The 40th anniversary season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour begins Saturday night at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway with the running of the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
Saturday’s race at New Smyrna marks the fourth consecutive year the Modified Tour season has launched at the Florida half-mile as part of the track’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. Matt Hirschman claimed the first Tour event at New Smyrna in 2022, and Ron Silk won the last two events in 2023-24.
More than 30 competitors are entered to compete at New Smyrna this weekend, led by four-time and defending Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore. He’ll look to deny Hirschman, Silk and the rest of the field as he pursues his fifth title.
Tickets to the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 are available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the opening race of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at New Smyrna Speedway
Making history is something with which Justin Bonsignore has become familiar. He captured his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship one season ago, making him just the fourth driver in series history with four or more titles.
Bonsignore also won his 45th Modified Tour race last fall at Martinsville Speedway, which moved him past Reggie Ruggiero for second on the all-time win list. If he can win Saturday’s New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200, he’ll add his name to yet another exclusive list.
In the history of the Modified Tour, a driver has won three consecutive races 17 times. Of those 17 times, it’s been accomplished by 11 drivers. Of those 11 drivers, only two – Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik – have won four or more. Bonsignore enters Saturday’s opening race of the 40th anniversary season riding a three-race winning streak dating back to the end of 2023. A win Saturday would put him alongside Evans and Stefanik as just the third driver to win at least four consecutive races.
A stacked field of competitors will look to deny Bonsignore another historic moment Saturday night. Among them are Ron Silk and Matt Hirschman, the only two drivers to win Modified Tour events at New Smryna. Silk has won the last two Modified Tour events at the track; Hirschman claimed the inaugural event at the venue in 2022.
Craig Lutz, who is back in the Goodie Motorsports No. 46 this year, should be considered a contender after winning the pole and leading 80 laps last year. Patrick Emerling returns for Year 2 in the No. 1 for team owner Rich Gautreau after winning three races together last year.
Jeremy Gerstner will be making his return to the Modified Tour on Saturday at New Smyrna. Gerstner was seriously injured in a crash during practice last year at New Smyrna, and his injuries forced him to sit out nearly the entire 2024 racing season.
Trevor Catalano and Austin Beers, both of whom scored Modified Tour victories last year, are among the 31 entries for Saturday’s opener. Other notables include Eric Goodale, Luke Baldwin, Tommy Catalano, Chase Dowling, Kyle Bonsignore and Tyler Rypkema, among others.
The complete entry list for Saturday’s New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 is available here.
RACING REFERENCE
- Previous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at New Smyrna
- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers at New Smyrna
RACE FACTS
Race | New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 |
Date | Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 |
Track | New Smyrna Speedway |
Layout | Half-mile asphalt oval |
Location | New Smyrna Beach, Florida |
Start time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Laps | 200 |
Posted Awards | $149,447 |
Tickets | Trackside |
How To Watch | FloRacing |
SCHEDULE: Saturday, Feb. 8… Practice from 2 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. ET … Final practice from 3:05 to 3:35 p.m. … Qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET … New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at 7:30 p.m. ET (FloRacing).
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 is limited to 32 starters including Provisional Positions.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is ten (10) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is two (2) tires, per stop.