Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – Fresh off his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win at New Smyrna Speedway Ron Silk made it two in a row as he won Monday night’s 50 lapper at the central Florida oval. Following a re-draw of the top three qualifiers Silk started fourth behind Anthony Nocella, Patrick Emerling and Ron Williams. Emerling jumped out to take the lead at the start with Silk slipping into the second spot. Tommy Catalano brought out the first caution when he spun in turn four. Silk took the lead on the restart and never looked back.
The second caution flew on lap 14 for Tom Martino who spun in turn two. Ryan Preece was making his presence known as he passed Matt Hirschman for fifth spot on lap18. The third caution flew on lap23 when Trevor Catalano spun in turn three. Silk again led the restart with Williams, second and Emerling, third. Preece passed Emerling on lap 32. By lap 37 Silk was on cruise control with Williams, second. Preece moved into the second spot on lap 39 but was unable to close on Williams who ran the closing laps without a challenge. Preece settled for the runner-up spot with Williams, third. Emerling and Hirschman rounded out the top five. Sixth thru tenth included Nocella, Teddy Hodgdon, Anthony Bello, Eric Goodale and Cam McDermot.
Monday’s Pro Late Model feature was shortened to 20 laps as rain fell upon New Smyrna Speedway shortly past the halfway point. More importantly for Dawson Sutton, the rain arrived just two laps after he passed Jimmy Renfrew for the top spot, allowing him to claim his third consecutive win in the division. Monday’s rainfall also scratched the Florida Modified feature scheduled for the evening. 602 Modifieds started Monday’s program, with Bobby Jones taking the checkered flag.
Tuesday night at New Smyrna ended up being a late night as the Clyde Hart 200 for the ASA Super Late Models took center stage. The ASA event drew a full house of fans but didn’t start until after 8:00pm. Bubba Pollard took the win when the checker flew after 10:30pm. Twenty-nine Tour type modifieds took to the track. Ron Silk was the top time trialer with Ron Williams, second. This was the last event of the series for Silk and his team as they would head home because of work commitments. The top seven qualifiers were inverted which placed Tedy Hogdon on the pole for the 50 lap contest. Craig Lutz would start outside pole with Anthony Noscella and Ryan Preece filing out the second row. Lutz took the lead at the drop of the green with Preece in hot pursuit.
The first caution flew on lap 11 for Joey Colter who spun after making contact with Chris Haton, Following a restart, Preece took the lead on lap 16 and never looked back. At the half way mark of the 50 lapper Preese led Lutz, Silk and Williams. The second flew on lap 37 when JR Bertuccio spun in turn 4. On the restart Preece continued to lead as Silk spun his tires and settled for the second spot. The third and final caution flew on lap 45 when Jimmy Blewett and Anthony Bello crashed in turn three. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Preece again led the restart and ran the final five laps without incident. Silk settled for second and was followed by Williams, Noscella and Matt Hirschman. Lutz finished sixth and was followed by Eric Goodale, Hogdon, Patrick Emerling and Dave Sapienza.
The John Blewett III Memorial was on tap Wednesday night at New Smyrna. Matt Hirschman, who was having a so so week got his due as he scored the win, ending a dry spell. Hirschman took the lead on lap 56 when leader Craig Lutz was blocked by a lapped car.
The Modifieds got a late start, 10:30pm because of a wreckfest on the 602 division. Ron Williams was the pole sitter but the first seven were inverted which put Jimmy Blewett on the pole for the start. Blewett took the lead as the field entered the third turn. Blewetts run ended on lap 4 when he came to a halt between turns three and four with broken rear end problems. Anthony Bello, who was running second, assumed the lead and by lap 16 had a full straight lead over Lutz. At the half way mark, Hirschman had moved into contention in third spot on Lutz’s bumper. Lutz passed Bello on lap 43 for the lead with Hirschman in tow. Lutz led until lap 56 when he was blocked by a lapped car. Hirschman went low to assume the lead. The second caution flew on lap 57 for a spin by Joey Coulter.
Hirschman led the restart and went on to record his 18th win in World Series competition. Anthony Nocella came alive in the closing stages and ended up in second spot. Lutz ended up third with Patrick Emerling and Eric Goodale rounding out the top five. Sixth thru tenth included Andrew Krause, Tommy Catalano, Bello, Ron Williams and Austin Beers.
With a poor weather forecast for Saturday, New Smyrna officials moved the Orange Blossom 100 to Thursday, meaning the 100-lap race would decide the title. In the Pro Late Model division, Jimmy Renfrew returned to victory lane for his second victory of the World Series. The opening night winner took the lead from Katie Hettinger on lap 16 and held off Hunter Wright on a series of late restarts to pick up the victory. Jack Baldwin, son of Tommy Baldwin, Jr., won Wednesday’s 602 Modified feature, the Grandpa Blewett Memorial 66. Baldwin held a 2.4 second lead over Josh Carey when the caution flew on lap 60 and the race ended six laps shy of its scheduled finish due to reaching the one hour time limit.
Matt Hirschman picked up where he left off on Wednesday night as he made it two in a row as he won the 50 lap tour type modified event at New Smyrna on Friday night. Starting fourth, Hirschman wasted little time as he was out front by lap 8, passing Patrick Emerling for the lead. Emerling would run in the runner-up spot until lap 18 when he tangled with Anthony Nocella in turn 4. Nocella was about to make a move on Emerling when Emerling went in to turns three and four a little too hot and came up and went over Nocella. Emerling was able to drive away but Nocella had to be towed off as his mount suffered severe front end damage. The only other incident in the remaining laps was a spin by Anthony Bello on lap 46. At the finish it was Hirschman taking the win over Ron Williams, Eric Goodale, Jimmy Blewett and Craig Lutz. Sixth thru tenth included Eddie McCarthy, Tommy Catalano, JR Bertuccio, Patrick Emerling and Joey Coulter.
Brent Crews closed out Super Late Model competition at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing with a walk-off win. Crews won the Orange Blossom 100 on Thursday evening, picking up both his first World Series win and the Super Late Model championship for this year’s World Series. With Saturday’s program cancelled due to a poor weather forecast, the Orange Blossom had been moved to Thursday and served as the Super Late Model finale.
The Richie Evans Memorial 100 at New Smyrna went off without a hitch. With the precision of a surgeon Matt Hirschman came from a sixth starting spot to win the event for the seventh time and with the win, also the championship for the tour type Modified division. Hirschman’s driving style is impressive to watch. He reads the track and is able to run at high speed without abusing his car or his tires. His line is quite a bit different than his competition.
Twenty four cars went to post as a packed grandstand looked on. Pole sitter Tyler Rypkema and Ron Williams led the charge to the green. Williams jumped out into the lead while Rypkema faded to fourth as Ryan Preece moved into the second spot with Craig Lutz, third. On lap four, Hirschman moved into the fourth spot. On lap 15, Hirschman moved into third spot as he passed Lutz. On lap 20, Jimmy Blewett who had been in the top five, dropped to sixth when he was passed by Eric Goodale. The event continued non-stop and on lap 33, Preece closed on Williams. Preece made his move one lap later in turn three for the lead. Hirschman followed as Williams slipped to third, then to fifth as appeared that his tires had given up.
Hirschman closed on Preece on lap 42 and made the pass for the lead in turn 3 on lap 43. At the half way mark, Hirschman was in the lead. Preece was second followed by Lutz, Goodale, Williams, Anthony Nocella and Rypkema. The first caution of the event flew on lap 55 for Tommy Catalano who spun in turn 4. All the front runners pitted for fresh tires. Hirschman led the restart. On lap58 Goodale made a pass on Preece, taking over the second spot. The second caution flew on lap 70 for Trevor Catalano who spun after his rear end locked up. Hirschman led the restart with Goodale, Lutz and Preece following. The third and final yellow was displayed on lap 87 when Andrew Krause spun in turn two. Hirschman led the restart and ran unchallenged the rest of the way to record the win. Goodale finished second. Jimmy Blewett who hit just about everything but the lottery finished third. Preece and Nocella rounded out the top five. Sixth thru tenth included Austin Beers, Tommy Catalano, Rypkema, Lutz and Williams.
In other Friday night action at New Smyrna, George Phillips closed out Pro Late Model competition at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing with a win in the Hart to Heart 100 Friday night, while Hunter Wright claimed the Pro Late Model championship. Phillips backed up his victory in Thursday night’s Pro Late Model feature by taking the win in the longest Pro Late Model feature of the week at New Smyrna. The 2023 Carolina Pro Late Model Series champion took the lead on lap five from Hudson Bulger and pulled away from the field in a race that went caution-free.
Racing was cancelled for Saturday night because of impending rain.
It’s an instant crown jewel event for Modified racing in America. The Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds will pay a minimum of $20,000 to the winner of the 125-lap event on Saturday, March 23, at South Boston Speedway in Virginia for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic. As rumblings moved through the Modified community in recent weeks, it has sparked an interest from Modified teams from north and south. The event will be a five-tire race for what will be one of the most lucrative purses of 2024. More details regarding the event will be announced soon.
“The SMART tour is very excited to create a crown jewel event at the iconic South Boston Speedway, one of the premiere racing facilities in the country. We have been working towards holding this race for a few years. and now with the extraordinary help from Senator (Bill) Stanley (VA), our primary sponsor Pace-O-Matic and some new local Virginia sponsors, we can now showcase the power, greatness and history of both Modified race cars and their drivers with this upcoming event,” said Chris Williams, Series Director. “It’s also an honor to have this race in southern Virginia, where so many great modified drivers have made their mark in racing; it is therefore both proper and fitting to name this race the ‘King of The Modifieds.”
Dating back to its inception in the late 1950s, South Boston Speedway has been an epicenter of Modified racing. And now, it will host one of the largest events in the United States for this genre of stock car racing. “We’re kicking our 2024 season off in five weeks with a brand new crown jewel. The King of the Modifieds is going to be a can’t-miss event,” said Brandon Brown, General Manager of South Boston Speedway. “Every driver and team is going to want to win this race — especially in its inaugural year. It’s going to give our fans an incredible show, and you all know what a show the SMART Modifieds put on here at South Boston Speedway. I can’t wait until race day.”
In other SMART news, 16-year old Luke Baldwin will make the step-up from 602 Crate Modified racing to compete full-time in the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic in 2024. The news came Tuesday in a social media post as SS Racing, the Modified team owned by former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler and Virginia Senator Bill Stanley, will field a 7va PSR Racing Chassis for Luke to contend for the Racing Electronics Rookie of the Year title. Also revealed in the release was that NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte will move to a part-time schedule for the SS Racing team while team mainstay Jonathan Cash moves to a full-time seat on the SMART Tour. Luke will also compete in select CARS Tour Pro Late Model races and 602 Crate Modified races with his family owned Tommy Baldwin Racing team.
Twenty-year old Jack Baldwin, announced that he will race 11 races in the SK Modified division at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. He will also make his Tour-Mod debut racing in three SMART Modified Tour events as well as the Islip 300 at New York’s Riverhead Raceway in the family’s famed black No. 7NY machine.
Last season at the Stafford Speedway, Casella Waste Systems added to their contingency program sponsorship by becoming the title sponsor of the Casella Waste Open 80. Casella Waste Systems will return to Stafford Speedway in both capacities for the 2024 season. Casella will once again sponsor the Casella Waste Open 80 set for Friday, June 7th as well as offering a weekly $125 bonus to each SK Modified® feature event second place finisher. Casella’s contingency contribution brings the SK Modified® feature second place payout up to $1,400.
The all new book, The Modified Years At Stafford, by the Grace of God and 600 hp, is gaining interest and has become a must have in race fans and competitors library. Race by Race, Year by Year, it’s all there. Read all about it! Books are now available on Amazon.com and Coastal 181 (877-907-8181 toll free) and are available thru Stafford’s web site in their store. Order yours now. Makes a great gift!
With the cooperation of the Arute family another book has been published with pictures and biographies of the 50 Greatest Drivers at Stafford.
The Stafford Motor Speedway had become the epicenter of NASCAR Modified racing in the northeast by the late 1980’s. From its dirt beginnings to its lightning-fast asphalt, Stafford had become the toughest and most gratifying track to score a victory. The Arute family which has owned and guided the destiny of the facility commissioned their thousands of loyal fans to name their favorite drivers. In alphabetical order so as not to offend anyone:
Tom Baldwin, Gene Bergin, Brett Bodine, Geoff Bodine, Ken Bouchard, Ron Bouchard, Mario “Fats” Caruso, Rene Charland, Ted Christopher, Leo Cleary, Tim Connolly, Jerry Cook, Corky Cookman, Pete Corey, Fred DeSarro, Richie Evans, Mike Ewanitsko, Ed Flemke, Sr., Jeff Fuller, Rick Fuller, Ernie Gahan, Bill Greco, Bo Gunning, Ray Hendrick, George “Moose” Hewitt, Tony Hirschman, George Janoski, Charlie Jarzombek, George Kent, Buddy Krebs, Randy LaJoie, Jan Leaty, Jerry Marquis, Mike McLaughlin, Ray Miller, Steve Park, Bob Polverari, Bob Potter, Brian Ross, John “Reggie” Ruggiero, Greg Sacks, Ollie Silva, “Wild” Bill Slater, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Stefanik, Carl “Bugsy” Stevens, George Summers, Jamie “The Jet” Tomaino, Maynard Troyer and Satch Worley.
Books are priced at $17.95 each and be purchased at the track at the Novelty Booth or at the Stafford Motor Speedway on line store. Books are also available at Amazon.com and at Coastal181 (877-907-8181).