THE DRIVE FOR FIVE IS ACCOMPLISHED... AND IT'S NOT EVEN JUNE
Carson Loftin Continues His Record-Setting Pace on SMART Modified Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Callaway, VA (May 27, 2024)- Carson Loftin did it again. Just when it looked like someone else was going to win on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, the 16 year-old driver struck when it mattered most.
After Ryan Newman and Luke Baldwin made contact while battling for the lead, Loftin scrambled by Newman’s number-2 and with a bump to the back bumper of Baldwin’s number-7va, he was able to slither into the lead on lap 85 during the Kenny Minter Classic 110 at Franklin County Speedway (VA). He then drove away to his fifth victory in the first seven races of the season.
“I can’t believe this. Like I say every time, this all goes to them, my team busts their butts in the shop every night. I can’t ask for a better group,” said Loftin after receiving his fifth Bankers Life SMARTY trophy of 2024. “We struggled in practice; we were 15th. I really didn’t know how good we’d be because we struggled here last year. They made some changes and they gave me a really good car for the race.
“I got in the back of Luke going into three. I didn’t mean to get into the back of him that hard,” said Loftin, who drives the L&R Transmissions / LeBleu Bottled Water / QMF Metal Fabrication number-23. “It’s not really how I want to race or pass him for the lead; I hate that it happened. I wasn’t a big fan of this place before today, but I am now.”
Baldwin, who is second in points, was able to rebound for a second-place finish, his sixth top-5 finish of the season.
“It was just too many mistakes on my part,” said Baldwin, who drives the Pace-O-Matic car for Sadler/Stanley Racing. “I got up too deep into one, slid up the hill, got into the (number) 2; we kinda just locked on. (Newman then hit the wall.) If I would have played that smarter I would not have given him (Loftin) a chance at getting under me. A little more experience on my part and we would have been one spot ahead. It is what it is, we’ll come back stronger.”
A hard-charging Danny Bohn, who was fastest in practice earlier in the day, ran out of laps to challenge for the win. His Ameri-Fast Supply of NC number-24 finished third.
“It’s finally nice to be on the top-three (podium). Honestly I could say we haven’t had a car we can win with all year, but we could have won this one tonight,” explained Bohn. “We were probably the fastest car right before that caution. We all got jammed up there coming out of two after the caution and we lost some track position. I think we’ve got something to work with now.”
Unofficially, the Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger of the Race was Tom Buzze, Jr. His Mark III Financial / UNITS Moving & Storage number-25 advanced 13 positions, from 19th to 6th as races end.
An official finish for the Kenny Minter Classic will be announced this week.
The Tour will take a five-week hiatus until its next event, The Revolutionary 99, on Saturday, Juy 6 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC. The night’s racing program will include 99 laps for the SMART Modifieds, as well as the Carolina Crate Modified Series and Mini-Stocks.
As a whole, SMART fans will be treated to 15 races at 13 different facilities in the tri-state region of North Carolina, South Carolina and 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.
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- X: @shorttracklife_
SMART Modified Tour Race #7
Official Race Results for the Kenny Minter Classic- 5/24/2024
Franklin County Speedway- Callaway, VA- 0.375 mile
Race Length: 110L- 41.25 M- 66.38 KM
Fin Str Car Driver Sponsors
1 4 23 Carson Loftin L&R Transmissions/LeBleu Water
2 3 7va Luke Baldwin Pace-O-Matic
3 7 24 Danny Bohn Ameri-Fast Supply
4 6 02 Joey Coulter SRI Performance/TORCH Eyewear
5 5 2 Ryan Newman SHITI Coolers/Aggressive Hyrdraulics
6 19 25 Tom Buzze MarkIII Financial /UNITS Moving
7 2 04 Brandon Ward KevinSaysYes.com/Q104.1
8 12 4 Jason Myers Greg Butcher Trucking
9 18 97 Patrick Staropoli Drive to Fight Blindness
10 15 06ma Sammy Rameau New England Truck Design
11 20 18 Daniel Yates Yates Grading & Paving
12 16 12pa Jake Crum All-American Roofing
13 8 1 Burt Myers Citrusafe Grill Cleaners
14 10 15 Brian Loftin Steves Tires & Automotive
15 17 16 Jonathan Cash Pace-O-Matic
16 14 99 Jimmy Blewett Clarence's Steak House
17 11 79 Anthony Bello SunDrop
18 1 77 Ryan Preece CURB Records
19 21 21 Jimmy Wallace Carolina Drilling
20 9 48 Jonny Kievman A-Best Forklift /Viper Graphics
21 13 45 Gary Young Jr. Ideal Comfort Heating & Air
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 for the SMART Tour 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 15-race schedule in 2024.
This year will mark the fourth full-season of SMART Modified Tour racing since its return. 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, Kansas, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming, 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
Callaway, VA (May 27, 2024)- Carson Loftin did it again. Just when it looked like someone else was going to win on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, the 16 year-old driver struck when it mattered most.
After Ryan Newman and Luke Baldwin made contact while battling for the lead, Loftin scrambled by Newman’s number-2 and with a bump to the back bumper of Baldwin’s number-7va, he was able to slither into the lead on lap 85 during the Kenny Minter Classic 110 at Franklin County Speedway (VA). He then drove away to his fifth victory in the first seven races of the season.
“I can’t believe this. Like I say every time, this all goes to them, my team busts their butts in the shop every night. I can’t ask for a better group,” said Loftin after receiving his fifth Bankers Life SMARTY trophy of 2024. “We struggled in practice; we were 15th. I really didn’t know how good we’d be because we struggled here last year. They made some changes and they gave me a really good car for the race.
“I got in the back of Luke going into three. I didn’t mean to get into the back of him that hard,” said Loftin, who drives the L&R Transmissions / LeBleu Bottled Water / QMF Metal Fabrication number-23. “It’s not really how I want to race or pass him for the lead; I hate that it happened. I wasn’t a big fan of this place before today, but I am now.”
Baldwin, who is second in points, was able to rebound for a second-place finish, his sixth top-5 finish of the season.
“It was just too many mistakes on my part,” said Baldwin, who drives the Pace-O-Matic car for Sadler/Stanley Racing. “I got up too deep into one, slid up the hill, got into the (number) 2; we kinda just locked on. (Newman then hit the wall.) If I would have played that smarter I would not have given him (Loftin) a chance at getting under me. A little more experience on my part and we would have been one spot ahead. It is what it is, we’ll come back stronger.”
A hard-charging Danny Bohn, who was fastest in practice earlier in the day, ran out of laps to challenge for the win. His Ameri-Fast Supply of NC number-24 finished third.
“It’s finally nice to be on the top-three (podium). Honestly I could say we haven’t had a car we can win with all year, but we could have won this one tonight,” explained Bohn. “We were probably the fastest car right before that caution. We all got jammed up there coming out of two after the caution and we lost some track position. I think we’ve got something to work with now.”
Unofficially, the Pace-O-Matic Hard Charger of the Race was Tom Buzze, Jr. His Mark III Financial / UNITS Moving & Storage number-25 advanced 13 positions, from 19th to 6th as races end.
An official finish for the Kenny Minter Classic will be announced this week.
The Tour will take a five-week hiatus until its next event, The Revolutionary 99, on Saturday, Juy 6 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC. The night’s racing program will include 99 laps for the SMART Modifieds, as well as the Carolina Crate Modified Series and Mini-Stocks.
As a whole, SMART fans will be treated to 15 races at 13 different facilities in the tri-state region of North Carolina, South Carolina and 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.
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- X: @shorttracklife_
SMART Modified Tour Race #7
Official Race Results for the Kenny Minter Classic- 5/24/2024
Franklin County Speedway- Callaway, VA- 0.375 mile
Race Length: 110L- 41.25 M- 66.38 KM
Fin Str Car Driver Sponsors
1 4 23 Carson Loftin L&R Transmissions/LeBleu Water
2 3 7va Luke Baldwin Pace-O-Matic
3 7 24 Danny Bohn Ameri-Fast Supply
4 6 02 Joey Coulter SRI Performance/TORCH Eyewear
5 5 2 Ryan Newman SHITI Coolers/Aggressive Hyrdraulics
6 19 25 Tom Buzze MarkIII Financial /UNITS Moving
7 2 04 Brandon Ward KevinSaysYes.com/Q104.1
8 12 4 Jason Myers Greg Butcher Trucking
9 18 97 Patrick Staropoli Drive to Fight Blindness
10 15 06ma Sammy Rameau New England Truck Design
11 20 18 Daniel Yates Yates Grading & Paving
12 16 12pa Jake Crum All-American Roofing
13 8 1 Burt Myers Citrusafe Grill Cleaners
14 10 15 Brian Loftin Steves Tires & Automotive
15 17 16 Jonathan Cash Pace-O-Matic
16 14 99 Jimmy Blewett Clarence's Steak House
17 11 79 Anthony Bello SunDrop
18 1 77 Ryan Preece CURB Records
19 21 21 Jimmy Wallace Carolina Drilling
20 9 48 Jonny Kievman A-Best Forklift /Viper Graphics
21 13 45 Gary Young Jr. Ideal Comfort Heating & Air
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 for the SMART Tour 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 15-race schedule in 2024.
This year will mark the fourth full-season of SMART Modified Tour racing since its return. 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, Kansas, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming, 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.
