2024
The return of a legend: Jake Johnson brings Ole Blue back to Victory Lane during Granite State Derby at Monadnock Speedway May 4
WINCHESTER, New Hampshire — In more than 75 years of racing in the NASCAR Modified racing, few cars have developed a reputation like Ole Blue.
Owned by Boehler Racing Enterprises, numerous legends like Ryan Preece, Tony Hirschman, Bugs Stevens and Wayne Anderson have taken trips to Victory Lane in the iconic blue No. 3 Modified. Despite this, Ole Blue had not taken home a checkered flag since Rowan Pennink won in the car at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2017.Jake Johnson wrote another successful, if not overdue, chapter in Ole Blue’s proud story on Saturday evening at Monadnock Speedway. Reaching this milestone required Johnson to fend off a tremendous challenge from defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk for what would also be his first series victory.The significance of the moment was not lost on Johnson, who was determined to park the car in Victory Lane once again when he signed on to be the team’s full-time driver for the 2024 season.“There’s so many people behind the scenes when it comes to the No. 3 car that make this happen week in and week out,” Johnson said. “It’s just an honor to be here in Victory Lane with them and get that long awaited win.”
Growing up, Ole Blue was one of the first cars Johnson connected with as he took an interest in racing. A diecast of the car signed by Stevens was on display in Johnson’s living room throughout his childhood.Johnson initially did not imagine one day scoring a victory in the famous Modified. The start of his own racing career saw him pursue several different disciplines, which included winning the Snowflake 100 in a Pro Late Model at Five Flags Speedway in 2020.Once he reached an agreement with the Boehlers to race for them on a part-time basis starting in 2022, Johnson was ready to embrace the heavy expectations of driving such a famous car. He earned two poles in his rookie season, which he followed up with a career-best runner-up finish at Thompson the following year.The momentum from Johnson’s season-ending runner-up carried over into the start of 2024. Prior to Saturday’s Granite State Derby, Johnson had yet to record a finish outside the top 10 and sat third in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings behind Silk and Justin Bonsignore. Patience proved to be crucial for Johnson at Monadnock. Starting sixth following a redraw of the top eight starters, Johnson methodically climbed his way to the front of the field before making the race-winning pass on Silk with 48 laps remaining. Silk pressured Johnson tremendously over the closing stages until bouncing off the outside wall during the final restart of the evening on Lap 134. That enabled Austin Beers, who started 17th after a poor qualifying effort, to claim second for himself.Beers believed his poor track position would have been a major detriment on Monadnock’s fresh pavement, but was impressed with his overall speed and how many passing opportunities there were.He was also grateful the Granite State Derby did not exceed its advertised distance.“We were actually blowing up at the end,” Beers said. “It started clicking with three to go and I was losing power hoping it would hold on. It was really fun with this repave. I didn’t think we were going to have passing, but we proved there can be passing here.”Like Beers, Johnson was also pleased with the repave and how competitive the on-track action was all evening.Navigating his way through traffic gave Johnson plenty of notes to study ahead of the next two legs in the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, which will also take place at Monadnock and feature $20,000 in available bonus money.Considering how strong Ole Blue was in Saturday’s Granite State Derby, Johnson has plenty of reasons to be confident ahead of a return visit to Monadnock on July 20 for the Duel at the Dog 250.“The competition was tough today,” Johnson said. “This is a beautiful facility and I’m excited for these next two races.”For now, Johnson and Boehler Racing Enterprises have plenty to celebrate following their victory at Monadnock, as everyone with the organization knows the legacy of Ole Blue in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is alive and well after so many decades.Patrick Emerling came home third Saturday evening, with Craig Lutz and Matt Hirschman completing the top five. Rounding out the top 10 were Justin Bonsignore, Brian Robie, Joey Cipriano III, Anthony Nocella and Silk.
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 150 --
2 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 150 1.595
3 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 150 2.009
4 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 150 2.335
5 60 Matt Hirschman Elite 150 2.534
6 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 150 3.446
7 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 150 3.63
8 15 Joey Cipriano III* Dependable Energy & Bass Plating 150 4.525
9 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K and D Associates 150 4.715
10 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 150 4.973
11 58 Timmy Solomito GAF Roofing 150 5.231
12 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 150 5.625
13 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 150 6.101
14 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 150 6.52
15 43 Matthew Kimball J&M Towing and Recovery/Poodlack Wealth Mgmt 150 6.957
16 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 150 10.429
17 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 150 11.281
18 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 150 12.017
19 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Inc. 149 1 Lap
20 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 141 9 Laps
21 32 Tyler Rypkema Musco Lighting/Northeast Drilling 91 59 Laps
22 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 84 66 Laps
23 79 Jonathan McKennedy Christopher’s Towing 60 90 Laps
24 81 Nathan Wenzel* 1812 Auto Body 34 116 Laps
Hodgdon & Silk Win NAPA Auto Parts Duels at Stafford in Duels on April 27 - Sizzler rained out until May 10
April 27, 2024
By Scott Running
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway kicked off its 2024 race season with the NAPA Auto Parts Duels as part of the 52nd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® Weekend. Feature races were held for Stafford’s weekly Late Model, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions along with two 40-lap NAPA Duel races that set the top-20 lineup for Sunday’s 100-lap NAPA Spring Sizzler® main event. Scoring wins in the two NAPA Duel races were Teddy Hodgdon and Ronnie Silk.
In the first 40-lap NAPA Duel Race, Matt Swanson took the early lead at the drop of the green flag with Teddy Hodgdon quickly moving into second. Michael Christopher, Jr. was third in line with Stephen Kopcik fourth and David Arute fifth. Ronnie Williams took fifth from Arute on lap-4 and that allowed Doug Coby to follow him through and take over sixth and drop Arute back to seventh. Hodgdon hounded Swanson until lap-15 when he was able to take over the lead with a pass going into turn 3. Williams was now in third behind Hodgdon and Swanson with Christopher fourth and Coby in fifth. Jon McKennedy was sixth followed by Eric Goodale, Justin Bonsignore, Woody Pitkat, and Arute. At the halfway point, Hodgdon was still in command with Swanson, Williams, Christopher, and Coby giving chase. McKennedy took fifth from Williams on lap-27 as Hodgdon continued to lead the race with Swanson, Christopher, and Coby behind him. Hodgdon led the field to the checkered flag to win the first NAPA Duel and earn pole position for tomorrow’s NAPA Spring Sizzler® 100-lap main event.. Swanson finished second with McKennedy, Christopher, and Coby rounding out the top-5.
In the second 40-lap NAPA Duel Race, Ronnie Silk took the lead at the green flag with Marcello Rufrano moving into second. Andy Jankowiak took third with Cory DiMatteo fourth and Max Zachem in fifth. With 15 laps complete, it was still Silk in the lead with Rufrano, Jankowiak, Zachem, and Anthony Bello making up the top-5. Keith Rocco was sixth followed by Matt Hirschman, Cory DiMatteo, Todd Owen, and Noah Korner. With 10 laps to go, it was still Silk in the lead with Rufrano, Zachem, Jankowiak, Hirschman, Bello, Rocco, Austin Beers, Owen, and Korner making up the top-10 cars. Beers made a move around Bello on lap-37 to move into fifth and drop Bello back to sixth as Silk was comfortably leading Rufrano, Zachem, and Hirschman. Silk cruised to the checkered flag to win the second NAPA Duel and earn a front row starting position for tomorrow’s NAPA Spring Sizzler® 100-lap main event. Rufrano finished second with Zachem, Hirschman, and Beers rounding out the top-5.
1 Ronnie Silk 16 1
2 Marcello Rufrano 48 3
3 Max Zachem 13 7
4 Matt Hirschman 60 10
5 Austin Beers 179 12
6 Anthony Bello 51 2
7 Keith Rocco 57 6
8 Noah Korner 31 11
9 Todd Owen 81 9
10 Andy Jankowiak 73 4
11 Cory DiMatteo 11 5
12 Kyle Ellwood 4 8
13 Matt Gallo 3 14
14 Nick Halkowicz 08 16
15 Jacob Perry 55x 13
DNS William Lambros 77ny 15
Home cooking agrees with Matt as he wins a thriller at Mahoning Valley Speedway over Roger Coss and Zane Zeiner on April 20. The Spring Meltdown 75 was a barn burner!
1 12 60 Matt Hirschman Northampton, PA
2 8 17C Roger Coss Lafayette, NJ
3 1 76Z Zane Zeiner Bath, PA
4 9 66 Austin Kochenash Danielsville, PA
5 7 44 Kyle Strohl Palmertown, PA
6 2 14 Jake Lutz Hamburg, NY
7 4 11JR Paulie Hartwig III Galloway, NJ
8 11 81 Jack Ely Northampton, PA
9 10 1B Austin Beers Northampton, PA
10 18 11H Tony Hanbury Owego, NY
11 14 8 Earl Paules Palmertown, PA
12 3 22 Don Wagner Wharton, NJ
13 23 95K Jacob Kerstetter Allentown, PA
14 19 95M Terry Markovic Slatington, PA
15 16 88 Lou Strohl Palmertown, PA
16 20 3 Daren Scherer Binghamton, NY
17 6 72W John Bennett Lehighton, PA
18 13 41 Todd Baer New Tripoli, PA
19 26 65 George Skora III Eden, NY
20 21 87 Thomas Flanagan Bethlehem, PA
21 25 0 Randall Richard
22 15 1S Nick Schaeffer Lehighton, PA
23 22 51 Jayden Harman sugarloaf, PA
24 5 76S Rod Snyder Jr Lehighton, PA
25 27 40 Tommy Rought Rome, PA
26 17 29 Cody Kohler Schnecksville, PA
27 24 10 Daryl Lewis Jr Ontario, NY
RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED SERIES SET TO BEGIN SEASON APRIL 20 AT MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY
Race of Champions Modified Series competitors are gearing up to head to Mahoning Valley Speedway for the Series opener and so are race fans. If opening day at the 1/4-mile facility is any indication of what fans are in store for than Saturday, April 20, at 6:00pm will be one of the most anticipated start times on their 2024 schedules. Matt Hirschman and Austin Beers of Northampton, Pa., will resume their battles at what is their “hometrack”. The duo has battled each other many times on the 1/4-mile track, which has helped shape their careers. “Mahoning is fun to race,” offered Hirschman, who has become one, if not arguably the top-star in Modified racing right now. “It has multiple grooves and because of the size the track, it really levels the playing field. You have to be handling, but you also have to be patient and drive precisely to get the job done. It is a lot of fun for the driver and because of the size of the track, it’s right there in front of the fans.” Austin Beers, who was the 2021 Race of Champions Modified Series titleholder. He has also enjoyed success after continuing his family tradition of racing at the Lehighton oval. Beers claimed two Race of Champions Modified Series victories in 2024 at Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome and is looking for his first Series victory at Mahoning. “We have been close and it’s really our home track,” stated Beers. ‘We’ve got more experience and been doing a lot of racing. Hopefully, we’ll be in contention at Mahoning and be able to come out on top.. I’m really looking forward to racing on home turf at Mahoming.” Qualifying for the 75-lap Series opener will begin at 6:00pm on Saturday, April 20 along with a full card of Mahoning racing.
Carson Loftin claims fourth SMART Tour win in six races
From Pee Dee Motorsports: Good Morning Race Fans. We sometimes comment on the long nights at the track, especially when we go through post race tech, trying to give some insight into our delayed posts here after the race. Last night was no exception. Matt powered the PeeDee 60 to the pole in qualifying leading many laps in the first half of the race. A late race caution allowed the Brown Dogs to show their talents in getting Matt back out to the competition restarting second. The race ended with Matt finishing third. Respectable but not to our standards. Now comes the long night. SMART officials decided to take the engines from the top three competitors. We will allow them to explain the reasoning for this decision. The Brown Dogs had to work through the next several hours removing the engine from the PeeDee 60. All three engines were loaded into a SMART pickup truck for inspection by competent authority. Thanks to the crew for their travel and overtime hours at the track. Some of us rolled home just before sunrise. Others are still on the road home. Stay Tuned...I am sure there will be more to follow on all of this! Enjoy your Sunday!
by Matt WeaverApril 14, 2024
The SMART Modified Tour remains the personal playground for 16-year-old Carson Loftin. The second-generation short tracker, and emerging Tour Type Modified prodigy, claimed his fourth win in six races this season by reaching Victory Lane in the Hickory Hundred.As has been the case in all of wins, Loftin defeated two of the best in Matt Hirschman and Burt Myers on Saturday at Hickory Motor Speedway. The winning pass was the culmination of a prolonged battled that started around 50 to go and concluded with 32 to go. Loftin got away on a restart with 22 laps to go and that was the race, as it were, as Myers pressured Hirschman and took second. Myers got beside Loftin on several occasions over the final 10 laps but could not override the stronghold Loftin has over this series right now. “I wanted to get by Hirschman early like we did because I knew track position would be key once we all took our tire,” Loftin said. “Burt raced me clean there and so did Matt and I hope it was a good show for the fans.”And he took no exception to Myers attempting a bit of a slide job either.“No, like I said, I hoped it was a good show,” he said. “We’re racing door to door for a win. I can’t thank him enough for keeping it clean and classy like he did there.”Myers thought it was a 100 laps race, and which it’s a fair point, because it’s the Hickory Hundred but it seemingly was a 99 lapper.“The restarts are an issue, 55,000 caution laps and I apologize on behalf of SMART racing fans because we hate it as much as you do,” the charismatic Myers said on the frontstretch. “Everyone is learning. We’re trying our best. “On our end, good run for us … it’s a tough one because I thought we had the best car but it will come back around.”
Unofficial results
Carson Loftin
Burt Myers
Matt Hirschman
Joey Coulter
Jake Crum
https://www.shorttrackscene.com/modifieds/southern-modified-racing-series/carson-loftin-claims-fourth-smart-tour-win-in-six-races/
Matt steady top 10 run at Thompson Speedway for the NASCAR Tour Icebreaker - April 7
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park has been the site of many milestones for Ron Silk on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. From tallying his first three
Tour victories at the Connecticut facility to surviving a crucial title tilt against rival Justin Bonsignore in October, Silk regularly rises to the occasion whenever the series visits the historic, 0.625-mile oval The status quo remained in place for Silk in Sunday’s IceBreaker 150. A dominant performance from the defending Modified Tour champion enabled him to secure his seventh Thompson victory and build some crucial early season momentum in the point standings.Once the green flag waved for the IceBreaker 150, Silk knew his silver No. 16 Modified could set a commanding pace as soon as he climbed from the fourth starting position.“I was confident before the pit stop,” Silk said. “I had driven to the lead there and was able to drive away from everybody. This was a fantastic car from the start of the race, and I’m just pumped to be back in Victory Lane.”The only setback Silk endured during his stalwart day at Thompson occurred while in the pits, as a slow stop caused him to lose the lead to fellow Modified Tour veteran Patrick Emerling.It only took Silk one corner to re-assert control over the field. Using the bottom line on the restart, Silk muscled Emerling up the track and claimed the top spot, and he did not receive a significant challenge for the lead during the remaining laps.Emerling, who settled for third, was not pleased with how the final restart played out. Not only did Emerling believe Silk was overly aggressive with his maneuver, but he maintained Silk should have been penalized for a premature launch.“I kind of feel like Martin Truex Jr. the other day at Richmond,” Emerling said. “[Silk] jumped the start and then took us way up the hill. I’m just going to run him like that in the future, but I thought officiating would have caught that.”Despite his frustrations, Emerling found solace in his second top-five performance of the season. After being eliminated in an early crash at Richmond the previous week, Emerling felt the IceBreaker 150 was more indicative of the speed prevalent in his first three starts with Rich Gautreau.With the Thompson race reinforcing the optimism he already had in the program, Emerling believes he can keep tallying strong runs and make a charge for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title.“We had the car to beat today,” Emerling said. “It took us a little bit to get going, but we were the fastest car right at the end. Everyone did an awesome job. I did everything right, but I got beat by a jumped start. We’re coming, though.”Just like at Thompson on Sunday, Silk will be standing in the way of a potential championship for Emerling and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field. Aside from a sixth at Martinsville Speedway in November, Silk has not recorded a finish outside the top three in his last seven races.Silk has every reason to believe he can defend his title after winning two of the first three events in 2024. For now, Silk is content with celebrating another milestone at Thompson with everyone at Haydt-Yannone Racing
“[My confidence] is pretty high,” Silk said. “Richmond was a nail-biter, and we could be looking at three in a row. Should of, could of, would have, but we’ll go to the next one and try and get another one.”
In a repeat of the most recent Modified Tour event at Thompson, Jake Johnson placed second behind Silk, matching a career-best finish in the process. Emerling, Justin Bonsignore and Tyler Rypkema made up the rest of the top-five finishers.Rounding out the top 10 were Craig Lutz, Austin Beers, Kyle Bonsignore, Matt Hirschman and Matt Swanson.
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 150 –
2 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 150 2.169
3 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 150 4.846
4 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 150 6.322
5 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 150 7.184
6 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 150 8.826
7 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 150 10.723
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 150 11.868
9 60 Matt Hirschman Elite 150 12.685
10 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 149 1 Lap
11 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 149 1 Lap
12 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 148 2 Laps
13 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 148 2 Laps
14 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 147 3 Laps
15 28 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 139 11 Laps
16 1 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 139 11 Laps
17 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 113 37 Laps
18 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 87 63 Laps
19 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 27 123 Laps
20 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 17 133 Laps
21 44 Bobby Santos Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 1 149 Laps
22 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 1 149 Laps
23 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feeds 1 149 Laps
24 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 1 149 Laps
Icebreaker Pushes Monaco Modifieds from April 6th to Friday of World Series October 2024
Thompson, CT — After rains wreaked havoc with series and track officials at Thompson Speedway on Saturday, all partners made the difficult decision to postpone the rest of Saturday’s show. The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series Constantine Paving & Sealing 75 has been postponed to Friday, October 11 as the headline to opening day of the 62nd Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing.
Monaco Modified teams are asked to keep their Icebreaker pit passes for their postponed World Series event in October. “We want to thank Monaco Modified teams and officials for their patience working with the wet weather all afternoon,” said Thompson Speedway co-promoter Cris Michaud.
“Likewise, we’d like to thank the Thompson Speedway track crew for driving their tails off to try and dry the track,” said Monaco Modified Director of Series Development Renee Dupuis. “Once the sun went down, so did our only opportunity to completely dry the track, unfortunately, Mother Nature wins this one but it’s also given us a great opportunity to bring the Constantine Paving & Sealing 75 to the World Series.”
Matt grabs a 2nd place finish at South Boston - March 24
Chilly but dry day yesterday in South Boston, Va. for the SMART "King of the Modifieds" race. Matt was good...just not good enough. Congratulations to Luke Baldwin on the victory. It's been a long year for the Baldwin family so we are sure they can enjoy the positive mojo that comes with a win. Matt started on the pole after the redraw. He controlled the point for the early stages of the race. Under a caution, a car that spun out backed into the front of the PeeDee 60 as Matt was going by causing some minor handling issues. The crew was able to repair it under a later caution. Just not as dominant after that incident. Matt finished second in that two car battle at the front of the field. We move on. We will keep an eye on scheduled races in the northeast and weather. We will be ready to adjust our PeeDee schedule as needed. Stay Tuned!
Carson Loftin Opens 2024 with Back-To-Back Victories at Caraway March 10
From PeeDee Motorsports: For those that watched the SMART Modified event at Caraway Speedway and are questioning what happened and why we went to the tail here is the reasoning. During our pit stop after changing the RR tire it was noticed that the RF tire was going flat. On controlled stop you have a certain amount of time to return to track to maintain position and we did not do this. Also you only have 3 RS tires to work with so we had to put the RR we took off back on the car putting us at a competitive disadvantage. While unfortunate for our team these same rules apply to all teams. We will move on to our next event.
Matt started P4 after the redraw in the Warrior 100. Moved to the point and things looked promising...until a red flag pause around 2/3 through the race. The right front tire went flat. Tire/pit rules for the series put us at a disadvantage. Same rules for all competitors...still disappointing. Congrats to young Carson Loftin on the victory. Matt wound up 9th after fighting back through the field from the back of the pack. The Brown Dogs get a week off to rest up from all the travel. We get back at it again in less than two weeks...Stay Tuned!
Sophia, NC (March 11, 2024) - He’s the youngest winner in the history of the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, and now he’s gone back-to-back to open the 2024 season. 15 year-old Carson Loftin was victorious in the Warrior 100 on Sunday (March 10) at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC. The Lexington, NC driver took the lead during a restart on lap 64 and held off Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte, during a couple of late-race restarts, to pick up his second-career victory in as many weeks.
“Mr. Newman is a phenomenal racer. I can’t thank him enough for running me clean,” said Loftin, who drives the L&R Transmissions / LeBleu Bottled Water number-23 Modified. “I used him up a little more than I wanted to going into (turn) one, so I’m glad he kept it classy there. That was fun. I’m just glad we could race hard and get another win.”
“Carson did an excellent job,” said Newman, who drives the SHITI Coolers / Aggressive Hydraulics / Montrose Molders / Capitol Auto Group number-2 for Coulter Motorsports. “I told him, ‘You did exactly what you were supposed to do.’ He said, ‘Sorry about running you up’ and I said, ‘No, you can run me up because you had position.’ He’s a good kid doing a good job; now we gotta try to beat him again.”
In addition to Loftin’s consecutive victories, Newman, from South Bend, IN, now has two podium finishes (third at Florence and second at Caraway). Both drivers are unofficially first and second in the point standings Newman was one of the biggest movers in the Warrior 100. He advanced 8 positions after qualifying 10th. Jimmy Blewett, from Howell, NJ, was another driver with a strong run to the front. After finishing sixth at Florence (SC) last week, Blewett gained 10 spots from his 14th-place starting position to end up fourth at the checkered flag in the Jamie Tomaino owned number-99. The Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger of the Race was Walnut Cover, NC driver Jason Myers. The Greg Butcher Trucking number-4 started 20th and by the end of 100 laps, Myers advanced 14 positions to finish sixth.
Two-time, Tour-Type Modified winner at Caraway, Danny Bohn, was strong in the Ameri-Fast Supply number-24. The Freehold, NJ native rounded out the top-five finishers. Jake Crum, from Statesville, NC, was the Pace-O-Matic Pole Award winner in qualifying. Early in the race, Crum’s number-12pa was in the top-5 until engine problems ended his day.Now drivers from all over the country will converge on a small town in southern Virginia for a chance to be crowned King of the Modifieds. On Saturday, March 23, at South Boston Speedway, the SMART Modified Tour will compete in the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds presented by Dominion Energy. The King of the Modifieds is one of the richest purses in Modified racing, thanks in part to many sponsors, including Vista Installations and the Stanley Law Group. In addition to the $20,000 first place prize, it was announced that the second-place finisher will score $10,000. If you are one of the 36 starters for the event, you will be guaranteed to take home at least $1,200. A total of 32 cars will lock in from qualifying on Saturday, March 23, at South Boston Speedway. The tally will be made up of the top-18 in current SMART Tour owners points that have participated in the first two events of the season, as well as 14 other starters from time trials. That group will be lined up via their qualifying time for the starting order of the race. An additional four cars will earn their way through a last-chance race, which will bring the total to 36 starters. The series reserves the right of an optional provisional starting spot. A tech day for SMART Modified teams will occur on Friday, March 22. Registration will open at 10am. There will be no practice for SMART Modifieds on Friday. Race day, on Saturday, March 23, will see registration open at 7am, qualifying at approximately Noon and the Dominion Energy Last Chance Race for SMART Modifieds to begin shortly after 2pm ET. Discounted tickets for the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds are available though the South Boston Speedway website. General admission tickets are available now for $17. That price will be $20 on race day, Saturday, March 23. Children 12 and under are free for this event. The Sentara Health Late Models and the VSP HEAT Hornets will also be in action.
In 2024, SMART fans will be treated to 15 races at 13 different facilities in the tri-state region of North and South Carolina, as well as Virginia. 15 year-old Carson Loftin won the first event of the season, the Peanut Patch 99, on Saturday, March 2, at Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina. The season commences at the famed North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina on Saturday, October 19. All races can also be seen on FloRacing, the official streaming broadcast partner of the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.
To see the entire schedule for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, as well as all the latest news and information, please visit the series website at www.smartmodtour.com, and be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: SMART Modified Tour| Twitter: @SMARTMods_ | IG: @smartmods_).
By Bob Dillner - Twitter: @shorttracklife_
SMART Modified Tour Race #2
UNOFFICIAL Race Results for the Warrior 100 - 03/10/2024
Race Length: 100L - 45.5 M - 63.756 KM
Fin - Car - Driver - Sponsors
1. 23 - Carson Loftin - L&R Transmissions
2. 2 - Ryan Newman - SHITI Coolers / Aggressive Hydraulics
3. 18L - Bobby Labonte - Cookout
4. 99 - Jimmy Blewett - Sponsor Wanted
5. 24 - Danny Bohn - Ameri-Fast Supply
6. 4 - Jason Myers - Greg Butcher Trucking
7. 7VA - Luke Baldwin - Pace-O-Matic
8. 27 - Blake Barney - D-Mac Pools
9. 60 - Matt Hirschman - SMART Chevy
10. 02 - Joey Coulter - TORCH Eyewear
11. 77R - Will Lambrose - Skip Barber Racing School
12. 79 - Anthony Bello - Sun Drop
13. 66 - Austin Kochenash - LOI Kits
14. 16 - Jonathan Cash - Pace-O-Matic
15. 21 - Jimmy Wallace - Carolina Drilling
16. 04 - Brandon Ward - KevinSaysYes.com
17. 1 - Burt Myers - Citrusafe / Peanut Patch
18. 15 - Brian Loftin - L&R Transmissions
19. 77 - Gary Putnam - CURB Records
20. 18 - Daniel Yates - Yates Grading & Paving
21. 25 - Tommy Buzze - Mark III Financial / UNITS
22. 12PA - Jake Crum - Cherokee Unlimited
23. 22 - Jason Tutterow - Carolina Drilling
24. 31 - Cody Norman - Jerry Hunt Supercenter
25. 48 - Jonny Kievman - A-Best Forklift of Millbridge
26. 45 - Gary Young Jr. - Ideal Comfort Heating & Air
March 2 - SMART Tour Race at Florence Speedway doesn't go as planned - 12th place finish
PEE DEE REPORT: Greetings on this Sunday am from South Carolina. The SMART race at Florence Speedway is in the books. An eventful race for sure for the PeeDee 60. Matt had a problem in practice that led to some cosmetic damage to the race car. The Brown Dogs worked feverishly to get her back in race shape. Matt rewarded their efforts with the pole in qualifying. Matt started up front and stayed in the top two for three quarters of the event. Then it got a little rough up front sending Matt into a contact spin. He had to start out back with few laps remaining. He worked his way back to a 12th place finish. Certainly disappointing for Matt and The Dogs as the car was better than the finish. We move on. Stay Tuned...sounds like we may be back sooner than some people think!
RACE REPORT: The old phrase, “The Apple Didn’t Fall Far from the Tree,” could certainly apply to 9-time SMART winner Brian Loftin and his son, Carson. In just his 16th-career series start, the 15-year-old driver won his first race in a Tour-Type Modified. It came Saturday (March 2), in the Peanut Patch 99 at Florence Motor Speedway (SC), which marked the season opener for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic. Carson Loftin passed on of the best in the business, Matt Hirschman, to take the lead on lap 81. He then held off Burt Myers and Ryan Newman for the victory. “All of them are great drivers. When I was behind Hirschman, I knew it was going to be tough to get by him. But, these guys gave me a great car and I was able to do it. Man, this feels good,” said Loftin, who drives the number-23 Modified sponsored by L&R Transmissions and LeBlue Bottled Water. With Carson’s victory, he and his father, Brian, become the third, father-son combination in SMART history, to win races. At 15 years, 11 months and 3 days, Carson Loftin is the youngest winner in SMART history. “This means a lot. People don’t know how much goes into putting these race cars together. It’s been a lot of late nights in the shop and it paid off,” continued Loftin. “I’m trying to make racing a career and I gotta win races. I can’t thank these guys enough for sticking behind me. It sure feels good.” Defending series champion Burt Myers led 25 laps enroute to a runner-up finish.“We just lacked overall grip,” said Myers, who drives the Citrusafe Grill Cleaners | Peanut Patch number-1 Modified. “We knew this was coming; Carson is a real talent. He’s smooth and on a track like this, that matters. We were just a little off, but we still led laps, won the stage (Bell Helmets Stage One Dt) and still finished second.” The Jostens Lap Leader of the Race was Hischman, who led 43 circuits. The SMART Chevy number-60 was involved in an intense battle with Myers and Luke Baldwin (finished 5th), which led to his car spinning late in the race. Hirschman also won the Pace-O-Matic Pole Award in qualifying. The Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger of the Race was Joey Coulter, who started 12th and advanced eight positions to finish fourth. In 2024, SMART fans will be treated to 15 races at 13 different facilities in the tri-state region of North and South Carolina, as well as Virginia. The season continues when the 600-horsepower Modifieds tackle the Warrior 100 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC on Sunday, March 10. The SMART Mods will also host one of the biggest Modified races in all of America, on Saturday, March 23, with the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. The season commences at the famed North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina on Saturday, October 19. All races can also be seen on FloRacing, the official streaming broadcast partner of the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic. Burt Myers captured the 2023 championship for the SMART Modified Tour in the season’s final race in October. The contest at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC was won by Pace-O-Matic driver Bobby Labonte. OCS will host a race with the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic on Saturday, April 6.
SMART Modified Tour Race #1
Official Race Results for the Peanut Patch 99 - 03/02/2024
Florence Motor Speedway - Timmonsville, SC - 0.4 mile
Race Length: 99L - 39.6 M - 63.756 KM
Fin - Str - Car - Driver - Sponsors - Laps
1 - 5 - 23 - Carson Loftin - L&R Transmissoins - 99
2 - 3 - 1 - Burt Myers - Peanut Patch / Citrusafe - 99
3 - 4 - 2 - Ryan Newman - Shiti Coolers - 99
4 - 12 - 02 - Joey Coulter - TORCH Eyewear - 99
5 - 2 - 7va - Luke Baldwin - Pace-O-Matic - 99
6 - 9 - 99 - Jimmy Blewett - 99
7 - 13 - 24 - Danny Bohn - Ameri-Fast Supply - 99
8 - 11 - 77L - Will Lambros - Skip Barber - 99
9 - 8 - 04 - Brandon Ward - Q-104.1 / KevinSaysYes.com - 99
10 - 16 - 4 - Jason Myers - QRC HVAC / Greg Butcher Trucking - 99
11 - 7 - 15 - Brian Loftin - Steve’s Transmission & Automotive - 99
12 - 1 - 60 - Matt Hirschman SMART Chevy - 99
13 - 18 - 79 - Anthony Bello - Sun Drop - 99
14 - 17 - 25 - Tom Buzze Jr. - UNITS Moving & Storage - 99
15 - 10 - 27 - Blake Barney - Amazing Graphics - 99
16 - 14 - 16va - Jonathan Cash - Pace-O-Matic - 99
17 - 21 - 40 - Frank Fleming - Simmons Powersports - 99
18 - 22 - 0 - Randall Richard - Ringaquared - 99
19 - 19 - 45 - Gary Young Jr. - PSR Products - 99
20 - 23 - 22 - Jason Tutterow - Carolina Drilling - 98
21 - 6 - 23NY - Bryce Bailey - K2 BBQ Sauces - 44
22 - 15 - 77 - Gary Putnam - CURB Records - 29
23 - 20 - 21 - Jimmy Wallace - Carolina Drilling - 29
24 - 24 - 48 - Tovia Grynewicz - A-Best Forklift - 10
Time of Race: 1h:21:50 | Margin of Victory: 1.423 seconds | Cautions:
Lap Leaders: Hirschman 43, C. Loftin 31, B. Myers 25
Pace-O-Matic Pole Award: Matt Hirschman - 17.053 seconds (84.442 mph)
Bell Helmets Stage Winner: Burt Myers
Jostens Lap Leader: Matt Hirschman - 43 Laps Led
Halfway Leader: Matt Hirschman
FEBRUARY 16 - Matt Hirschman Captures Fifth World Series Championship, Seventh Richie Evans Memorial Win
In a race that celebrates one of the greatest Modified drivers to ever compete, another racer continues to etch his name in history. Matt Hirschman left New Smyrna Speedway a five-time World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing champion while capturing his seventh Richie Evans Memorial 100 win. The PeeDee Motorsports driver led the championship standings by 10 points over Ronnie Williams heading into this event. To secure that title, he had to battle one of his biggest competitors of Speedweeks, Ryan Preece. No. 40 of Preece, a multi-time Richie Evans Memorial winner, spent the first part of the race battling for first with Hirschman. On lap 34, Hirschman made a bold choice, dive-bombing under Preece into the bottom of turn three. This aggressive move paid off as Hirschman rocketed to the lead. From there, the Pennsylvania native had to duel with the hard-charging cars of Eric Goodale and Jimmy Blewett. The No. 58 and No. 76 came to life later on in the race and were aided by a few cautions. However, neither driver was able to outrun the No. 60, leaving them with second and third-place finishes. Hirschman ended his week at New Smyrna with his 20th career World Series win, an impressive stat that was made more special by winning this memorial event.
“It always means a lot to win the [Richie] Evans Memorial, and to have your name mentioned in the same category at times is quite an honor,” Hirchman said following the race. “Richie was one of the first guys to dominate down here when they brought the modifieds here a long time ago and in recent years we’ve been the guys doing the same thing that he did in the beginning years. Just great to carry the torch and hopefully we can continue to do this for years to come.” Next year, Hirchman hopes to continue carrying the torch, seeking his seventh consecutive Richie Evans Memorial 100 win. Hirschman has won the event every year since 2019, finishing second to Preece in 2018.
-Story by: Taylor Kitchen
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
RICHIE EVANS MEMORIAL - TOUR-TYPE MODIFIEDS
FIN NO DRIVER LAPS DIFF
1 60 Matt Hirschman 100 ---
2 58 Eric Goodale 100 1.065
3 76 Jimmy Blewett 100 2.056
4 40 Ryan Preece 100 2.501
5 92 Anthony Nocella 100 3.317
6 20PA Austin Beers 100 3.385
7 54C Tommy Catalano 100 4.096
8 32 Tyler Rypkema 100 5.077
9 46 Craig Lutz 100 5.746
10 50 Ronnie Williams 100 6.214
11 02 Joey Coulter 100 6.368
12 8M Cam McDermott 100 6.613
13 36 David Sapienza 100 7.023
14 11 Norman Newman 100 8.345
15 24 Andrew Krause 92 8 Laps
16 12 Brian Sones 88 12 Laps
17 2 J.R. Bertuccio 77 23 Laps
18 20 Eddie McCarthy 74 26 Laps
19 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 74 26 Laps
20 98 Landon Huffman 74 26 Laps
21 54X Trevor Catalano 70 30 Laps
22 42 Spencer Davis 48 52 Laps
23 00 Brett Meservey 32 68 Laps
24 55 Teddy Hodgdon 23 77 Laps
FEBRUARY 15 - Matt Hirschman starts new World Series streak on Thursday
by Matt Weaver
If history is any indication, Thursday might be the start of a new streak for Matt Hirschman and PeeDee Motorsports in the Tour Type Modified World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway. The man they call Big Money Matt entered this World Series of Asphalt on a seven-race winning streak but was shut out of the first two races of the week, and three if counting the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener on Saturday night. More so, the No. 60 just didn’t look as stout, so the meticulous Hirschman went to work and figured it out. On Thursday, Hirschman started the race from fourth but was running second behind Patrick Emerling by the backstretch on the first lap. It took just nine laps for Hirschman to take the lead, with Ronnie Williams following, and he wouldn’t give up the spot the rest of the way. “It was a good long run car,” Hirschman said. “Probably still need to get better for tomorrow night. I think actually we were better last night. We’ll take a look at everything and see if we can make it better for tomorrow night. “Williams I think improved, but I think we still need to get a little bit better. I know [Ryan] Preece is coming back tomorrow night and he was real good on Tuesday. We’ll go to work and see what we can do tomorrow night.” Hirschman is seeking his fifth consecutive Richie Evans Memorial 100 on Friday. He has won the week-ending race six times in nine attempts. His 19 World Series wins are fourth on the all-time Tour Type Modified list behind Ted Christopher (43), Richie Evans (38) and Reggie Ruggiero (28). A fifth championship tomorrow, and he currently has a 10 point lead, would inch him closer to Ted Christopher (nine) and Richie Evans (six) on that all-time list.“It’s about getting your stuff right,” Hirschman said. “Depending on the weather, the track and just having everything right. There will be more than just me and Preece for the win tomorrow night, but I know there’s a good chance if we both have our stuff right it could come to down to the two of us.”
Matt Hirschman
Ronnie Williams
Eric Goodale
Jimmy Blewett
Craig Lutz
Eddie McCarthy
Tommy Catalano
J.R. Bertuccio
Patrick Emerling
Joey Coulter
Trevor Catalano
Spencer Davis
Tyler Rypkema
Landon Huffman
Tom Martino, Jr.
Timothy Solomito
Tim Connolly
Norman Newman
Anthony Bello
Anthony Nocella
Andrew Krause
FEBRAURY 14 - Matt Hirschman Wins Third Straight John Blewett, III Memorial
Matt Hirschman scored his fifth career win in the John Blewett, III Memorial Wednesday night at New Smyrna, marking his 18th career World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing win.
By Zach Evans
It may have taken longer than Matt Hirschman hoped, or many fans would have expected. Nonetheless, Hirschman returned to victory lane at New Smyrna Speedway Wednesday night. Hirschman won the John Blewett, III Memorial 76 Wednesday at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, his third consecutive win in the tribute race. Winning at New Smyrna has become standard fare for Hirschman. He is a four-time World Series Tour-type Modified champion, and now has 18 World Series race wins. However, he was winless after three nights of Modified racing at this year's event.While many drivers would have loved to have two top-fives and three top-10s in that stretch, it was not the gold standard Hirschman has set in recent years."The toughest competition you'll ever face is when you beat yourself," said Hirschman in victory lane. "We did that for three nights so far. Results of 10th, fifth and fifth are just not up to our standards. "We got back on track tonight. Everything, hopefully, from here forward goes a little smoother for us and we get on track like we should." Hirschman took the lead with a three-wide pass against Ryan Lutz while negotiating lapped traffic on lap 57, and led the rest of the way for the victory. The John Blewett, III Memorial is always a special race during the World Series. Hirschman was presented with an open-face helmet trophy designed in the style of Blewett, III's own racing helmets, offering more sentimental value to Hirschman. "It's always good to get a win here on the Blewett Memorial tonight. They've got a neat little trophy, a helmet like John used to wear. I used to go to Flemington Speedway to watch him in his earlier days. That's the kind of helmet he'd wear, you could always see his face in the car. Very determined racer, I always enjoyed racing with him." Hirschman now has at least one win in every World Series since 2017. His 18 World Series wins place him fourth on the all-time list in Modified competition, behind Ted Christopher (43), Richie Evans (38) and Reggie Ruggiero (28). With two more chances over the next two nights, including Friday's Richie Evans Memorial 100, Hirschman hopes to add to that total before week's end. "We'll see if we can get any more this week. We got off to a slow start, but hopefully we can finish strong."
TOUR-TYPE MODIFIED JOHN BLEWETT, III MEMORIAL 76
FINISH NO DRIVER
1 60 Matt Hirschman
2 92 Anthony Nocella
3 46 Craig Lutz
4 07 Patrick Emerling
5 58 Eric Goodale
6 24 Andrew Krause
7 54C Tommy Catalano
8 179 Anthony Bello
9 50 Ronnie Williams
10 20PA Austin Beers
11 55CT Teddy Hodgdon
12 8M Cam McDermott
13 2 J.R. Bertuccio
14 14NC Bobby Measmer
15 42 Spencer Davis
16 20 Eddie McCarthy
17 36 David Sapienza
18 12 Brian Sones
19 02 Joey Coulter
20 11 Norman Newman
21 98 Landon Huffman
22 48 Jonny Kay
23 4 Tim connolly
24 25 Brian Robie
25 54X Trevor Catalano
26 32 Tyler Rypkema
27 158 Timmy Solomito
28 76 Jimmy Blewett
FEBRUARY 13 - Ryan Preece Wins Tuesday Night Modified Feature at New Smyrna
By Zach Evans
The NASCAR Cup Series driver for Stewart-Haas Racing picked up a win at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing on the eve of Daytona 500 qualifying night. Before Ryan Preece heads to Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday to qualify for the Daytona 500, he made a quick visit to victory lane at New Smyrna Speedway Tuesday night. Preece took the win in Tuesday's 50-lap Tour-type Modified feature at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, finishing ahead of Ron Silk to end his winning streak at the World Series. Preece took the lead on lap 16 from Craig Lutz and maintained the top spot the rest of the way, even as Ron Silk closed in over the closing laps. Tuesday's win was the 13th at the World Series for Preece over the course of his career. Preece was particularly eager to get back to the front after a disappointing showing in Saturday's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at New Smyrna. "We've been really tuning on it. That Tour show on Saturday was a real embarrassing moment for me. I don't think I've ever been lapped in a Modified Tour race. We put our head where it needed to be and made great changes. We were able to beat that 16 [of Silk]. He's been fast all weekend, so it's good to do that. "It's been a lot of fun racing with these guys. I don't get to do it much, so whenever we can all come back and get to victory lane, it feels really good." While the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing continues on until Saturday, Preece's focus will now turn towards his NASCAR Cup Series obligations starting with Wednesday's pole qualifying night ahead of the Bluegreen Vacations Duels on Thursday. However, Preece isn't completely ruling out the possibility that he'll climb back in his Modified before the end of the week."I had a bet with my crew. I go out fourth for time trials tomorrow in the 500. Maybe I can try and sneak back here. This car has been so good, so maybe we'll try to come back tomorrow." Silk finished second, followed by Ronnie Williams, Anthony Nocella and Matt Hirschman.
TOUR-TYPE MODIFIED, WORLD SERIES NIGHT #5
FINISH NO DRIVER LAPS DIFF
1 40 Ryan Preece 50 ---
2 16 Ron Silk 50 0.601
3 50 Ronnie Williams 50 2.123
4 92 Anthony Nocella 50 2.367
5 60 Matt Hirschman 50 2.482
6 46 Craig Lutz 50 2.801
7 58 Eric Goodale 50 3.191
8 55CT Teddy Hodgdon 50 3.300
9 07 Patrick Emerling 50 3.532
10 36 David Sapienza 50 3.726
11 54 Tommy Catalano 50 4.153
12 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 50 4.841
13 42 Spencer Davis 50 5.533
14 20 Eddie McCarthy 50 6.469
15 2 J.R. Bertuccio 50 6.724
16 98 Landon Huffman 50 7.079
17 11 Norman Newman 50 7.300
18 48 Johnny Kay 50 7.480
19 7P Rich Parker 49 1 Lap
20 09 Christopher Hatton 47 3 Laps
21 76 Jimmy Blewett 44 6 Laps
22 179 Anthony Bello 44 6 Laps
23 14NC Bobby Measmer 40 10 Laps
24 02 Joey Coulter 40 10 Laps
25 32 Tyler Rypkema 27 23 Laps
26 158 Timmy Solomito 25 25 Laps
FEBRURY 12 - Ron Silk stood in victory lane at night's end at New Smyrna Speedway.
By Zach Evans
For the second time in as many Tour Modified races at this year's World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, Ron Silk stood in victory lane at night's end at New Smyrna Speedway. Silk took the lead on lap seven from Patrick Emerling and led the rest of the way in the 50-lap feature to kick off the races that will count for points towards the Tour-type Modified World Series title with a win. After winning Saturday's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season opener, Silk is looking like one of the drivers to beat at this year's World Series. "A lot of great people around me and great equipment. The car was fantastic. I think we can make it a little bit better for tomorrow night, but it's fun to be down here racing in February. To get two wins in a row to start off is great, and hopefully we can get another one tomorrow." Preece finished 0.477 seconds ahead of Ryan Preece, while those two drivers distanced themselves from third-place finisher Ronnie Williams. Patrick Emerling finished fourth, with Matt Hirschman rounding out the top five."I was making sure I didn't make a big mistake. I knew when he got to second, I had a pretty good gap. I had to manage some lapped traffic. We'll see, maybe we'll have a battle tomorrow night."
FINISH DRIVER
1 16 Ron Silk
2 40 Ryan Preece
3 50 Ronnie Williams
4 07 Patrick Emerling
5 60 Matt Hirschman
6 92 Anthony Nocella
7 55CT Teddy Hodgdon
8 179 Anthony Bello
9 58 Eric Goodale
10 8M Cam McDermott
11 76 Jimmy Blewett
12 46 Craig Lutz
13 02 Joey Coulter
14 24 Andrew Krause
15 20 Eddie McCarthy
16 42 Spencer Davis
17 36 David Sapienza
18 14NC Bobby Measmer
19 11 Norman Newman
20 4 Tim Connolly
21 09 Christopher Hatton
22 56T Trevor Catalano
23 54 Tommy Catalano
24 9 Tom Martino, Jr.
25 7P Rich Parker
26 2 J.R. Bertuccio
27 48 Johnny Kay
28 32 Tyler Rypkema
FEBRUARY 10 - Ron Silk Defends New Smyrna NWMT Season Opening Victory
By Zach Evans
It was deja vu for 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk, as he opened the new season with another win at New Smyrna Speedway. It's deja vu in more ways than one for Ron Silk. The veteran driver repeated what he did last year, winning the opening race of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New Smyrna Speedway. The defending series champion rolled off third at New Smyrna, right behind Craig Lutz and Austin Beers. When the green flag dropped, the Lutz No. 46 paced the field with ease.When the caution came out on lap 20, several drivers were given an early opportunity to vary their strategy in an attempt to catch up to the 29-year-old. Lutz stayed on track, giving him the clearance to dominate the first 80 laps of the race. However, drivers like Ron Silk gave up track position to head to pit road, a strategy call that worked to his advantage. Over the course of several laps, Lutz saw a silver bullet making its way through the field, lurking in his rearview mirror. It didn’t take much time after the yellow flag for Ron Silk, in a brand new race car, to successfully make a pass for the lead. The veteran racer was challenged through the event by several drivers right behind. One of those was Justin Bonsignore who applied continuous pressure, but never successfully got the lead. On the other hand, Andrew Krause and Doug Coby were the only two drivers to take first from Silk for a short time. And for a moment, when a late caution flew, it looked like Coby could have won the race based on a great strategy call. As the rest of the field went to pit road, Coby and Beers stayed on track, leading the field to green with 10 laps to go. Coby restarted on the preferred line, however, after making contact with the No. 16 of Beers on that restart, the No. 7 machine fell back. This allowed the powerhouse machine of Silk to jolt ahead and cross the line first. “I knew I was sitting in a pretty good spot in third there,” Silk explained, talking about that final restart. “The two guys were on, they weren’t much older tires, but 20 laps makes a difference. So I was able to kind of push Austin (Beers) by Doug (Coby) there and could kind of make quick work of him. Then luckily was just able to get a little bit of a gap that I could manage to the end.” Finishing in the second position, picking up where he left off in the championship standings, was Bonsignore. “I just needed to be a little freer,” Bonsignore said, “He (Silk) obviously got through traffic and had an eight-car length gap on us and I was giving it everything I had but I was just still too tight on that last set of tires and coming to the white. I found something in three and four, I wrapped the yellow line and it hooked really good it’s just too little too late at that point.” The one-two finish between these two drivers is sweet poetry, starting the season how they left it. This opening race at New Smyrna sets the tone for this season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and if this is any indication, it looks like Silk and Bonsignore are on track to battle for the title yet again.
NEW SMYRNA VISITORS BUREAU 200
FINISH NO DRIVER LAPS DIFF
1 16 Ron Silk 200 ---
2 51 Justin Bonsignore 200 0.425
3 7 Doug Coby 200 1.879
4 1 Patrick Emerling 200 2.073
5 56 Trevor Catalano 200 2.286
6 64 Austin Beers 200 2.530
7 32 Tyler Rypkema 200 2.773
8 24 Andrew Krause 200 2.962
9 3 Jake Johnson 200 3.180
10 60 Matt Hirschman 200 3.402
11 22 Kyle Bonsignore 200 3.597
12 46 Craig Lutz 200 3.791
13 40 Ryan Preece 200 6.399
14 14 Ryan Newman 199 1 Lap
15 99 Ronnie Williams 199 1 Lap
16 36 Dave Sapienza 199 1 Lap
17 25 Brian Robie 199 1 Lap
18 02 Joey Coulter 199 1 Lap
19 4 Tim Connolly 198 2 Laps
20 18 Ken Heagy 197 3 Laps
21 34 J.B. Fortin 196 4 Laps
22 26 Gary McDonald 192 8 Laps
23 00 Brett Meservey 191 9 Laps
24 42 Spencer Davis 190 10 Laps
25 01 Melissa Fifiield 188 12 Laps
26 58 Eric Goodale 178 22 Laps
27 84 Tyler Catalano 176 24 Laps
28 19 Anthony Sesely 175 25 Laps
29 23 Carson Loftin 147 53 Laps
30 54 Tommy Catalano 131 69 Laps
31 09 Christopher Hatton, Jr. 129 71 Laps
32 2 J.R. Bertuccio 40 160 Laps
33 8 John-Michael Shenette 32 168 Laps
34 20 Eddie McCarthy 19 181 Laps
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