The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is the longest running series in all of NASCAR, dating its roots back to the 1940s. It is without a doubt the most important series in the sport. The cars themselves look nothing like a NASCAR Cup car as if anything they look if a IndyCar and a dune buggy had a kid. The Whelen Modified Tour though always attracts big crowds and usually sells out every race, something NASCAR has not done for years. Despite all of that many people do not even know what the Tour or even what a Modified is. With that said we have seen so many drivers make a name for themselves in the series that is in a way shadowed by the sport, but define all odds and end up moving through the ranks to the Cup Series or one of the top three divisions NASCAR has to offer.
Over the past several seasons we have seen Cup drivers race in lower series (Xfinity or/and Truck Series) About a year and a half ago NASCAR made a rule that drivers who have three or more years of experience in the Cup Series cannot run in the other respective series regular season finale or playoff races including the final race of the season overall and cannot run in any races featuring extra winnings.
The Whelen Modified Tour has very short seasons with really no type of a playoff format, with that said Cup drivers can be found racing in the Tour whenever they want for as along as they want. Many say that's a good thing due to the fame of the driver(s) drawing larger crowds, but other disagree saying that it ruins the racing.
More and more frequently we have seen Cup drivers compete in the series and sometimes they end up wreaking the field, taking out many good cars. Is that racing? Yes it is, but it makes you wonder why NASCAR won't do something about it and limit the Cup drivers who race in the Tour as they did for other series. Cup drivers racing in lower series do help bring in viewers and more people to the track as mentioned before, but it can also hurt the series and racing itself. By doing that it is taking the attention off the younger, up and coming drivers trying to make a name for themselves. It also shows though the talent of the young drivers or even a seasoned vet when they do beat a Cup Series driver.
What do you think? Vote on our poll below!
SUBSCRIBE TO US (its free)
Comments