What Exactly is a NASCAR Modified?

If you've watched NASCAR for long enough, then you've probably seen these funny looking open wheel cars and wondered, "What are these things supposed to be?" and likely the name "modified" didn't help matters too much. So, this time we dive head-first into the history of NASCAR's oldest division and get to the bottom of what is a NASCAR Modified.
#NASCAR #Modifieds #WhelenModifieds
✅ If you want to support the channel, you can do so here on Patreon:
/ s1apsh0es
✅Or if you just want to make a one time donation, I also have a Ko-fi:
ko-fi.com/s1apsh0es
Music in order of appearance:
Bibliotique - Red Ferrari
Follow me here:
/ s1apsh0es
/ s1apsh0es
/ s1apsh0es

[@mixrable1212]

As a formula 1 fan, not from the US, it's interesting to go past the general notion of "lol Americans driving in circles" and see stuff like this. It opened up a whole new perspective for me. Thank you mate!

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHuYhaSGpquBmtk

[@soulcapitalist6204]

Once you live here and commute on the freeways, you get why Americans still watch.

[@terryatpi]

Check out the Supermodifieds sometime. Oswego NY

[@JackTheripper911]

Almost like smug arrogance is a bad thing....right?

[@ragoonsgg589]

Also, mate, it's an oval

[@Beybladeawsomeness]

Why aren’t these in the heat games? These cars definitely don’t get enough love

[@nascartoday8849]

i mean theres d2f but i know whag you mean

[@Rambling-Gamer786]

They were in all the Newer EA Games like NASCAR EA 2004+

[@dirtdevil2394]

Never had it in NASCAR Thunder 04, only 05 chase for the cup. Sick as hell

[@ghost10four64]

It’s probably because there’s a lot of part time drivers, so getting making rights could be hard. Also probably the same reason they don’t make any diecasts of these. They could do what they did in Nascar 2005 through Nascar 09 and use fantasy drivers.

[@darkesttemplar07]

They were in Dirt To Daytona. They were an absolute joy to run. Oh the memories.

[@jbaskinger41]

These were the cars I use to race everytime on NASCAR 07. I thought they were the coolest things ever!

[@lj5030]

Same

[@Larsx22]

Best game ever made

[@jbaskinger41]

@@Larsx22 I agree!

[@anugrahghia3121]

whelen, right? cmiiw

[@prmafrozt2943]

I raced them in NASCAR 08 as a kid. They are definitely some of the coolest machines of all time!

[@NASCARFAN93100]

The modified series should be back in the NASCAR Heat games

[@Sloppyplane37]

The company probably won’t make it

[@adamrtr2774]

Unless if toyota pays them then i dont think they'll add them #deportDEMyoters

[@AndrewTowne]

They have them on iRacing.

[@noahkoz6873]

Facts

[@Kyleconley59]

Andrew Towne Unfortunately not all of us have 5000000000000 dollar PCs

[@DennyDeliversYT]

The Whelen Modifieds are so underrated.... always has great racing

[@SolidSock8008]

DennyDelivers they really are

[@98DogCcoin]

Yea

[@StolasFan547]

Agreed

[@southeastcupseries]

Like they had a 4 wide finish at New Hamshire.It still is the best non national NASCAR series.

[@joeschmoe4245]

WHY DO I SEE YOU WHEREVER I GO

[@DennyDeliversYT]

NASCAR: The #___ has to start in the back for unapproved body *modifications* Driver: Bruh... I thought NASCAR was founded on *modified*

[@roboompa2465]

Please do NOT ever add another "Like" to DennyDelivers comment just above mine. R.I.P The Rapid Roman #61 :

[@kain5637]

Rob Oompa what?

[@roboompa2465]

@@kain5637 At the time, there was 61 Likes. That number, being car number of Richie Evans, arguably, NASCARs true King, with 9 National titles.

[@kain5637]

Rob Oompa ohhh

[@weels1886]

It was.

[@whatincarnation95]

Modifieds are SUPER underrated

[@FencelineFilms]

What In Carnation? Yesssssss

[@a-smith3y]

Super modifieds are even more underrated.

[@YoryiTheFox]

Spittin' straight facts

[@mitchdrew9005]

insularity1 stole my comment. Agreed though. Imagine IMSA and the WMT got coverage like the cup series? People would love Nascar again

[@luketrottier9388]

Asphalt template body super late models are IMMENSELY so my favourite, and late model stock and pro late model is good, too. But modifieds (big block, pass mod style, modifieds of mayhem style, any of them) are definitely second. I know this is a nascar related video, though. Sounds silly maybe but the big 3 nascar series are less interesting for me than those I mentioned. And currently I like xfinity and trucks more than the cup series, just because of so many guys moving up from super late models like harrison burton, noah gragson, rapheal lsesard, christian eckes, chandler smith, the list goes on. I know cup series also has Erik Jones, JH Nemechek, Elliot, and others, too. Just the most recent departures and full-time or mostly full-time losses to super lates are guys like Harrison Burton.

[@rabenracing6093]

I wish the modifieds would have more TV time. Some of the best racing I’ve ever seen came from modifieds

[@stefanl5183]

No doubt about it, the modified are the best series Nascar has. Take New Hampshire for example, the Modified race is the race of the weekend. The Cup and Xfinity races are mediocre at best, and sometimes even down right boring. However, the Modified race there is probably the best Nascar race of the entire season, in all divisions.

[@r3uvsgaming]

They also look funky and cool

[@mitchell-wallisforce7859]

@@stefanl5183 I watched the New Hampshire "crown jewel" race once, and was all over it. It was like 70's and 80's superspeedway racing, but on a one mile track and with even wilder lookin' cars. Certainly didn't race like open-wheelers - there was SO much contact. Some of the most honest, pure, intense racing I've ever seen. Typing this out....I think I need more of it.

[@josephconciatori9824]

Agreed. The Modified Tour is the most overlooked series in all of NASCAR. NBC needs to televise the New Hampshire modified race live in its entirety, and I mean the big NBC (not USA Network, which already shows Modified races on tape delay). Could you imagine how huge that would be for the series? Combine that with a few tape-delayed broadcasts on big NBC and a few live telecasts on USA, and the Modifieds will finally get the respect they deserve.

[@TotoDG]

Whether you played Dirt to Daytona or Chase For The Cup, you already knew these existed. Let's face it: either way, a GameCube or PlayStation 2 probably introduced you to one of these things.

[@TylerBonenfant]

orrr your local home track did

[@dneal2387]

Yes! I was hoping someone would bring up dirt to Daytona. mods were my favorite series on that game . They had that one road course that was lit

[@TotoDG]

@dneal2387. Was it Welch? Yeah, that track looks _so_ fun! Shame I can’t play it, though. Darn Australian Wii won’t let me play American GameCube stuff…

[@TheFleckening]

Cough cough, GameCube...

[@Starfire_Storm]

An Xbox introduced me to these things, not a PS2

[@Toropetskii]

I feel like being able to modify any car you can find in just about any way and enter it into a crazy race on a small track is a truly magical style of racing. It keeps the racing grassroots, getting even the poorest young blokes involved in tinkering with cars and racing. Too often it feels like racing is a rich man's game. In many ways this is the origin story of motor racing regardless of the division. Because of how the economy distributed car ownership differently in Europe compared to America, a lot of European motorsport was initially gentrified - but it was still fundamentally about making car and driver more and more optimised so that you could win the race, and the process of upgrading your car was simple enough even up to the mid 60s when Sir Jack Brabham managed to win F1 in a car of his own construction that he worked on himself. As televised motorsport has seemingly lost that connection to the average person and their car; where any boy racer could easily reach a local track, buy a cheap car, learn how to fix it up and enter it in races, there has certainly been an increase in speed and spectacle but a massive loss in terms of how relatable drivers are and how genuine the series feels. I'm not American and this channel is just about my only NASCAR knowledge, so I'd be interested to hear if you feel differently as NASCAR fans. When I look at drivers like Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton - they seem like airbrushed caricatures, not neighbours. They appear to come from a different world, given every opportunity and groomed to be a racing driver from a young age. Certainly they couldn't put together the cars they drive in F1 either. Modifieds under the old ruleset seem to capture a spirit of racing that I wish was more common - imagine the cars we could have in such a series nowdays!

[@caseysmith544]

ARCA racing is a good example of sticking to its roots more.

[@michaelmartin9022]

Short oval racing in Europe, while still having construction rules, is a fair bit more freeform in that regard. There's no end of different stock car categories from single-makes, to ones based on engine size, to purpose-built open wheel "stock" cars. The current best poor man's series is probably CB contact, a banger (IE ramming is allowed) formula for scrap modern cars that meet certain safety standards. They're barely prepared at all, just trailer them in and go for it!

[@Toropetskii]

@@michaelmartin9022 That's awesome, thanks!

[@AnonYMooseBoG]

Have you heard of the 24 hours of Lemons? It's Le Mans but old beaters that you're not allowed to spend more than about $1000 or so on.

[@greggv8]

@@caseysmith544 NASCAR bought ARCA a while ago. Even before that it was long the practice for ARCA cars to be 3 or 4 year old NASCAR Grand National cars, after they'd passed through NASCAR's second tier the year before. Every time NASCAR changes the rules for the top tier, the second tier gets "new" cars and their old ones drop down to ARCA.

[@LASTCARonBROCK]

This has been the best breakdown I've seen yet of the modified series. I think the series itself should've done something like this a long time ago. Their fan base gave me the impression they look down on fans of Cup / Busch / Trucks with a "if you didn't grow up with it, you wouldn't get it" kind of attitude. Not that it hasn't been entirely deserved, since some on the other side of the fence were critical of Richie Evans and Jerry Cook getting into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It's clear this is not a "lower series," but a creature all its own. Its roots are only distinguished from the premiere series based on how old the cars were that ran. No wonder it's so popular.

[@FloridaManRacer]

I've always felt that the modified drivers who came south were looked at as being a different breed than the drivers in the late models and stocks... Bodine proved that a Modified guy could win in Cup, but it didn't seem to do much for the relevance of modified drivers down south. It hasn't changed over the years... Ryan Preece won in a Gibbs Xfinity car and the best he could get was a mid-field at best JTG ride... Steve Park had the best shot but the injuries ruined those chances. Richie imo did it right. he stuck with what he enjoyed. Made a good living doing it and became a legend in his own right. He chose to blaze a trail instead of following in footsteps.

[@millennialchicken]

These things have always been an anomaly to me when I think of NASCAR. So removed from what I think a NASCAR should be that it doesn't feel like they are part of the same foundation of which the Cup, Xfinity or the Trucks series run on. But that doesn't stop me loving them though. They are NASCAR's Black Sheep, so I don't ever count them out of their hard fought legitimacy. EDIT: Anyone else want to see a modern day Formula Libre NASCAR series akin to the classic Modified series?

[@SAVikingSA]

They share a common ancestor with both Cup and Northeast big block dirt modifieds, but diverged from Cup in the 50's and the dirt cars in the 70's. At the same time as the beach race was being run, tracks here in the northeast started running them as well. Instead of the bullrings of the south, though, up here we had horse tracks that ran auto races like Orange County Fair Speedway, so modifieds came up on tracks from a half to a full mile. The evolution of dirt and paved mods in the northeast, especially in NY, is a really wild story.

[@caseysmith544]

@@SAVikingSA Yeah same for those smaller tracks in the South that the Cup series left in 1972 for modern era, either they were too small under 1/2 mile like Bomen Gray or they were not profitable like some in the south, Anyhow the Modfied seires raced on them until the soemtime in the 1980's when the northeast and Midwest took over the modified series until 2000 when the south also started up NASCAR modified racing again as there was a Race series from 1980's to 2000 where the southern tracks used the previous year NASCAR rules but was not sanctioned by NASCAR. Then in 2005 they split the series into Northeast and Southeast with the name Wheelen that was used for races above the Mason Dixon line, with this other series of cars that look like a mini 4 cylinder version of specific cars of the 1930's from Very very early days of modified series going to these venues as well as the South West. Then in 2010 or so a Modified Wheelen series came to South West spelling the end of that retro NASCAR series that mostly teens 12-17 raced in. I can't find that smaller race car since 2013 anywhere on TV or on KZbin.

[@deadshotfan1467]

Pretty sure a classic formal 1 series did exist though it was short lived due to safety issues

[@flogger4419]

Did you ever take a good look at what runs in Cup, Xfinity, or the Trucks? Modifieds were the basis of NASCAR's founding.

[@BostonRules1]

As a fan in modified country, Connecticut, thank you so much for this incredible video! Such a great historical retelling of the modified story!

[@imbwildrd3693]

I'm from the same area....used to go to Stafford every Friday night. I only just heard about Teddy Christopher a few months ago. He was always racing (and winning) when I went, I think he had a brother that also raced modifieds at Stafford back in the late 90's. One night, he flew via helicopter to the track after he raced in a NASCAR bush series race (I think it was Bush) and I do believe he won the race that night. Used to love going there. Always such a great time. My fav race was the pro stocks. Oh, and the, what did they call them....late models?? It was like any shitty thing you could drive onto the track was good enough for them (actually, I think they had to have no glass, little fuel, etc), but those races were hysterical. There was (maybe still is) a company called "Rent a Racecar" and you'd see many of them in the late model race, I'll never forget them, they were always purple and white and their racing number always ended in a 6. lol Great times those were....gotta get back to the track again one of these non covid days.

[@coyote438]

@@imbwildrd3693 I can confirm the rent a race cars are still running at Stafford

[@kennethsmith8968]

@@imbwildrd3693 teddy has a twin brother named mike and now mikes son mike jr is racing at stafford as well.

[@MilesModelWorks]

Stafford motor speedway is my home track.

[@braydenxwhelan1490]

6:39 Not enough liquor in the world, to get me drunk enough to see a mustang in THAT

[@enzoalec92]

If you downed an entire garage of moonshine and squinted hard enough at the rear section, you might just be able to spot some semblance of what probably used to be a 1973 Sportsroof.

[@braydenxwhelan1490]

enzoalec92 maybe, but i think the moonshine would help ALOT

[@wingracer1614]

The so called Mustang II was a popular choice for a modified. You could also see such oddballs as Chevy Citations and Gremlins.

[@greggv8]

Looked more like the hatchback version of the Chevy Monza.

[@arthurpasseri4590]

@@wingracer1614 That picture of the Gremlin was next to a Pinto... I thought I saw a station wagon being raced... I grew up at Stafford and Thompson great tracks.

[@cjtrum74]

I prefer the mods over the upper tiers. Close hard racing the whole time and no stage racing.

[@weels1886]

Stage racing is crap. If Nascar got back to basics, maybe I'd watch them again. It's just another failed attempt at marketing. They've ruined it that way.

[@cjtrum74]

Exactly. And its so political anymore.

[@98DogCcoin]

@@cjtrum74 I mean- yes, but Nascar is at Rock bottom, they're trying their hardest to bring excitement to the sport. Yes, the playoffs and stage racing isnt great, but Nascar needs to experiment to try and boost ratings

[@SamnissArandeen]

And modifieds don't go around fucking with the rules packages and the tracks to engineer a spectacle of close racing, they let racing be racing and let the drivers and their talents settle it out on the track.

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

Somewhere upstate, maybe Connecticut, at a rest stop I got to stick my head in one 20 years ago and chat up the owner. What a rig.

[@travisguin83]

Hugh-John Fleming Probably on their way to Thompson or Stafford!

[@BlackCherry5Oh]

@@travisguin83 or the speedbowl!

[@Apollo-wu2si]

My dad worked on Modifieds for around 20 years for people like Steve Park and they are now my favorite NASCAR series

[@BrodyOSullivan]

Apollo hey it would be nice if we could contact each other about this. Message back and I’ll give you details.

[@alexbonsignore361]

I truly love the Modifieds. I’ve been around them my whole life and always enjoyed the races

[@clyd1206]

Perhaps another Championship for the Bonsignore family? Good luck in Martinsville!!!

[@coolname545]

Mike Stefanik “Greatest post-race interview of all time” 😂😂😂

[@seannolan9857]

That's bullshit.

[@stefanl5183]

I remember that interview, but I also remember the winner circle interview at Bristol and how happy Mike was then. Rest in peace Mike!

[@trlprk]

Rip mike

[@nicolehoggard2545]

Thank you Slap! Having been an Official for the tour for several years, I’m always in awe of how many people don’t know about these cars. And how they can be faster than cup cars in a lot of places. This series consistently puts on great, solid races, at many tracks up and down the east coast.

[@AOGWardog1229]

Bristol is a good example. 131 average lap speed and basically flat out all the way around. 14 second laps. Insane. Awesome cars.

[@noUGames]

Thought a rant against the playoffs was your next video, but I'll take this. Be safe delivering packages Slap Also: lol at Mike Stefanik "2013: Greatest post-race interview of all-time"

[@philakamrbean]

his daytona post race interview was certainly classic! RIP.

[@jamesbraun9842]

I would reply to this but " I'm probably going to say the wrong thing"

[@OjamaLemon]

As someone on the tour, this is a great video to show what we're all about. Excellent as always Slap

[@gabehowe2778]

As a Central New Yorker who lives about a half hour from Rome, love that bit you did on Richie. Very nice tribute. Memorial races are still being run at a local dirt track called the Utica-Rome Speedway. Evans won a lot of events there as well. Edit: Oswego’s still going strong as well. Just watched a Winged Super race there last night as I write this. Johnny Benson was there. Very cool

[@Mister_Matt_X]

I have a cousin from Pennsylvania who worked in a Modified Tour team and he of course met Richie Evans. He told me this when he visited me and my family in Texas and boy I was flabbergasted through the roof! I asked my cousin what was Richie Evans like... He told me that Richie wasn't cocky he was a clever guy and helped other teams to go faster and get better... I asked my cousin when was the last time time he saw Richie and talked to him before his death in a practice crash Martinsville in '85 and won the championship posthumously... Sadly he said he doesn't remember... But I hope to contact my cousin to go to a Modified race at some point in time because it's on my bucket list of races for sure!

[@nathanaelschraeder4641]

I was just thinking “I wonder when slapshoes is going to post” then I clicked on KZbin and saw your video.

[@scottpeters371]

Don't forget the AMC Gremlin's that became modified's. They were popular too and one drives right past the camera at 6:40

[@megabutters9144]

Personally a very underrated series

[@scottw2157]

This series and the Northeast Dirt Modifieds are definitely the 2 most underrated.

[@roboompa2465]

@Mega Butters Liked your comment 'cause, Richie. The true King of NASCAR. :D

[@internalerror00]

Used to watch the modifieds at Thompson growing up. Loved getting out there for even the weekly local races.

[@evannuh-koo-la4054]

Those cars look like they have so much grip and are really enjoyable to drive.

[@watchingcarsdriveonovals]

It's the opposite of dirt modifieds

[@LRKarts33]

They have more power than the cup cars

[@retromario96]

@@LRKarts33 From what I can find they don't. They are however much lighter and use bigger tires making them more nimble and grippy.

[@LRKarts33]

@@retromario96 I never knew if that was true or not they said it during one of the races but it just never seemed right

[@watchingcarsdriveonovals]

@@LRKarts33 Well they do because driving on dirt is a bit slower than driving on asphalt

[@Mentally_Will]

Early in the morning, rising to the street, Light me up that internet and there's S1apSh0es on my feed.

[@S1apShoes]

Underrated comment

[@Mentally_Will]

@@S1apShoes It's embarrassing how long I've been waiting to use that one but I'm always late to your videos. I appreciate ya, S1appy.

[@TyrinsClips]

What a legend.

[@sgtpepper6379]

I'm going to spark a J and listen to this song after the video lol. Thanks for the idea.

[@nascarnational]

I know a lot of us, me included, were introduced to these wildly different beasts when we played the EA Sports NASCAR releases back then. Since then I've wondered about the history of the division, and I've been piecing the story, but today you finally completed it for me. Overall it's interesting how these radically different machines shaped the sport in its building stages, helping prove the sport in front of a large and potential audience before going big-time. I think every NASCAR fan should have these at least in some place in their hearts, because NASCAR just wouldn't be the same without 'em.

[@CamaroAmx]

I’ve been going to grandveiw speedway for years to see the modifieds. In last decade or so, they became ruled by rich teams and the same handful of drivers win all the time, not unlike the Cup series and there are many cases of the pole sitter leading the entire race. Plus the cars cost a fortune to build and run (granted not as much as higher series, but $20k+ cars run by a full crew is a little much for the average person). I’ve migrated to the Sunday afternoon Endoro races lately. The cars are built on the cheap and are basically just junk versions (with safety modifications) of the cars you can find on used car lots. They aren’t very fast but the competition is solid. Plus on Sundays they sometimes have a vintage modified race, running local famous old modifieds from as far back as the 60s.

[@LuxuriousInterior]

Best racing in the northeast

[@johng4551]

These modifieds of today on the tour the engine is 80k whatever mods you watch sure are cheap a damn sk used isn't even 20k

[@jkarpinski14]

I was planning on attending the modified race at Riverhead this fall. Hopefully they’ll still be racing by then 🤞🏽

[@michaelbartolomeo2926]

This Saturday

[@CoolCat_24x]

is nobody gonna talk about the fact that S1ap is using the bojack horseman theme song for this video? my favorite channel and my all time favorite show coming together, what is this a crossover episode?

[@jamesbowers7343]

Mr peanutbutter seems like the type of guy who would start a nascar team on the fly with no experience or prep

[@WheelNut]

Haha yes I was scrolling through comments to see if anyone mentioned the music :)

[@lancerwick2661]

@@WheelNut same

[@TotoDG]

5:11. Am I seeing things right? That car _literally_ has a dollar sign for a number.

[@BSfromCS]

I saw that, looked to be a stylized 5 in my opinion!

[@SAVikingSA]

@@BSfromCS it was a dollar sign. In the dirt modifieds here in the northeast (which diverged from the pavement mods in the 70s but share a common ancestor) we had a guy named Doug Hoffman who for years ran a car numbered "60 Over". The number came from the the overbore of a Chevy 454 engine, .060", which gave you the series maximum 468 cubic inches. Both dirt and pavement mods have extremely lax numbering policy, because every local track is going to have the normal two digit numbers, and if one track rains out or there's a big race somewhere that all the local guys congregate at, you end up with multiples of the same number. So guys would be "666" "60 Over" "X" "$" or "7NY" to differentiate themselves.

[@workingguy6666]

@@SAVikingSA Thank you for the explanation - that is really cool and interesting.

[@pack1323]

@@SAVikingSA To this day, we have stylized numbers. I run the 14x, and there is a 14ny that runs at the track I race at

[@SAVikingSA]

@@pack1323 does your "x" stand for experimental? That was a common reason back in the day, also why dirt mod standout Carl "Fuzzy" Van Horn ran the 71e. Sidenote, he got the nickname "Fuzzy" because that was his answer when someone asked him how he felt after a hard crash.

[@brettrussell9122]

I go to 10+ Modified races per year at Thompson, Stafford, Oswego and many others. Modifieds are what I grew up with and now at age 16 are my favorite NASCAR series to watch. Wish we got more love.

[@P8nt4life1]

I'm happy and privileged to say that modifieds are where my roots in racing began and that my family was able to call people like Richie Evans and all of the bodines friends. This series deserves a lot more recognition than they get but unfortunately may never get it and that's sad.

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

Thank you for shedding some light on this series as it is rather obscure to most of us.

[@DRT49]

I'd love to see a video on the Super Modified, a sadly dying breed of race cars. They are the ultimate short track car. Winged supers and non winged supers are amazing to watch, and ISMA has some amazing events.

[@ryanwilson747]

Oh hell yeah, ISMA cars are absolutely crazy and I personally am a big fan of them.

[@ArmyBoiSweat]

First time i went over 100 was riding in one of those, latched onto the roll cage at 7 years old

[@DRT49]

@@ArmyBoiSweat Nowadays they would have the driver arrested, closed the track, and banned the McDonalds down the street from selling fries for that kind of thing...

[@ArmyBoiSweat]

@@DRT49 i never said it was on a track, my great uncle had an air strip and my grandpa used to work on the cars in the spare hangar, he took me for a few rides

[@DRT49]

@@ArmyBoiSweat There would have been some "Karen" ready to report, probably hiding in the bushes. We still don't know where Karens come from, possibly engineered in some snowflake laboratory.

[@austinreed5805]

I like the Whelen Modified. I remember playing them in the EA NASCAR games in which you could go full throttle into the corners and not get tight.

[@mattbaillargeon5688]

Living in Massachusetts, these modifieds have always been my favorite divison. The Whelen Tour stops by the Seekonk Speedway once or twice a year and the Tri Track mods do too. So damn fun to watch. Seekonk is a 1/3 mile oval and these cars absolutely shred the track.

[@mikelavin9704]

Amen, my friend! I spent many a weekend watching the best racing possible: Modifieds. Stafford on Friday; Riverside Park or Star Speedway on Saturday; Thompson on Sunday. Best memories! Unfortunately, the evidence of his assertion that they are a shadow of what they once were shows in fewer races at only a few tracks and small car counts. Thankfully, the Tri-Track Modified & Valenti Modified Series have kept racing for this type of car alive. The actual Whelen Modified Series (NASCAR's) remains in critical condition. Ironically, I think TV killed the series. They have been and remain the race car in the Northeast. When I lived in Tennessee and asked why they did not race at Memphis Motorsports Park, no one even knew they existed. Today, I enjoy seeing them at places I loved but never got to often: Seekonk and Monadnock. I especially love the latter. Modifieds at Monadnock rank as one of the best nights any night, period! Thanks for this!

[@murph23b40]

DO DIRT MODIFIEDS. I am sorry for yelling but dirt track racing is an underrated sport. And i would love to see some dirt modifieds.

[@rustyowl1979]

I used to live in mid east Pennsylvania, where there was a small 1/4 mile track with 7 different types of cars, one being modifieds. The ate also two names that drove there that are also in the Whelen series. Their names are Matt Hirschman and Eric Beers.

[@modifish68]

Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton PA...Still running Modifieds. The track is barely a 1/4 mile almost 1/5 but is very racy. The track reopened in 1987 when Dorney Park Speedway was closed to make room for a roller coaster, and the Sportsman Modifieds that ran there needed a place to race. Yes...Dorney Park had a real race track at one time...still miss that flat 1/5 mile. There were still some old 1940's style coupes racing there in 1986....Fun fact...the late John Andretti started his career at Dorney Park Speedway and won rookie of the year in 1982...in a beautiful coupe...

[@tylerirvine7053]

I really appreciate you putting these kind of videos together. It’s fun seeing how a lot of these cars and series came to be!

[@josephconciatori9824]

Thanks for sharing! I always enjoy watching the NASCAR Modified races as much as I can, and I would love to see one of their events in person someday. The Modified cars and drivers are so underrated - it is a crying shame that they're relegated to one-hour tape-delayed broadcasts on NBCSN (and most likely Peacock next year, because NBCSN will shut down on December 31). NASCAR should definitely find a prime-time slot on USA Network (or perhaps CNBC) and televise at least one Modified race live (flag-to-flag, no less), giving this series the respect it deserves.

[@Rednax_99]

Always loved watching them on TV when Ryan Newman would race in them yearly at New Hampshire (and possibly Martinsville too). These cars are super underrated, and I'd love to see them represented in the Nascar video games again

[@7natcho]

Watched the series two years in a row at Bristol Speedway . Last year it was replaced with the Arca Series . My driver Ryan Newman hops in a modified from time to time which inspired me to catch the whole 5 days at Bristol . As much as i enjoy the modified i didn't mind the change lat year at Bristol just because we were able to watch Hailie Deegan behind the wheel . Thank for the video ..

[@samhutton8889]

Bro your content is really incredible. The amount of research, writing, and overall professionalism is really amazing. Keep it up!

[@ericmonaco8181]

Mike Stefanik had 7 Nascar modified championships and 2 Busch north championships. Not to mention that in both 97 and 98 he won the titles in both modifieds and Busch north. He was much more than just an entertaining interview and the fact he still hasnt gotten in the Nascar Hall of Fame is criminal. May he rest in peace.

[@edd17sp74]

Thank you so much for making this video and explaining this. I’ve been a NASCAR fan for two decades and I’ve never been able to figure out what in the world these things are or how to explain to someone that “Modified” is being used as a noun.

[@averagehummer1213]

I loved this series ever since I saw the car. Also, could you eventually do a video on the European NASCAR series?

[@tugboatsstuff2810]

the wat?!

[@davidhonkstvorisit4811]

Ah yes

[@RezaMaulanaRezaMaulana98]

I seconded this. Out of all NASCAR series' out there, honestly I love the Euro Series the most. Its just surreal seeing that NASCAR have an official presence in Europe and the series have been growing a lot over the years, whether its on popularity, entry list size, and the quality of the field.

[@theflagstand]

@@RezaMaulanaRezaMaulana98 Just needs more ovals. Sadly there aren't that many available tho. For me it doesn't really feel like real NASCAR as they run almost always on road courses. That and the announcers are too "European". Sometimes they don't use all the right terms. Just a bit too different and detached.

[@RezaMaulanaRezaMaulana98]

@@theflagstand Honestly that is exactly why I like EuroNASCAR, the fact that it's so different from all other NASCAR series' out there. I'm used to seeing European motorsport anyway, ranging from MotoGP, Blancpain, F1, FE, ADAC, and such because I live in Indonesia, so tuning in to the European NASCAR races is much easier as it's aired at night time here as opposed to American NASCAR races, which is either midnight (day races) or the morning (night races) here.

[@ArtiRua]

I've watched this video a couple of times by now. Really nice, thank you for putting these up. I've found them helpful with my art projects!

[@nycsongman9758]

*Fantastic vid.* Complete in every way, with tasty sprinkles on top. The history jaunt was fire, and lively. I'll never look at NASCAR Modifieds in quite the same way, ever again. Great stuff.

[@AlexRaces64]

Love the mods, especially when the Islip 300 is ran at Riverhead Raceway

[@Typhooon342]

I'm sure everyones heard about the modified races at NHMS, but I specifically remember wanting to go down to the track on Saturday specifically so I could see that race. The Xfinity race was just a side event to me.

[@travisguin83]

Tryphon Davis It’s always the best race of the Cup weekends.

[@fdube319]

Always the best race of the weekend. And it's great that they replaced the September weekend with a 250 lap feature with the modifieds. I went in 2018 but missed it this past year.

[@davidstearns9664]

Growing up in Upstate NY I live not far from Rome NY. We had a small half mile dirt track (Mid State Speedway Morris NY) a few miles from my home. I spent many nights going to the races with my Dad. Memoires I will never forget. Keep up the good work. Stay Safe, Stay Healthy.

[@jaredfarney675]

I grew up watching dirt and asphalt modified. But the real treat as a kid was making the trek to Oswego Speedway for the Super Modifieds! Good video, we need to get the Modified tour back up to greatness again. I can care less about the K&N east/west series .

[@JohnSmith-mk5jt]

In my eyes, one of the most forgotten legends in all of NASCAR history was Richie Evans. Although not completely forgotten, he has more championships in a NASCAR sanctioned series than any other driver with those 9 Modified championships. I got to see one of his earlier modifieds on my trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Again, I mean forgotten as in someone who isn't often considered when it comes to talking about NASCAR's greatest drivers. Now, let's have a video on the Peak Mexico Series or the Pinty's series!

[@SpinnatoRacing]

i just wanted to take my time before even watching this bc i grow up in a racing family and my dad owns a business at stafford motor speedway in connecticut i usually always at the track and i love see the modified go out and race when tc died i was really sad because even though i didn't know him personally i loved watching him race and when my dad pulled me out of the dog out and told me i had it leave the baseball game i was so shocked and sad but anyway i just wanted to say i already live the video 49 seconds in because it hits close to home and i just love racing and when someoen talks ab any lower lower division i kinda just love it.

[@greatestbrand5191]

Love the modifieds and it has such a neat/beautiful history. Awesome video once again. Best nascar channel on KZbin

[@captainmorgan689]

best channel yet i love how deep you go in every video

[@tomwozniak1000]

Aye Wall Stadium is my home track!

[@mikemelina7395]

World's fastest 3/8ths mile. Grew up on that track.

[@ericmarchesini4883]

I’ve been to New Hampshire and Wall Stadium for Modifieds.

[@wingracer1614]

I used to go to the Martinsville triple header every year and the Modifieds were always the highlight for me. Became a huge Richie Evans fan and quickly came to absolutely DESPISE Geoff Bodine.

[@ericmarchesini4883]

wingracer 16 that’s cool

[@peterbruschi8690]

I grew up watching NASCAR Whelen Modifieds, did not know all this history! Always thought this series was underappreciated. Amazing use of original footage. Thanks for doing all the legwork, one of my favorites from you!

[@twothreebravo]

Another outstanding video. Growing up in the Northeast I knew of the series but never really knew of its real relation to NASCAR as a whole. Thanks for clearing up a lot of questions I had from back in the day!

[@roaldthamesen533]

Oooh yeas!! Joe Satriani's "Bot Metallic Rez" always plays in my head whenever I see a Modified :D :D

[@plasmadrone3123]

hell yeah!! remembering NASCAR 07, 08, and 09 from back in the day!!

[@ryeinc]

My first exposure to modified’s was in 05: Chase for the Cup.

[@3521Rookie]

It's always exciting to see you upload! I know since your video you have been busy! But it's worth it to see you upload with these NASCAR racing history videos. Your videos are always on point and a great way to learn.

[@therealfauxstradamus1135]

You have one of the greatest channels on this platform. Thanks so much for the history lessons!

[@cj4343]

When these boys run at riverhead raceway i can hear them 6 miles away!

[@ShanGamer1981]

I watched the martinsville race and it was always interesting

[@purplegill10]

I never thought you would ever do an episode on my favorite series by far. I legit screamed when I saw this come up in my sub box. Keep up the awesome work slap!

[@Bigbig1083]

Love this so much, especially since I grew up going to a lot of these tracks, knew a lot of the drivers, and even worked at Stafford for a few years. I have even known Ryan Preece's family for years since a friend of my Dad's, Jerry Marquis, drove for Ryan's grandfather, Bob Judkins, in the 2x for a few years.

[@bigworried4759]

... you mean other people didn’t grow up going to these races? I didn’t know it was possible for people to not know them.

[@thatkid780]

Big Worried there’s a lot of places that don’t have them at all let alone these specific classes

[@bigworried4759]

@@thatkid780 I live in Ohio and I genuinely had no clue they're mostly north east. I used to go to Oswego ever single year

[@TomBoi]

Outside the Northeast, and to a greater extent the East, modifieds aren't the popular class, if they even exist.

[@bigworried4759]

@@TomBoi Like I said, I just ALWAYS assumed it was a normal stop in a driver's career after Midgets/410s and before Arca/Truck etc. Just wild. Our lives mostly consist of any series that runs at Eldora and Oswego lol

[@r.u.s.e3586]

The only reason I knew they existed was because I played NASCAR 08 as a kid. Even then I knew next to nothing about them.

[@midknight9715]

I remember playing NASCAR 2005 as a kid and thinking "what the hell are these things?"

[@FOWBOWZ]

Something about the way you narrate is quite charming. I had a vague interest in Nascar until I started watching your videos yesterday. I'm glad I stumbled upon this channel

[@lilwhiteexpresstruck7943]

Dude I've watched a lot of your videos and you're getting super good at it. Crazy informative and super entertaining!

[@imminentrueage6400]

Can you do the same type of video for the various "models"? Late/super late/stocks, etc

[@ppioneer1417]

Wall stadium gang where you at

[@mikemelina7395]

World's fastest 3/8ths mile. Turkey Derby forever.

[@rbmtopgear7682]

Slap you have made me so much mote interested in Nascar. I am an American who watched F1 a lot and thought Nascar was boring at first, but watching your vids on the sport has gotten me a lot more interested. Thanks for the cool vids happy easter

[@bhumiriady]

Awesome video as always! It made me know more about NASCAR Modifieds. Keep up the awesome work.

[@skyner3299]

Love modifieds! Dirt or asphalt 😍😍

[@WiggysanWiggysan]

OK, I have a confession to make, I've never even heard of this division before. That said, I had *ZERO* interest in NASCAR until SS started making these videos !

[@wr70beh]

It's OK. I used to watch NASCAR quite a bit in the 80s and 90s and lost interest around 2004ish when they started getting huge. Thanks to SS, I'm a little more connected to it.

[@crazyoilfieldmechanic3195]

Thanks for making a very good informative video. It answered a ton of questions I have always had about short track racing.

[@papa_kernels4816]

Been building one of these in a game but didn't really know much of the history, this was very helpful! Thanks!

[@joeblow9657]

Someone's been binging Bojack Horseman!!!!!

[@sergiorobles2107]

Finally found the comment lol If I didn't find this I would've posted it myself. That change in pitch and rythm makes it sound much more badass, still keeping the essence.

[@bobthebuilder1360]

Bro I heard the music n was like where do ik this from

[@Derkiboi]

where can we find this slow version? I love it

[@nascarfan43]

I really love modified and I really hate that modern nascar game doesn't feature this series anymore Also here a hashtag/petitions:#makethemodifiedcrazyagain

[@scarfbandit177]

I'm from Stafford Springs. This is the first time I've heard my hometown mentioned in a KZbin video. Very cool

[@bryansisneroz8467]

I don’t even watch nascar but yet I’m so intrigued by the history and everything! Great videos my man!!!

[@seahawkfan1995]

I stopped watching after Ted christopher died he was the dale Earnhardt sr of the Whelen modified tour the 3 tap rule

[@richarddenny2458]

Same thing with Richie Evans get killed at Martinsville in 1985 while I watch them as practice race on Friday afternoon then I feel like I was fell to floor. I feel so weird as I was feeling what I feel SO REAL WEIRD. Honest with you I am still loyal and love to watch Whelen Modified Tour race.

[@seahawkfan1995]

I wasnt born yet to see Ritchie race im glad I saw Ted christopher race and win he was the man

[@seahawkfan1995]

When I heard when Ted christopher died I fell to the ground my girl friend had to pick me up

[@michaellavin6417]

Your comment insults the fans and competitors of modifieds who have contributed to the division's deep history throughout New England and the Northeast for decades. Christopher was preceded by Jimmy Spencer as the one whose unabashed aggression on the track earned him, deservedly so, as many if not more detractors as fans. Ironically, he raced against those who "raced", i.e. worked to pass a car cleanly. This is not to say all those years were without incident, but those drivers demonstrated ability and knew how to save equipment. The talent it takes simply to not let off going into the corner and knock another competitor out of the way or into the wall does not balance the scales of tough, almost aggressive, but clean racing. Alas...

[@matthewneill4494]

Great video! Growing up in the northeast and going to Spencers(or whatever it was called that particular year)...these always put on a great show!

[@FreeJaffa92]

Hey man I just wanted say you just taught me a lot. I’m A world of outlaws sprint fan in NY, so I knew some of what you were talking about but the variety of model year surprised me. Love the video.

[@OneEyeDollar6]

I've watched dirt modified and late model races my whole life, never knew there were nascar modifieds until now lol

[@FreeJaffa92]

OneEyeDollar I think I may have seen three NASCAR modify races in my entire life all in Connecticut. Remember this one with coming in second. Lol

[@MrMiD.Life.Crisis]

Great video, i love the Stefanik interview comment! (rip Mike).

[@pkscarr]

I *love* these things... being from the UK and only knowing Nascar as Daytona and superspeedways I'd never even seen or heard of them until flicking randomly through the various iRacing oval series and seeing them like "what the F is this? Looks like a Hot Wheels... is it actually real?" So skipped through a few races, eventually picked the Whelen series up in iRacing, and so glad I did. close, exciting racing? check. occasional chaos? check. Cars that are flat out just fun as anything to drive? double-check.

[@trevorwiesner7527]

I've seen quite a few modified races at Oswego, and my great uncle used to race in the series. Great Video!

[@wightrat1207]

When they run at Stafford Speedway I can hear them from my house. My dad took my brother and I there when we were kids. Loved watching those modifieds run.

[@justinpacheco2144]

Loved seeing these as a kid in New England. Love the choice of music too.

[@larrymartin8146]

Nice work! Yes they are fun to watch, wicked quick.

[@digsstuff]

I dunno how I missed this till now. But I love the NASCAR modified series. Thank you for bringing up Walkins Glen in the mid 90s as well. I watched the first race they had there on TV and the last lap or 2 of that race was insane. no wrecks but I think somewhere around 16 lead changes between 2 drivers. Some of the best road course racing I have ever watched.

[@millencolin12]

Im so happy you made a video on these Slap! The mods are by far my favorite series. I have spent my whole life growing up at thompson speedeay watching these guys every race they come there, and can say from the other tracks Ive been to, they always put on an amazing show there. I would love to see you do a slap on location either at Thompson for one of their events (probably the sunoco world series in october i would recommend where you get 3 full days and about a dozen different divisions competing in total) or the 250 lapper at Loudon where they need to run restrictor plates to keep the speeds down

[@specialk1416]

Thanks for this piece of history. I still play NASCAR 07 on my PS2 and I always wondered about the Whelen Modified Tour. Those cars are fun as hell on short tracks and I feel like they even corner better than cup cars at those tracks. Of course they get hardly the love they need and I’m glad you made this video showing more people about this series