Story By: KYLE SOUZA / JDV PRODUCTIONS – ATTLEBORO, MA – JDV Productions, led by Josh Vanada and his team of experienced professionals in motorsports, will return to grassroots short-track racing to promote three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events in 2021.
As part of the tour’s 37th annual season of competition, which includes a 14-race schedule in six different states, JDV Productions will promote races in three states — Pennsylvania, New York and Maine. Races at Jennerstown Speedway Complex (May 29), Oswego Speedway (June 12) and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (August 21) will be led by the JDV team.
All three events will be $10,000+ to win for drivers, including the Whelen Winner of the Race bonus award, and each will have a full purse structure throughout the field. JDV is committed to assisting the Whelen Modified Tour group to continue the deep history of NASCAR’s oldest touring series.
“I’m glad to be back involved with motorsports and promoting the incredibly talented drivers, car owners and race teams of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,” Vanada said. “We’ve selected three venues steeped in Modified history, with raceable surfaces and eager fans. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at Jennerstown, Oswego and Beech Ridge this summer.”
Vanada is no stranger to motorsports promotions. As the former General Manager of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Vanada assisted in coordinating some of New England’s most historic events — including the Icebreaker weekend and Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing. Both of those events included the Whelen Modified Tour — along with the annual June and August stops at Thompson during Vanada’s tenure at the Connecticut oval.
To be announced at a later date, there will be a challenge for competitors who elect to compete in all three tour races promoted by JDV.
“I’m really excited to have both Oswego and Jennerstown back on the schedule — we ran really well at both tracks and I just really enjoyed both facilities,” two-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore said. “I always enjoy seeing new tracks added to the schedule, and look forward to going to Beech Ridge and seeing how we stack up against the competition.”
The tour returns to Jennerstown, a .522-mile asphalt track in Pennsylvania, for a Memorial Day weekend special. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Jennerstown hosted the season-opener for the series without fans, won by eventual two-time champion Bonsignore. The track also hosted a second date in August, won by rising star Craig Lutz. It will be the 17th tour race in the history of the oval.
In June, NASCAR’s Modifieds will return to the “Steel Palace” of Oswego for their first of two dates during the 2021 season. JDV’s part in the June event marks the earliest the Whelen Modified Tour will visit Oswego during a season in the 12-race history. Last year, there was no tour event at Oswego, with the doors shuttered due to COVID-19. Doug Coby, Ryan Preece, Matt Hirschman and Bonsignore were the four drivers in Victory Lane between 2016-2019.
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway returns to the tour schedule for the first time since 2005 on August 21, bringing rolling thunder back to the NASCAR-sanctioned oval in Maine. Beech Ridge has seen Modifieds through the years, but when the tour rolls into town, fans can expect a tight-quarters racing battle at one of New England’s oldest venues.
“Josh has a proven track record of producing high-quality, entertaining events for our race fans. He has a passion for promoting events that bring an emphasis on both the racer and fan experience,” Jimmy Wilson, Director of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour said. “We are looking forward to working together with him and his team to bring the excitement and adrenaline that is the hallmark of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. After a year of challenges with the current pandemic, we are proud of the diverse schedule and the opportunity to bring the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to the variety of legacy and historic tracks on tap this year.”
