DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today the 2012 schedule for the eighth season of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, which includes the first race ever scheduled on a one-mile track.
The Whelen Southern Modified Tour will make its inaugural visit to Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway for the season finale on Nov. 3. The event will partner with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for a doubleheader at the track steeped in NASCAR history. At one mile, it will be the largest track the Whelen Southern Modified Tour has visited in its brief history.
Next season’s schedule features 12 dates at eight different tracks across four states. The 2012 slate includes returning to many facilities that held events in 2011.
“The 2012 schedule features venues that have been a part of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour since its beginning, as well as facilities that have developed traditions of their own with the tour in recent seasons,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “The upcoming season should be the one of the best yet with the addition of Rockingham Speedway to complement a slate that includes some of the premier short tracks in the region.”
For the eighth consecutive year, the Whelen Southern Modified Tour is scheduled to open its season at Caraway Speedway. Located near Asheboro, N.C., the track has played host to more events than any other venue through the tour’s history, and has five dates in 2012 starting with the March 25 season-opening race.
Like Caraway, Bowman Gray Stadium has been on the schedule each season of the Whelen Southern Modified Tour’s existence. “The Stadium” in Winston-Salem, N.C., will welcome the tour back to its tight quarter mile on Aug. 4.
The Whelen Southern Modified Tour will once again have a pair of companion events with NASCAR’s national series. The fourth annual combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway will be part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Aug. 22 and Charlotte Motor Speedway will welcome the tour back to its quarter-mile track for the third season in a row as part of the fall NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend on Oct. 11.
Other 2012 highlights include:
• Caraway Speedway is the only track on the 2012 schedule to have multiple events. In addition to the season opener on March 25, the track will have races on April 7, April 21, July 6 and Sept. 29.
• Following the success of the inaugural special event in 2011, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will return to Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Sept. 9 for a doubleheader and exhibition event with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
• Virginia short tracks South Boston Speedway and Langley Speedway in Hampton return to the schedule on April 14 and Sept. 1, respectively. It will be the third year in a row that the tour has visited Langley, and fourth for South Boston.
2012 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Schedule
March 25th — Caraway Speedway(NC)
April 7th — Caraway Speedway(NC)
April 14th — South Boston Speedway(VA)
April 21st — Caraway Speedway(NC)
July 6th — Caraway Speedway(NC)
August 4th — Bowman Gray Stadium(NC)
August 22nd — Bristol Motor Speedway(TN)
September 1st — Langley Speedway(VA)
September 9th — Thompson International Speedway(CT)
September 29th — Caraway Speedway(NC)
October 11th — Charlotte Motor Speedway(NC)
November 3rd — Rockingham Speedway(NC)
