1/23/2009
NASCAR TO HOLD
BRISTOL TEST SESSION FOR MODIFIED TOURS
Open Wheel Series To Make
First Appearance At “World’s Fastest Half Mile” |
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.
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Source: Jason
Cunningham / NASCAR
Posted: January
23, 2009 |
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