When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visits Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2025, race fans will have the opportunity to see a special tribute scheme hit the track.
Patrick Emerling, driver of the No. 1 Fleetworks Inc. Modified, will carry a special tribute scheme, throwing back to Geoffrey Bodine‘s No. 1 Big Red Machine owned by Dick Armstrong. The scheme will be on the track for all three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races.
The Whelen Modified Tour will visit Thompson on March 30, August 6 and October 12. All events will air live on FloRacing.TV.
Emerling won the opener of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season at New Smyrna Speedway and also won three of five Tour-Type Modified events and the championship during the World Series week. He finished second in the championship standings in 2024 on the Whelen Modified Tour on the heels of three race wins in the debut year for the team.
“It‘s an honor to be able to carry this scheme,” Emerling said. “Geoffrey was a true, hard-nosed Modified racer, who raced in a time where they ran multiple races per week. To be able to have his colors on the Fleetworks No. 1 is special to our team and we hope the fans will enjoy it. We‘re looking forward to getting to Thompson and hoping to keep our momentum rolling.”
Bodine, who had 18 career NASCAR Cup Series wins, may be most well-known for taking the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 to Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway in 1984. Driving for Rick Hendrick, Bodine captured victory during a time where Hendrick was considering shutting down the team. The win helped propel Hendrick into the future, now with 14 Cup Series championships and over 200 wins.
Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, though – Bodine cut his teeth racing Modifieds at the short-tracks. Bodine competed in arguably the toughest era of Modified racing – racing against names like Richie Evans, Jimmy Spencer, Jerry Cook and more. Part of Bodine‘s success came with Dick Armstrong as his car owner, specifically in the No. 1 Big Red Machine. Their Pinto won 55 races in one year in 1978. Bodine won countless marquee Modified events and championships, including three titles at Stafford Speedway and four of the first five runnings of the Thompson 300.
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