Lime Rock’s 2010 Season: Info, Updates & Factoids


- The reserved RV spots for Memorial Day Grand-Am, the NASCAR Doubleheader (July 2-3) and American Le Mans (July 23-24) are selling faster than in years past, so if that’s your way of enjoying those weekends, don’t be shy about calling us relatively soon

- Good news! ALMS and Chevrolet have confirmed that there will be a Corvette Corral for the July 23-24 race weekend. We don’t have all the details yet, but for a small fee above and beyond your ticket price, Vette owners will have access to a special parking, a VIP tent and, of course, the Corvette Parade Lap

- Did you know that you can buy a race-day ticket for the Labor Day Historic Festival ($35 in advance) and use it either Saturday or Monday? Think of the flexibility! For instance, let’s say you forgot that your wife was going to have a baby on that Saturday and you already bought the ticket. No problem, come on Monday! (For the record, for $80 in advance, you get the entire race weekend (Fri. through Mon.), and it includes admission into the giant “Sunday in the Park” Concours & Car Show)

- On Tuesday, May 11, starting at 1:00 p.m., the Hoosier Tire Company is bringing its engineering team to Lime Rock for a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour tire test, in preparation for the Modified’s first road-course race in 10 years (July 2-3 NASCAR Doubleheader). Lime Rock fans are welcome to come – it’s free – but you will have to sign the track waiver at the entrance

Speaking of the NASCAR Doubleheader, we thought at least a few of you would like to know a bit of background on both series – the K&N Pro Series East and the Whelen Modified Tour – because we know our fans are more knowledgeable than most.

K&N Pro Series (a.k.a. Busch North/Camping World East)
Among car and motorsports enthusiasts, K&N Engineering is known mostly for its high performance air filters and cold-air-intake systems designed to make more horsepower and improve gas mileage. Last month, K&N announced it was taking over sponsorship of NASCAR’s driver development series, which was originally created in 1987 and called the Busch Grand National North Series.

Busch North races were in the Northeast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Its past champions include Ricky Craven, Mike Stefanik, Joey Logano, Matt Kobyluck and Ryan Truex (Martin Truex, Jr.’s younger brother), as well as famed Cup crew chief Greg Zipadelli.

In 2006, NASCAR changed the series name to Busch East. The next year, NASCAR not only made some rule changes regarding engines and bodywork but Camping World, the big outdoor and sporting gear retailer, came on board as title sponsor. Then, this past January Camping World moved up to take over title sponsorship of NASCAR’s truck series, which allowed K&N to take over the stock car series.

Following are the past winners of the “Busch North/Camping World/K&N” races at Lime Rock:
October 16, 1993, Ken Schrader
October 15, 1994, Butch Leitzinger
November 4, 1995, Butch Leitzinger
October 12, 1996, Butch Leitzinger
October 18, 1997, Ted Christopher
October 17, 1998, Mike Stefanik
October 16, 1999, Bryan Wall
October 14, 2000, Bryan Wall
October 13, 2001, Dale Quarterly
October 26, 2002, Dennis Doyle
October 11, 2003, Dale Quarterly
May 29, 2004, Brad Leighton
October 1, 2005, Matt Kobyluck
September 30, 2006, Ruben Pardo
August 18, 2007, Matt Kobyluck
August 16, 2008, Matt Kobyluck
August 15, 2009, Ryan Truex

Whelen Modified Tour
Where to begin? Modifieds are NASCAR’s oldest series – the first-ever NASCAR-sanctioned race was a modifed event on the sands of Daytona Beach in 1948 – and have long been NASCAR’s most popular local track series. The races on dirt and asphalt ovals are close, exciting, thrill-a-minute shows. The drivers have big, outsize personalities that engender tremendously loyal and fanatical fans.

The current iteration of NASCAR’s top modified series was rolled out in 1985, called the Winston Modified Tour. In 1994, Featherlite Trailers came on as title sponsor, then 10 years later, Whelen Engineering took over sponsorship of the series.

Whelen is a family owned, New England-based manufacturer of a huge range of automotive and aviation safety equipment... but you may know the company best during those times when you get pulled over by the cops! Those flashing lights in your rearview mirror? They’re made by Whelen. (By the way, the company says on its website that the name is pronounced “wee-lin.”)

NASCAR modifieds – open-wheelers with partial bodies ostensibly that of street cars –  are built on tubular chassis made by specialist fabricators. A Whelen Modified is 11 inches shorter in height and almost 2 feet wider than a Sprint Cup car. They are powered by small-block V-8 engines (usually of 355 to 368 c.i.d.), although larger or smaller engines can be used. Modifieds weigh at least 2,610 pounds (with additional weight for engines 358 cubic inches and larger) and have a wheelbase of 107 inches. The engines, which make on the order of 650 h.p., are largely similar to those used in the Sprint Cup Series, but the Whelen Mods use a smaller 390 cfm carb.

As you might have guessed, NASCAR’s Modifieds only rarely race on road-course tracks such as Lime Rock. In fact, when they come here July 2-3, it will mark the first time the Tour has competed on a road course since 2000! There have been only six previous road course races in Tour history, all at Watkins Glen International.

(From the It’s a Small World After All Department: Tommy Baldwin, the famous Sprint Cup crew chief, and Al Heinke, a former driver, crew chief and race engineer who has competed in Northeast dirt modifieds, SCCA open-wheel formula classes, and IMSA sports cars, last month formed an all-new Whelen Modified Tour team. The driver will be 17-year-old Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y. And why is this especially interesting? Because Al Heinke is a longtime friend of Skip Barber and in fact used to be one of Skip’s owner-partners of Lime Rock!)

Following are the Whelen Modified Tour champions since its modern 1985 incarnation:
1985, Richie Evans
1986, Jimmy Spencer
1987, Jimmy Spencer
1988, Mike McLaughlin
1989, Mike Stefanik
1990, Jamie Tomaino
1991, Mike Stefanik
1992, Jeff Fuller
1993, Rick Fuller
1994, Wayne Anderson
1995, Tony Hirschman, Jr.
1996, Tony Hirschman, Jr.
1997, Mike Stefanik
1998, Mike Stefanik
1999, Tony Hirschman, Jr.
2000, Jerry Marquis
2001, Mike Stefanik
2002, Mike Stefanik
2003, Todd Szegedy
2004, Tony Hirschman, Jr.
2005, Tony Hirschman, Jr.
2006, Mike Stefanik
2007, Donny Lia
2008, Ted Christopher
2009, Donny Lia