The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour kicks off its 2021 season Thursday at Martinsville after a wait of nearly six months.

After a nine-race season in 2020, the Tour returns to a full schedule in 2021 that begins at the historic half-mile oval with the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 (8 p.m. ET, TrackPass).

RELATED LINKS:

• RACE INFO: Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway

With fans in the stands at Martinsville Speedway (buy tickets) and a full field of cars ready to roll, the NASCAR’s oldest division will add another chapter to the historic venue.

Fans can watch the race live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

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Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

After nearly 11 years without racing at the flat Virginia half-mile, the playing field for this year’s event is rather wide-open. Only nine drivers who competed in the 2010 race are on the entry list for this year.

The driver to keep an eye out for, however, is obvious: Justin Bonsignore.

He finished second to Bobby Santos III in the last race the Tour ran at Martinsville. Dating back to 2019, Bonsignore has finished inside the top five in 15 straight races and 20 straight times inside the top 10.

Bonsignore also looks to defend his title from 2020 in which he set the Tour record for best average finish in a season.

And of course, two wild-cards in Thursday’s 200-lapper will be Ryan Newman and Ryan Preece. Both drivers have had success at Martinsville. Newman has gone to Victory Lane at Martinsville in the Cup Series (2012), while Preece will be the only past Modified winner in the field, having done so back in 2008.

Doug Coby is only a year removed from his sixth tour title, while Craig Lutz, Jon McKennedy and Ron Silk showed the ability to break up the Coby-Bonsignore domination of the championship trophy. Two-time NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Andy Seuss is also entered in Thursday’s race. Seuss was sixth at New Hampshire in his only tour start last year.

RACING REFERENCE:

• 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Points
• Previous Whelen Modified Tour races at Martinsville
• Whelen Modified Tour driver stats at Martinsville

RACE FACTS

RACE	Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200
PLACE	Martinsville Raceway in Martinsville, Virginia
DATE	Thursday, April 8, 2021
TIME	8 p.m. ET
TV/LIVE STREAM	TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold (live) / NBCSN – Wednesday, April 14, 5 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT	Half-mile paved oval
LAPS	200
MILES	100
EVENT SCHEDULE	Friday, March 12: Garage opens: 9:45 a.m. ET; Practice: 2:30-4 p.m.; Qualifying: 6 p.m.; Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200: 8 p.m.
TWITTER	@NASCARRoots, @MartinsvilleSwy, @_TrackPass
HASHTAG	#VARacingLovers200

RELATED:

• Complete Martinsville Event Schedule
• Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 Entry List

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the  Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 is limited to limited to 32 starters including provisionals. The field will be set by qualifying (1-26) and provisional process per the entry blank (27-32) for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200. In the event that qualifying as stated on the entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2021 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book.

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. (EIRI) 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.

RACE PIT STOP: Live pit stop procedure – Teams may not take tires and fuel in the same stop. Maximum five crew members over the wall.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is twelve (12) 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 four (4) tires, any position.

QUALIFYING AND SPECIAL AWARDS

$400 Phil Kurze Halfway Leader Award presented by Josten’s per event award to the race leader at the halfway point of the event, regardless if the race is running under green or yellow.

$600 Hoosier Tire “Lap Leader” per event award to the eligible car owner whose driver leads the most laps in each event. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the highest finishing car in the event.

$500 Hoosier Tire “Hard Charger” per event award to the highest finishing eligible driver who advances the most positions during the course of the race. In the case of a tie, the highest finishing driver will receive the award.

$500 Hoosier Tire “Most Improved” per event award to the eligible new team/organization whose driver improves the most positions during the course of the race. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the highest finishing car in the event. If money is not awarded during this event, funds will rollover to the next event and will continue to rollover until an eligible new team/organization claims the money.

$1,000 Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole per event award to the driver with the fastest qualifying time eligible to participate under the Manufacturers’ Prize Money Conditions.

$550 Sunoco Spec Fuel award divided: 1st-$300 5th-$150 10th-$100.

$3,500 Whelen Engineering “Winner of the Race” award to the winning driver.

Whelen Non-Starter award will be paid to the first 15 competitors throughout the season who pass inspection, practice, attempt to qualify, but fail to make the feature event.

Holding off a cast of fellow Modified legends, Richie Evans picked up his eighth Modified victory at Martinsville Speedway in the 1981 Azalea 150.

It was the first Modified race at Martinsville since the Dogwood 500 a month prior, when Evans rode the catchfence to the win over Geoff Bodine.

RELATED: Notable Modified Races at Martinsville: Early Years | 1990 to present

Modified stars were scattered throughout the field that day. In the race that day was Evans, in the midst of his fourth straight NASCAR Modified championship season and fifth overall. Jerry Cook joined Evans, along with Ray Hendrick, Maynard Troyer, brothers Geoff and Brett Bodine, Ron Bouchard and George Kent. Neil Bonnett was also in the lineup of 30 cars that started the race.

Geoff Bodine started on the pole and led 117 of the race’s 150 laps, but his right-rear tire went soft and both Evans and Bouchard began pressuring him. With 33 laps to go, Evans took the lead, Several laps later, Geoff Bodine spun in turn three as his tire continued to lose air, effectively taking him out of contention for the win. Bodine would end up settling for sixth.

The race came down to a duel between Evans and Bouchard, driving the No. 3 “Ole Blue” Modified. Bouchard, however, was never able to mount a strong charge on Evans. The final caution came out with four laps to go when Brett Bodine spun, also in turn three. The race ended under yellow, with Evans rolling to the win.

WATCH: 1981 Azalea 150 on Facebook

The last 30 years of Whelen Modified Tour action at Martinsville have provided short-track fans with all-time classics. Leading up to the Modified return to the track, here are selected some of the biggest and most important races in Martinsville history since 1990.

1992: Four for Fuller

En route to the Tour championship that year, late-race heroics in the Hanes 150 on April 25 got Jeff Fuller his fourth win at Martinsville. Fuller led only five laps on the way to victory over Mike Stefanik — who had led 123 laps — and Jan Leaty. Satch Worley, who won a month earlier at Martinsville, finished fourth.

Fuller added to his wins in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

RELATED: Notable Modified races at Martinsville: the early years

2000: The Reg vs. TC

In the midst of a tight championship battle between Reggie Ruggiero and Jerry Marquis, fireworks changed the course of the Goody’s Body Pain 200 in the closing laps. First Jerry Marquis spun himself trying to pass Ruggiero for third, erasing Christopher’s sizable lead and setting up a late-race dash to the checkers. Then, with 10 to go, Ruggiero made contact with Christopher going for the lead.

Christopher went into the wall, while Ruggiero went on to the win.

Marquis would finish second in the penultimate race of the year, and clinch his championship at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway by a 36-point margin over Ruggiero.

WATCH: Looking Back: The Reg vs. TC at Martinsville in 2000

2002: Run of first-time winners begins

Between 1989-2001, Jeff Fuller (four wins), Mike Ewanitsko (four wins), Mike Stefanik (four wins) and Reggie Ruggiero (three wins) dominated, with Satch Worley and Tony Hirschman Jr.

Then along came a 28-year-old from Dushore, Pennsylvania: LW Miller.

Miller, who had four career top 10s in 69 previous career starts, qualified seventh and led the final 50 laps en route to his first — and only career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory. Miller’s win began a streak of eight different winners in eight Tour races at the track.

Miller went on to win the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship and is currently Director of Motorsports for JR Motorsports.

2005: TC finally gets Martinsville win

After a three-year absence from Martinsville, the Tour returned to the track under the lights for the first time on Labor Day weekend. It was Christopher who beat fellow Modified legend Mike Stefanik on a Saturday night to take his only win at Martinsville.

Christopher started on the pole and led 164 laps in the Made In American Whelen 300. It was the first of three straight tour wins in 2005 for Christopher.

John Blewett III, Eric Beers and Doug Coby rounded out the top 5. Brian Loftin was the highest finishing driver of the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, in its first year.

2008: Ryan Preece Picks Up First Win In DQ

It appeared as if Burt Myers had picked up his first Whelen Modified Tour win when he crossed the finish line ahead of 17-year-old Ryan Preece in the Made In American Whelen 300, and make the North Carolina veteran the first Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver to win the combination event.

However, post-race inspection, however, would lead to a disqualification for Myers, and hand Preece his first victory on the Tour. Preece was driving the famed No. 3 ‘ole Blue.’ Preece joined Bugs Stevens in delivering a Martinsville win to Boehler Racing.

Matt Hirschman was credited with second, followed by Ruggiero, Christopher and Todd Szegedy.

Preece has gone on to win the2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title and finish tour runner-up four other times en route to his current ride in the the NASCAR Cup Series.

2010: Santos adds to family legacy

The win in the 2010 Made In America Whelen 300 was special for Bobby Santos III in a number of ways.

It was Santos’ third win in the first four races of the season, along with a runner-up finish, as he drove to his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in his first full season driving for longtime Modified car owner Bob Garbarino. Santos joined Satch Worley (1992) and Donny Lia (2007) in winning at Martinsville for Garbarino.

To top it all off, Santos’ grandfather, Bobby Santos Jr., won the Cardinal Classic 250 NASCAR Modified Division event on Oct. 16, 1972.

Then 22-year-old rookie Justin Bonsignore finished second, followed by Szegedy, Stefanik and Myers.