AN ACE AT ACE GIVES BURT MYERS A HAT TRICK OF WINS IN 2023
Myers Extends Point Lead Over Brandon Ward Heading Into Carteret Clash
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Martinsville, VA (August 29, 2023) - Series point leader Burt “The Ace” Myers is no hockey player, but he became the first driver since 2003 to score a “Hat Trick” on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.
Myers won his third consecutive SMART Modified race of 2023 on Friday (August 25) at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, NC in the Robert Jeffreys Memorial. The last driver to score three-straight victories in SMART was two-time series champion L.W. Miller in 2003. Miller went on to win six in a row.
“That sounds good. L.W. used to kick out butt on a regular basis,” said Burt Myers, who drives the Citrusafe Grill Cleaners / Backyard Leisure Pools & Spas number-1 Modified. “Jason (Myers, brother) told me before the race he was worried. I said, ‘What do ya mean? We qualified tenth.’ He said, ‘When you don’t qualify good, your car is good in the race.’
“We knew we were good too, but we got into that altercation early in the race. We came in and the left rear trailing-arm was about to fall off the thing. Who knows if we would have had anything for the 7. I don’t know what happened to him, but once we got that clean air we were hard to beat.”
Burt Myers, from Walnut Cove, NC, took the lead from the 7NY of defending series champion Caleb Heady when the shifter broke on his car during a restart on lap 81 of the 99-lap race. “The Ace” then held off SRX Racing Champion Ryan Newman, in the Pace-O-Matic / Aggressive Hydraulics number-39, for the victory.
“This feels good. We waited a long time,” added Burt, who had not won a race on the SMART Tour since 2004 prior to this string of victories. “Guys like Ryan, the two Bobby’s (Measmer and Labonte, the 7 (Heady); this southern Modified group with the SMART Tour is really strong. So to be able to come out here and win this race tonight, to honor Robert Jeffreys, and win three in a row after that dry steak, it tickles my heart to see this going so good.”
For Newman, the race resulted in a runner-up finish. It was his the South Bend, Indiana native’s fourth Top-6 finish in as many starts this season in the Sadler/Stanley racing ride.
“We were loose the whole night. We got it better and we just held on,” explained Newman. “Thanks to all the fans for coming tonight. I think we put on a pretty good show for them. We put up a fight on the outside for some of those restarts and that is not the place to be. “
Bobby Measmer Jr., of Concord, NC matched his season-best third-place effort in SMART competition.
“I gave Ryan a shot going down in turn number one; if that was for the win it might have been even more exciting,” said Measmer, who drives the ZMAX Lubricants / Carolina Foundation Supply / Boston Reid Real Estate / Alcoa Mortgage Modified. “This is big for our team; it is really like a win for us. We broke a fan belt on the way up here and that put us behind schedule. We were 23rd quick in practice, so I went in the trailer and we went back to an ol’ faithful setup and it worked. It was a helluva race.”
Rounding out the top-five in the finishing order of the 99-lap Robert Jeffreys Memorial was second place point man Brandon Ward (2) and Carson Loftin (23).
The SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic is now in the middle of four-straight weeks of racing. Next up is the “Carteret Clash” on Saturday, September 2 at Carteret County Speedway in Swansboro, NC. Please visit the Carteret County Speedway website for more information on the event, which includes racing on Sunday, September 3 as well.
For the full SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic schedule, plus driver profiles and other 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 - Short Track Life Media Group - Twitter: @shorttracklife_
Official Race Results for the Robert Jeffreys Memorial - 08/25/2023
Ace Speedway - Altamahaw, NC - 0.4 mile
Race Length: 99L - 45.045 M - 72.468 KM
Fin-Str-Car-Driver-Laps
1-10-1-Burt Myers-99
2-8-39VA-Ryan Newman-99
3-11-14-Bobby Measmer Jr.-99
4-3-2-Brandon Ward-99
5-6-23-Carson Loftin-99
6-9-18VA-Bobby Labonte-99
7-16-29-Spencer Davis-99
8-7-79-Zach Brewer-99
9-21-55-Jeremy Gerstner-99
10-1-4-Jason Myers-99
11-24-5-Tom Buzze-99
12-5-25-Tim Brown-99
13-12-07va-Dennis Holdren-99
14-14-12-Cody Norman-99
15-22-41-Bussy Beavers-98
16-4-7ny-Caleb Heady-81
17-2-15-Brian Loftin-81
18-17-21-Jimmy Wallace-64
19-18-48-Jonny Kay-60
20-20-02-Joey Coulter-60
21-15-45-Gary Young Jr.-58
22-23-01-Brian Weber-40
23-19-11-Michael Ritch-39
24-13-75-Lee Jeffreys-39
25-25-18-Daniel Yates-18
Time of Race: 1h:23:12 | Cautions: 7 for 38 Laps
Lap Leaders: B. Loftin 56, Heady 25, B. Myers 18
Pace-O-Matic Pole Award: Ryan Newman (14.838 seconds @ 97.048mph)
Bell Helmets Stage Winner: Brian Loftin
Jostens Lap Leader: Brian Loftin
Bankers Life Halfway Leader: Brian Loftin
Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger Award: Jeremy Gerstner (+12 Positions)
Carolina Drilling Blast to the Front: Carson Loftin
MJ Printing & Graphics Fastest Lap: Carson Loftin - 15.056 seconds (Lap 6)
SMART Modified Tour
The SMART Modified Tour captures the essence of one of the most legendary forms of racing in America, pavement Modifieds. Born in 1988, these ground-pounding,
600-horsepower missiles are a must-see for any racing fan.
In 2020, Chris Williams brought SMART Modifieds back to prominence after a brief hiatus. Due to the overwhelming popularity from its fan base, a four-race schedule in its initial year has given birth to an adventurous 14-race schedule in 2023.
This year will mark the third full-season of SMART Modified Tour racing. Many of Modified racing’s best drivers, from all over the country, will compete with the series, which visits 13 different racetracks in three different states in the Mid-Atlantic - North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
SMART Modifieds compete on grueling asphalt oval short tracks, embedded in quaint local communities, each spring, summer and fall.
Pace-O-Matic
Pace-O-Matic develops, produces, and licenses fun and entertainment in the form of skill games in various states, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Kentucky, Illinois and Texas, among others. Since its founding in 2000, the organization has built a talented leadership team and a culture defined by integrity, innovation, and compliance. Learn more at www.paceomatic.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Martinsville, VA (August 29, 2023) - Series point leader Burt “The Ace” Myers is no hockey player, but he became the first driver since 2003 to score a “Hat Trick” on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.
Myers won his third consecutive SMART Modified race of 2023 on Friday (August 25) at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, NC in the Robert Jeffreys Memorial. The last driver to score three-straight victories in SMART was two-time series champion L.W. Miller in 2003. Miller went on to win six in a row.
“That sounds good. L.W. used to kick out butt on a regular basis,” said Burt Myers, who drives the Citrusafe Grill Cleaners / Backyard Leisure Pools & Spas number-1 Modified. “Jason (Myers, brother) told me before the race he was worried. I said, ‘What do ya mean? We qualified tenth.’ He said, ‘When you don’t qualify good, your car is good in the race.’
“We knew we were good too, but we got into that altercation early in the race. We came in and the left rear trailing-arm was about to fall off the thing. Who knows if we would have had anything for the 7. I don’t know what happened to him, but once we got that clean air we were hard to beat.”
Burt Myers, from Walnut Cove, NC, took the lead from the 7NY of defending series champion Caleb Heady when the shifter broke on his car during a restart on lap 81 of the 99-lap race. “The Ace” then held off SRX Racing Champion Ryan Newman, in the Pace-O-Matic / Aggressive Hydraulics number-39, for the victory.
“This feels good. We waited a long time,” added Burt, who had not won a race on the SMART Tour since 2004 prior to this string of victories. “Guys like Ryan, the two Bobby’s (Measmer and Labonte, the 7 (Heady); this southern Modified group with the SMART Tour is really strong. So to be able to come out here and win this race tonight, to honor Robert Jeffreys, and win three in a row after that dry steak, it tickles my heart to see this going so good.”
For Newman, the race resulted in a runner-up finish. It was his the South Bend, Indiana native’s fourth Top-6 finish in as many starts this season in the Sadler/Stanley racing ride.
“We were loose the whole night. We got it better and we just held on,” explained Newman. “Thanks to all the fans for coming tonight. I think we put on a pretty good show for them. We put up a fight on the outside for some of those restarts and that is not the place to be. “
Bobby Measmer Jr., of Concord, NC matched his season-best third-place effort in SMART competition.
“I gave Ryan a shot going down in turn number one; if that was for the win it might have been even more exciting,” said Measmer, who drives the ZMAX Lubricants / Carolina Foundation Supply / Boston Reid Real Estate / Alcoa Mortgage Modified. “This is big for our team; it is really like a win for us. We broke a fan belt on the way up here and that put us behind schedule. We were 23rd quick in practice, so I went in the trailer and we went back to an ol’ faithful setup and it worked. It was a helluva race.”
Rounding out the top-five in the finishing order of the 99-lap Robert Jeffreys Memorial was second place point man Brandon Ward (2) and Carson Loftin (23).
The SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic is now in the middle of four-straight weeks of racing. Next up is the “Carteret Clash” on Saturday, September 2 at Carteret County Speedway in Swansboro, NC. Please visit the Carteret County Speedway website for more information on the event, which includes racing on Sunday, September 3 as well.
For the full SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic schedule, plus driver profiles and other 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 - Short Track Life Media Group - Twitter: @shorttracklife_
Official Race Results for the Robert Jeffreys Memorial - 08/25/2023
Ace Speedway - Altamahaw, NC - 0.4 mile
Race Length: 99L - 45.045 M - 72.468 KM
Fin-Str-Car-Driver-Laps
1-10-1-Burt Myers-99
2-8-39VA-Ryan Newman-99
3-11-14-Bobby Measmer Jr.-99
4-3-2-Brandon Ward-99
5-6-23-Carson Loftin-99
6-9-18VA-Bobby Labonte-99
7-16-29-Spencer Davis-99
8-7-79-Zach Brewer-99
9-21-55-Jeremy Gerstner-99
10-1-4-Jason Myers-99
11-24-5-Tom Buzze-99
12-5-25-Tim Brown-99
13-12-07va-Dennis Holdren-99
14-14-12-Cody Norman-99
15-22-41-Bussy Beavers-98
16-4-7ny-Caleb Heady-81
17-2-15-Brian Loftin-81
18-17-21-Jimmy Wallace-64
19-18-48-Jonny Kay-60
20-20-02-Joey Coulter-60
21-15-45-Gary Young Jr.-58
22-23-01-Brian Weber-40
23-19-11-Michael Ritch-39
24-13-75-Lee Jeffreys-39
25-25-18-Daniel Yates-18
Time of Race: 1h:23:12 | Cautions: 7 for 38 Laps
Lap Leaders: B. Loftin 56, Heady 25, B. Myers 18
Pace-O-Matic Pole Award: Ryan Newman (14.838 seconds @ 97.048mph)
Bell Helmets Stage Winner: Brian Loftin
Jostens Lap Leader: Brian Loftin
Bankers Life Halfway Leader: Brian Loftin
Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger Award: Jeremy Gerstner (+12 Positions)
Carolina Drilling Blast to the Front: Carson Loftin
MJ Printing & Graphics Fastest Lap: Carson Loftin - 15.056 seconds (Lap 6)
SMART Modified Tour
The SMART Modified Tour captures the essence of one of the most legendary forms of racing in America, pavement Modifieds. Born in 1988, these ground-pounding,
600-horsepower missiles are a must-see for any racing fan.
In 2020, Chris Williams brought SMART Modifieds back to prominence after a brief hiatus. Due to the overwhelming popularity from its fan base, a four-race schedule in its initial year has given birth to an adventurous 14-race schedule in 2023.
This year will mark the third full-season of SMART Modified Tour racing. Many of Modified racing’s best drivers, from all over the country, will compete with the series, which visits 13 different racetracks in three different states in the Mid-Atlantic - North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
SMART Modifieds compete on grueling asphalt oval short tracks, embedded in quaint local communities, each spring, summer and fall.
Pace-O-Matic
Pace-O-Matic develops, produces, and licenses fun and entertainment in the form of skill games in various states, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Kentucky, Illinois and Texas, among others. Since its founding in 2000, the organization has built a talented leadership team and a culture defined by integrity, innovation, and compliance. Learn more at www.paceomatic.com.