YesterYear Classic In The Books

Tom Ogle led 161 laps of the 200-lap YesterYear Classic on Tuesday night.  Ogle started on pole and had command throughout much of the race.  Just short of the midway point of the race, Donny Moore “rolled the dice” with pit strategy and stayed out on old tires while most of the field pitted, including leader Ogle.  Once up front, Moore proved to be hard to handle by setting fastest lap of the race (18.645) and pulling away from Ogle for a brief period of time before his tires began to really show their wear.  In the end though, the pit strategy gamble did not pay off for Moore as he had to stop off cycle and got caught behind slower traffic.

Dale Copeland finished second only 0.181 seconds behind winner Ogle.  Copeland pressed Ogle in the waning laps but could not muster up enough of a run on the tight Martinsville “Paperclip” Speedway to threaten for the win.

New England’s Brian Bianchi finished in third place with a solid consistent run. In the post-race interview Bianchi reminisced about his days in 1990 actually going to some of these races YesterYear will replay with his Father.

Another driver with a solid night was Bootleg Racing League owner Lowell Jewell.  Jewell was the “Hard Charger” last night starting 19th and making it all the way up to 6th.  With that result, Jewell celebrated a birthday and a top 10 finish in the YesterYear Classic.

The race got off to a rocky start with two immediate cautions, but then seemed to settle. The YesterYear Classic was Round One of the 2024 YesterYear Racing Series.  The Series will replay 15 actual races in history during the 1990 Winston Modified and SMART Modified Tours.  The drivers will take the track again on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 8:30pm EST for the Hickory 150 which will replay a SMART Modified Tour night race that took place at Hickory Motor Speedway on March 31, 1990.

YesterYear Racing™ Launches Theater

Today marked the launch of YesterYear Racing League's (YYR) new Theater section of the website. "The Theater is a place where I can post videos and video links to anything related to the League including League races, actual modified races of the past, TV series, and documentaries. I envision YYR as a place to learn about the history and present day modified racing landscape. Video is a powerful educational tool and this platform enables me to do that seamlessly," said Allen Wannamaker, Founder and owner of the YesterYear Racing League.

Currently, the YesterYear Racing Theater is playing the NASCAR Hall of Fame Documentary done in 2012 about the life and times of Richie Evans.

Shenette Commits To NASCAR Mod Tour

Photo courtesy of Jimmy Hayden

Driving the No. 8 car, John-Michael Shenette will compete in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. When the Tour begins its 16-race schedule in February at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida, Shenette plans to be there. It will be the first race in his quest to compete in a majority of the races on the schedule to chase the prestigious award.

Shenette, formerly based in Thompson, Connecticut, is the CEO of Eighty-Two Services, a General Contractor located in Concord, North Carolina. The team, Eighty-Two Autosport, will also contest additional SMART Modified Tour and Open Modified events when available in 2024.

Shenette made his debut on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Langley Speedway in 2023 and ran to a 12th place finish. He also competed in events at North-Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville Speedway prior to the end of the season.

“We’re excited for 2024,” John-Michael Shenette said. “Last year was about putting a car on the track. We struggled with a mechanical issue that plagued us at all three events and prevented us from logging laps. All-in-all, it was a good year – we were able to build a great group, add a second car, and square away all the bits and pieces that it takes to run. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is the best of the best in modified racing, if not NASCAR as a whole. Our team is ready for the challenge. Chasing the prestigious Rookie of the Year award is on our bucket list, but we’re also looking for consistency and to chase our first career win in Modified in 2024.”

Shenette was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and started racing at 7-years-old at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s “Little T” track in Connecticut. He’s raced on and off his entire life – running in the Pro Stocks, Thompson Modifieds, PASS Super Late Models, ARTS Trucks, Karts and now Tour-Type Modifieds 30 years later.

Shenette and his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team, led by crew chief Scott Morin and car chief Stephen Robinson, will open the 2024 season at New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday, February 10, as NASCAR opens their 76th season of racing. For more information on the team, fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook on their new page, Eighty-Two Autosport, for the latest news and information, including race day updates.