Delaware Speedway’s historic 60th season is set to be an exciting one as the speedway begins to rollout its plans to celebrate. The speedway took to the A-Channel News at Six airwaves this evening with NASCAR representatives Bob Duvall and George Silbermann to unveil the first part of that celebration: this season the famous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will make its first ever stop in at Canada’s most historic asphalt racetrack.
More than a first for Delaware Speedway, the event also represents a first for the tour itself as it will be the first ever Canadian race for the tour. The tour will be at the track September 3 and 4 as part of the Great Canadian Race Weekend. The main event will run on September 4.
“The Whelen Modified Tour has been one of the top fan requests to have brought to the track for a number of years,” said track General Manager Joe Czernai. “We’re proud to have come to the point where we can offer this event as part of our racing lineup, more of which will be announced in the coming weeks”.
The Whelen Modified Tour is one of four NASCAR sanctioned regional touring series across the United States, along with the Whelen Southern Modified Tour and the East & West K&N Pro Series. The tour is considered the next level above the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series division, in which Delaware Speedway drivers compete on a weekly basis and is a developmental step for drivers aiming to compete in the top levels of NASCAR competition.
The Whelen Modifieds themselves trace their development to the early days of stockcar racing and are considered NASCAR’s oldest racing division. The vehicles are powered by 625 horse power V8 engines, the cars are capable of speeds of up to 150 mph (approximately 240 kph) when set loose on an open track. Being their first stop at Delaware Speedway, discovering how they will perform on the half-mile is one of the thrills that await fans in September.
Delaware Speedway is also announcing plans to field a competitor in the event. The track has moved to acquire a Whelen Modified vehicle and plans to put home track hero D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas behind the wheel for the historic race. Kennington began his career racing in the Street Stock division at the track seventeen years ago and has since moved through the ranks of Late Model and touring series competition. Kennington has competed in the NASCAR Nationwide series and has won the two most recent NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races held at the track. He also recently earned the 2010 championship in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Ticket availability for the event and season pass information for the full season will be announced in the near future. All information will be posted to the track website as soon as it is available, at www.delawarespeedway.com.
About Delaware Speedway: Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved oval stock-car track, located just west of London, Ontario, Canada. Since 1952, Delaware Speedway has been the home to some of the finest stock car racing in Canada. Its unique natural amphitheatre-like setting allows a family or group of friends to enjoy exciting, comfortable and affordable evening or afternoon of racing. Delaware Speedway is a proud member of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series which promotes the best in local racing competition across North America.
For more information contact speedway General Manager Joe Czernai: (519) 652-5068 ext 204. // By John Houghton
