Modified racing venue long before the Whelen Modified Tour was formed, Martinsville Speedway will play host to the Tour’s fourth race of the season on Sunday, June 6 with qualifying the preceding day.

The 2010 Made In America Whelen 200 will mark the 35th time the Tour has raced Martinsville’s unique paperclip oval, the most at any facility outside of the northeast.

Despite a four-year absence in the mid-1990s, Martinsville has been a staple of the Whelen Modified Tour schedule since its inception. Charlie Jarzombek won the first two races there during the inaugural season of 1985. This year’s return to Martinsville will mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Modified legend Richie Evans, who passed away following an accident during practice prior to the 1985 season finale at the .526-mile track.

Some of the famed names of modern-day Modified racing have taken home the traditional Grandfather Clock at Martinsville. Reggie Ruggiero, Jeff Fuller and Mike Ewanitsko earned four wins apiece there while Brett Bodine and the late Tom Baldwin have a pair of triumphs.

Currently second in points in 2010, Mike Stefanik heads the list of Martinsville wins with five. His record fifth career triumph came in 2009.

In addition to Stefanik, the only other active drivers with career wins at Martinsville are Jimmy Blewett, Ted Christopher and Ryan Preece. A NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver these days, L.W. Miller won at Martinsville in 2002 back when he was a Whelen Modified Tour competitor.

After five years of this being a combination race with the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, the Martinsville date has gone back to just a Whelen Modified Tour event, although a number of Whelen Southern Modified Tour teams are expected to enter.

The Whelen Modified Tour will share the bill on race weekend with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Practice and qualifying for both is scheduled for Saturday, June 5. The Tour will take the green flag on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the East to follow.
 
Raceday Notes
The Race … The Made In America Whelen 200 on June 6 will be the fourth of 14 races on the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, and the only trip to Martinsville Speedway and the state of Virginia.

The Procedure … Starting positions 1-30 will be set from time trials. The remaining five will be filled through the provisional process. The race is 200 laps (105.2 miles).

The Track … Martinsville is a .526-mile “paperclip” oval with flat straight-aways and 12-degree banking in the turns. The track originally opened in 1947 and has played host to each of NASCAR’s three national series. There have been 34 Whelen Modified Tour races at Martinsville since 1985.

Race Winners … There have been 16 different race winners at Martinsville, led by Mike Stefanik’s five, including last year.