A collective sigh of relief always rises from East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, FL, during January. Despite a few sporadic races throughout the South and Southwest, the Winter Nationals is the unofficial start to the racing season with four divisions competing over the course of four weeks.

And it all gets started with the UMP DIRTcar Modified series taking to the track on January 24 for a $1,000-to-win show that will be streamed LIVE on FloRacing. FloRacing will stream all four nights of the Winter Nationals Modified division as well as the Crate Late Models on February 1-3 and American Sprint Car Series 360 Sprints on February 15-17. The action continues to heat up over the next three nights with $1,500-to-win shows Thursday and Friday night. The Modified portion of the Winter Nationals will then wrap up with a huge $5,000-to-win race Saturday night.

Another reason the Winter Nationals is pivotal is because it sets the tone for 14 total nights of racing in Florida during the months of January and February. Commonly called Speedweeks across several divisions, the shows serve as a backdrop for the Daytona 500, which runs from February 11-18. That means the Modified and Late Model fields are regularly filled by drivers with NASCAR associations, such as Kenny Wallace.

The Winter Nationals also provide the first dose of speed that will carry over into the next 10 races. The 14-night show features a combined purse of $24,500 in first-place winnings.

From East Bay, the Modified drivers will head to North Florida Speedway in Lake City for a three-night show ranging from $1,500-2,000 to win for a Sunday show.

After that, the Modifieds are one of the featured divisions in seven nights of racing during the Dirt Car Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in DeLeon Springs just west of Daytona Beach. They will support the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on February 6-11 and then the Late Models on February 12.

But first, the drivers have to get a off to a good start and fans are going to want to know who has the momentum.

More Winter Nationals – Modifieds Coverage

Look Back At The 2017 Winter Nationals
Kenny Wallace Announces He Will Run The Winter Nationals
A Sign Of The Tides At East Bay 

Winter Nationals – Crate Late Model Coverage

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Winter Nationals – Sprints Coverage

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