FATHER-SON FIGHTING FOR A SPOT IN THE SMART 3 CHAMPIONSHIP QUEST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Martinsville, VA (October 12, 2023) - For the first time in SMART history, a father is battling his son for the championship. This week, Brian Loftin, a 9-time winner with the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, will challenge his son, Carson Loftin, for a spot in the SMART 3 at the final race of the season. The younger Loftin is just 15 years-old.
The pair are among eight drivers with a mathematical shot at being in the top three in points at the conclusion of the Pace-O-Matic 99, this Saturday (October 14), at South Boston Speedway in Virginia.
“I have mixed emotions battling with Carson,” admitted Brian. “As a dad I want so much to see him succeed and I am very proud of his accomplishments. However, I’m not done yet, and he has a lot of years left. He will win a lot of races and championships in the coming years where my career is in its latter stages.”
“Of course I want to beat him,” stated Carson, who is currently third in the standings. “I mean, that would be pretty cool to beat my dad for a top 3 spot in points, especially for it being my rookie year in a Tour-Type Modified. He’s done a lot of cool things in his racing career; he’s my idol and he has taught me everything I know.”
“I have always preached to him to not race me any differently and I’m not going race him any differently,” said Brian, who is fifth in points. “Together, we’re just another car out there to each other when we strap the helmets on. He has greatly exceeded my expectations for what he has been able to do this year! No matter what happens, I’m proud of the year we have both had.”
Ironically, Brian Loftin won the SMART Mods event at South Boston Speedway in April. Carson was running well until being involved in a mishap in the 99-lap race.
Burt Myers currently leads the Racing Electronics Point Standings heading into Saturday’s South Boston event. Myers has won three races this season, while second-place point man Brandon Ward has won twice.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte, the most recent winner in the SMART Tour (Tri-County Speedway, Hudson, NC), is fourth in the championship standings.
Among the other drivers still fighting for a spot in the SMART three are Caleb Heady (6th), Tim Brown (7th) and Joey Coulter (8th).
The top three in the standings leaving South Boston, VA, will be the SMART 3 drivers who will challenge each other for the series title on Saturday, October 28 at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC.
This Saturday, October 14, will be the penultimate race of the year for the SMART Modified Tour. The Pace-O-Matic 99 will take place at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. Crate Modifieds and the Southern Ground Pounders are also on the racing card. Please visit the South Boston Speedway website for more information on the event.
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_
SMART Modified Tour Race #10
Official Race Results for the Cardinal 99 - 10/7/2023
Tri-County Motor Speedway - Granite Falls, NC - 0.400 mile
Race Length: 99L - 39.6 M - 63.756 KM
Fin - Str - Car - Driver - Laps
1 - 2 - 18VA - Bobby Labonte - 99
2 - 17 - 14 - Bobby Measmer Jr. - 99
3 - 10 - 15 - Brian Loftin - 99
4 - 12 - 12PA - Jake Crum - 99
5 - 4 - 1 - Burt Myers - 99
6 - 15 - 23 - Carson Loftin - 99
7 - 19 - 5 - Tom Buzze Jr. - 99
8 - 1 - 4 - Jason Myers - 99
9 - 6 - 39VA - Jonathan Cash - 99
10 - 5 - 25 - Tim Brown - 99
11 - 3 - 7NY - Caleb Heady - 99
12 - 9 - 2 - Brandon Ward - 99
13 - 20 - 77 - Gary Putnam - 99
14 - 7 - 24 - Danny Bohn - 99
15 - 11 - 21 - Jimmy Wallace - 99
16 - 23 - 18 - Daniel Yates - 99
17 - 14 - 48 - Jonny Kay - 99
18 - 24 - 44NC - Spencer Martin - 98
19 - 16 - 55 - Jeremy Gerstner - 98
20 - 21 - 34 - Eric Zeh - 98
21 - 13 - 07VA - Dennis Holdren - 98
22 - 8 - 02 - Joey Coulter - 96
23 - 22 - 01 - Brian Weber - 95
24 - 18 - 45 - Gary Young Jr. - 23
Time of Race: 0h:52:47 | Cautions: 3 for 16 Laps
Lap Leaders: Labonte 81, B. Loftin 18
Pace-O-Matic Pole Award: Jason Myers (14.635)
Bell Helmets Stage Winner: Bobby Labonte
Jostens Lap Leader: Bobby Labonte
Bankers Life Halfway Leader: Bobby Labonte
Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger Award: Bobby MeasamerJr. (+15 Positions)
Carolina Drilling Blast to the Front: Jake Crum
MJ Printing & Graphics Fastest Lap: Gary Young Jr. - 14.990 seconds (Lap 2)
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.
Martinsville, VA (October 12, 2023) - For the first time in SMART history, a father is battling his son for the championship. This week, Brian Loftin, a 9-time winner with the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, will challenge his son, Carson Loftin, for a spot in the SMART 3 at the final race of the season. The younger Loftin is just 15 years-old.
The pair are among eight drivers with a mathematical shot at being in the top three in points at the conclusion of the Pace-O-Matic 99, this Saturday (October 14), at South Boston Speedway in Virginia.
“I have mixed emotions battling with Carson,” admitted Brian. “As a dad I want so much to see him succeed and I am very proud of his accomplishments. However, I’m not done yet, and he has a lot of years left. He will win a lot of races and championships in the coming years where my career is in its latter stages.”
“Of course I want to beat him,” stated Carson, who is currently third in the standings. “I mean, that would be pretty cool to beat my dad for a top 3 spot in points, especially for it being my rookie year in a Tour-Type Modified. He’s done a lot of cool things in his racing career; he’s my idol and he has taught me everything I know.”
“I have always preached to him to not race me any differently and I’m not going race him any differently,” said Brian, who is fifth in points. “Together, we’re just another car out there to each other when we strap the helmets on. He has greatly exceeded my expectations for what he has been able to do this year! No matter what happens, I’m proud of the year we have both had.”
Ironically, Brian Loftin won the SMART Mods event at South Boston Speedway in April. Carson was running well until being involved in a mishap in the 99-lap race.
Burt Myers currently leads the Racing Electronics Point Standings heading into Saturday’s South Boston event. Myers has won three races this season, while second-place point man Brandon Ward has won twice.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte, the most recent winner in the SMART Tour (Tri-County Speedway, Hudson, NC), is fourth in the championship standings.
Among the other drivers still fighting for a spot in the SMART three are Caleb Heady (6th), Tim Brown (7th) and Joey Coulter (8th).
The top three in the standings leaving South Boston, VA, will be the SMART 3 drivers who will challenge each other for the series title on Saturday, October 28 at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC.
This Saturday, October 14, will be the penultimate race of the year for the SMART Modified Tour. The Pace-O-Matic 99 will take place at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. Crate Modifieds and the Southern Ground Pounders are also on the racing card. Please visit the South Boston Speedway website for more information on the event.
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_
SMART Modified Tour Race #10
Official Race Results for the Cardinal 99 - 10/7/2023
Tri-County Motor Speedway - Granite Falls, NC - 0.400 mile
Race Length: 99L - 39.6 M - 63.756 KM
Fin - Str - Car - Driver - Laps
1 - 2 - 18VA - Bobby Labonte - 99
2 - 17 - 14 - Bobby Measmer Jr. - 99
3 - 10 - 15 - Brian Loftin - 99
4 - 12 - 12PA - Jake Crum - 99
5 - 4 - 1 - Burt Myers - 99
6 - 15 - 23 - Carson Loftin - 99
7 - 19 - 5 - Tom Buzze Jr. - 99
8 - 1 - 4 - Jason Myers - 99
9 - 6 - 39VA - Jonathan Cash - 99
10 - 5 - 25 - Tim Brown - 99
11 - 3 - 7NY - Caleb Heady - 99
12 - 9 - 2 - Brandon Ward - 99
13 - 20 - 77 - Gary Putnam - 99
14 - 7 - 24 - Danny Bohn - 99
15 - 11 - 21 - Jimmy Wallace - 99
16 - 23 - 18 - Daniel Yates - 99
17 - 14 - 48 - Jonny Kay - 99
18 - 24 - 44NC - Spencer Martin - 98
19 - 16 - 55 - Jeremy Gerstner - 98
20 - 21 - 34 - Eric Zeh - 98
21 - 13 - 07VA - Dennis Holdren - 98
22 - 8 - 02 - Joey Coulter - 96
23 - 22 - 01 - Brian Weber - 95
24 - 18 - 45 - Gary Young Jr. - 23
Time of Race: 0h:52:47 | Cautions: 3 for 16 Laps
Lap Leaders: Labonte 81, B. Loftin 18
Pace-O-Matic Pole Award: Jason Myers (14.635)
Bell Helmets Stage Winner: Bobby Labonte
Jostens Lap Leader: Bobby Labonte
Bankers Life Halfway Leader: Bobby Labonte
Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger Award: Bobby MeasamerJr. (+15 Positions)
Carolina Drilling Blast to the Front: Jake Crum
MJ Printing & Graphics Fastest Lap: Gary Young Jr. - 14.990 seconds (Lap 2)
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.