevrolet Cavalier and Monte Carlo, the Dodge Avenger and Stealth, the Ford Mustang and Escort, the Plymouth Laser and Sundance, and the Pontiac Sunbird, J2000, and Grand Prix.
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