SMART Modified Tour returns to Virginia’s South Boston Speedway for the Pace-O-Matic 99 race, also featuring Crate Modifieds and Southern Ground Pounders competition.
Burt Myers and Ronnie Williams of SS Racing are favorites to take the victory on Saturday’s race at their home track, the Virginia International Raceway (VIR). FloRacing will broadcast it live.
Brian Loftin Wins Pace-O-Matic 99 at South Boston Speedway
Brian Loftin of Lexington, North Carolina, used an early strategy call to secure his victory in The Pace-O-Matic 99 for the SMART Modified Tour at South Boston Speedway on March 16. Starting 16th on the grid, Loftin pitted early to gain track position before continuing his charge forward throughout the race’s entirety. Loftin earned his victory after staying ahead with other top drivers throughout.
Loftin used his pit cycle to take control of the final restart after two caution periods had slowed the race and beat 15-year-old Carson Loftin of Clemmons, North Carolina, to claim victory.
Loftin made history at South Boston Speedway on Sunday when he secured his second consecutive win on the SMART Modified Tour at South Boston Speedway and ninth overall. Notably, Loftin earned both Jostens Lap Leader Awards by leading 31 laps while also winning Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger of the Race by moving forward from his starting position of 16th place.
Burt Myers finished in third place after an impressive effort at the 4-mile oval race track in Virginia. Myers has often shown his skill by challenging for victory during his visits to South Boston Speedway.
Joey Coulter of Pittsylvania, Pennsylvania, and Tim Brown from Halifax, North Carolina, completed the top five finishers, followed by Jeremy Gerstner from Newport, Tennessee, and Connor Sellers of Catawba, North Carolina, who placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
Brandon Ward enters Sunday afternoon’s Boone Tractor 199 presented by Massey Ferguson racing program at South Boston Speedway with two goals in mind – first, winning the feature race; secondly, placing in the top three for the SMART Modified Tour championship chase heading into the Orange County Speedway on October 28th.
Burt Myers Wins Pace-O-Matic 99 at South Boston Speedway
Matt Jankowiak took home his maiden victory on Sunday’s Pace-O-Matic 99 for the SMART Modified Tour at South Boston Speedway by capitalizing on two caution flags in the final five laps and beating Carson Loftin by only 0.6993 seconds for a victory that marks his debut victory on this series.
Shady Grady Racing driver Chris McClean recently achieved his second win of the year and rose from fourth in series point standings to third overall. Earlier in 2018, McClean placed second at Florence Motor Speedway before placing seventh at Southern National Motorsports Park; moreover, he has competed in both races of SMART North-South Shootout at Caraway Speedway, where he finished within the top 10 in both events.
Myers, competing for a spot in the 2023 SMART Modified Tour championship, started 12th. But thanks to the SS Racing team’s hard work during green flag runs and after several pit stops en route to reaching the top 10, he was in position to break into the top 10 by the race’s end.
South Boston Speedway recently completed its repaving project ahead of the 2021 season, which had a tremendous effect on driver competitiveness in SMART Modifieds. Myers has competed in Bowman-Gray Stadium Modifieds at South Boston and in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at this facility over multiple seasons and loves testing new tracks as they present different challenges each time he visits them.
Cody Norman of Lewisville, North Carolina, finished second to Myers, while 15-year-old Carson Loftin of Clemmons, North Carolina, placed fourth for a second time after recovering from misfires at Florence to notch another top-five run at South Boston. Riley Neal from Lexington, North Carolina, ranked fifth, with Bobby Measmer from Concord, NC, finishing sixth, and Jason Myers and Jeremy Gerstner, both hailing from Walnut Cove, NC, completing the top-10 finishes.
Bobby Labonte Wins Pace-O-Matic 99 at South Boston Speedway
After an exciting race at Five Flags Speedway last weekend, the SMART Modified Tour heads to one of NASCAR’s acclaimed short tracks for Round Two this Saturday at South Boston Speedway. Opened in 1957 and known for hosting races across all three NASCAR national series since that time – South Boston has long been known as one of the premier NASCAR short tracks.
On Saturday evening, NASCAR icon Bobby Labonte made his driving debut behind the wheel of their No. 18 VA Pace-O-Matic modified at Five Flags Speedway in Virginia for the season-opening race of the SMART Modified Tour season. Although starting poorly, Labonte ultimately led the team to a third-place finish despite initial difficulties.
SMART Modified Tour released its 2024 schedule Tuesday from its Martinsville, Virginia HQ with several surprises in store – perhaps most significantly being North Wilkesboro Speedway being included as the host venue alongside CARS Tour on October 19.
Brandon Ward is going into Saturday afternoon’s Pace-O-Matic 99 for the SMART Modified Tour at South Boston Speedway with two objectives in mind – winning and finishing among the top three to maintain his title hopes.
Ward was still optimistic heading into South Boston after an uncharacteristically disappointing 15th-place finish at Florence Motor Speedway last weekend’s URW Credit Union Fools Rush 262. As one of three drivers guaranteed spots in season-ending playoffs, his season should end well!
Matt Jankowiak of South Boston Speedway claimed victory in Sunday’s The Flying VA 99, but his success was later declared unofficial during the post-race technical inspection due to the discovery of items that need further examination; an official ruling will be announced Tuesday. Regardless, Jankowiak was pleased with his performance and proud of all the hard work put into their car.
Matt Hirschman Wins Pace-O-Matic 99 at South Boston Speedway
Matt Hirschman took home the checkered flag at Saturday’s Flying VA Classic at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway as one of Modified Racing’s greatest all-time champions, Ray Hendrick, was honored. Utilizing a smart strategy he started 16th, Matt saved tires on his initial pit stop before seizing on any potential threats from competitors when it came time.
Hirschman of Shelbyville, Kentucky, pulled past 2022 series champion Caleb Heady with 31 laps remaining and held off Tom Buzze’s late charge to claim the 99-lap event and his third SMART Modified Tour victory of 2018.
Hirschman took advantage of a tight field to secure victory. Following several caution periods, as many as eight cars pitted, leaving an unsettled pack at the front. Once green flag racing resumed, Hirschman used an accumulation in turn two to pass Hendrick’s 55-car and gain momentum for victory.
Hendrick eventually regained the lead with seven laps remaining, but Hirschman quickly pulled away on restart from Hendrick. One major obstacle stood in Hirschman’s way: an accident on Lap 103 when Hendrick and several other drivers collided along the backstretch, creating chaos on that particular lap.
Hirschman now leads the SMART Modified Tour standings after winning three out of four races this year, while North Carolina driver Brandon Ward finished second overall with three top-10 finishes from his initial three races and is eager to return home at Caraway Speedway this weekend for race four of this season.
Next week, the SMART Modified Tour returns to Virginia at Richmond Raceway with the Boone Tractor 199 presented by Massey Ferguson event, featuring 50-lap races for both Carolina Crate Modified Series and Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club on Wednesday night. After that event concludes on April 14, North Carolina will welcome it with the Warrior 100 at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 15.
