THE WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR AND TV
By Deane Mercier

  April 8, Norwalk, CT--- Why aren’t there more Whelen Modified Tours races on TV?  This is question I’ve asked NASCAR officials for several years now and I have always gotten a non-answer. “We’re working on it” has always been the stock reply to the question. 

   So last Sunday, several hours prior to the season opening WMT race at Thompson International Speedway, I went in search of Phil Kurze the Vice President of Motorsports for Whelen Engineering. 

  You can find Kurze easy enough. He is in the neighborhood of 6’ 5” and in his youth was more than likely a power forward. I found him in the paddock area.

  When I walked up to him and asked if he had a few minutes for an interview he said, “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

   When I told him I wanted to ask him about the lack of televised WMT races he waited a few moments, as if he was collecting his thoughts, then said “OK.” 

DM:  Why is so difficult for Whelen as the title sponsor to get your series on TV? 

PK:   It is a rather complex issue. There are contractual arrangements that NASCAR has relative to the broadcasts of all NASCAR series. It is with various broadcast companies who have the option to be able to do the broadcasts. 

  At this point if they choose not to then there would not be a broadcast and we are quite heavily involved in discussions with NASCAR trying to find some alternatives to that if the contractual broadcast companies decides not to do it then we in fact take other avenues. It is something that is being worked on right now by George Silbermann* but I can’t give you anything more definitive than that at this point.” 

DM:  Could an assumption be made that if you can’t work something out through NASCAR that Whelen as the title sponsor might independently produce some TV races?

PK:   We really can’t do that because the broadcast companies by contractual arrangement has the right to all broadcast rights so we couldn’t independently go out and film it and then broadcast it. It has to be done through the proper channels. 

  What we are working on is trying to do something with the proper channels to be able to accomplish that. It is not something that is a dead issue, as a matter of fact it is a very live issue.” 

   Well at least Kurze explained to me the reasons behind the lack of televised WMT races. I may be wrong but I think he and the higher-ups at Whelen may be just as frustrated on this issue as I am. 

  When you get right down to it the answer is still “we’re working on it.” 

Editors note: George Silbermann is Managing Director of Racing Operations for NASCAR