Are you searching for something different to do summer? Are you tired of the high cost of attending major league ballgames? Do you prefer tailgating to blowing a bunch of money on food at the stadium? If you answered yes to any of these questions, pack up your grill tools and check out the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

When most people think of NASCAR, they think of the Sprint Cup, Camping World Truck or Nationwide Series. There is another NASCAR series out there that many people think is more exciting than any of these. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour started 1985 and runs at some of the  most well known short tracks in the Country. This year, the Whelen Modified Tour will race 14 times at tracks as short as the ¼ mile Riverhead Raceway in Long Island and as long as the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. In 2009, the Whelen Tour will also be going to the high banked Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for the first time ever.

The cars, themselves, look nothing like their Sprit Cup cousins. They’re open-wheeled (meaning they don’t have full fenders), lightweight cars that weigh under 2,600 pounds and use 15 inch wide slick tires. The NASCAR Whelen Modified cars are much lower to the ground and slicker than the the race cars you’re used to. While they carry names like Corvette, the only part that actually has to be stock is the roof. They have a 107 inch wheelbase and get their power from small block V-8 engines that can create up to 600 horsepower.

Several of NASCAR’s biggest names over the past 20 years, including Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine, Jimmy Spencer and Steve Park started their professional careers in the modifieds. In addition, several of today’s top drivers including Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman have driven Whelen modifieds either on Sprint Cup off weekends or when the Sprint Cup and Whelen Modified Tour meet up for race weekends at Loudon.

Most of the Whelen Modified Tour races are one day events. However, there are several chances to spend a weekend watching the mighty modifieds. The season starts each April at the Thompson Speedway in CT with a weekend of racing known as the Icebreaker and finishes with the World Series of Short Track Racing also at Thompson. Free camping is available at both of these events so pack your picnic coolers and barbecue tools and have a great weekend with the NASCAR Whelen Modifed Tour!