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.

Jimmy Spencer

Born February 15, 1957 in Berwick, Pennsylvania, Jimmy Spencer, who earned the nickname "Mr. Excitement," made his name driving modified race cars in the 1980s and early 1990s. He initially drove Late Model stock cars and earned his first win in 1976 at Port Royal Speedway. He moved to modified stock cars shortly after primarily running at Shangi-La Speedway in Oswego, New York. In 1984, Spencer was a top championship contender for NASCAR's National Modified Championship. After racing in more than 60 modified races, Jimmy finished second behind Richie Evans in the final standings. NASCAR changed the format for the National Modified Championship in 1985 running a much smaller, organized, and regional schedule. Spencer won NASCAR's National Modified Championship, now known as the Whelen Modified Tour, in 1986 and 1987.

Spencer went on to race in the Busch Grand National Series, and ultimately the Winston Cup Series beginning in 1995. In the Cup Series Spencer won twice, accumulated 80 top 10 finishes, and had 3 poles

By Darryl Moran - originally posted to Flickr as Jimmy Spencer: NASCAR Photography By Darryl Moran, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10247189

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