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(South Boston) Can Carson Loftin win again? That is the question as the SMART Modified drivers and teams prepare for the ‘King of the Modifieds’ event on Saturday at South Boston Speedway.
So far this season the 15-year-old driver has been up to the task as he captured the checkered flag at both Florence and Caraway. Loftin is only the 4th driver in series history to win the first two events of a season.
“That really means a lot to me,” Loftin said. “The competition level right now is prime in southern modified racing. It is really cool to see and be part of it.”
“My ultimate goal was to win one race…maybe two but to get that(win) out of the way this early in the season means a lot.”
Now comes a tougher test in the 125- lap, $20,000 to win race that has attracted drivers up and down the East Coast on the entry list hoping to be crowned a champion in the richest race in SMART Tour history.
“I feel like we have a really good race car right now. We just need to keep this momentum up,”
Loftin added. “South Boston is one of my favorite tracks. Hopefully, we will have some speed in the car. We are going in with an open mindset and try to three- peat.”
Defending SMART modified tour champion Burt Myers is another driver who is excited about this race.
“This place (SoBo) has so much grip,” Myers said recently. “It is a little different than most places we run. At South Boston it is more about trying to find all the speed you can
and a good balance with your car.”
Myers had some advice for fans thinking about buying a ticket to this event
“If you don’t, you don’t know what you are missing. Modifieds in general, especially at a track like this (SoBo) and with the high car count. The who’s who of modified racing will be here for this event.
The 2nd place man in 2023 points Brandon Ward knows that he and his team will need to bring their A- game on Saturday but he is ready for the challenge.
“It is going to be tough for sure,” Ward said. “I always look forward to racing at South Boston Speedway. It is one of my favorite racetracks and it has been for years. To race in a race this prestigious and paying so much money. It should be a lot of fun.”
The entry list features several drivers from North of the Mason Dixon line including Matt Hirschman, Doug Coby, Woody Pitkat and Jimmy Blewett.
Matt Hirschman has won nine times in fifteen starts since the SMART tour’s re-birth in 2020. This year luck has not been kind to the Pennsylvania driver in his two starts but he has had plenty of speed.
Doug Coby, a six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Champion, is set to make his Smart debut in a car fielded by Tommy Baldwin Racing. The Connecticut driver rarely ventures outside of New England to compete but will be heading to Virginia for this race.
Woody Pitkat, a multi-time winner at Stafford Motor Speedway will be chasing the top prize this weekend driving the Doug Dunleavy owned car at South Boston. He is joined on the entry list by New Jersey driver, Jimmy Blewitt, who will be driving his family-owned car.
Blewitt competed in a car owned by Jamie Tomaino in the first two races this season and got 2 top -10 finishes. The car will be driven at South Boston by 2022 Series Champion Caleb Heady.
In addition to Burt Myers and Brandon Ward, other Southern drivers to watch in this race are Ryan Newman, Carson Loftin, Joey Coulter and Luke Baldwin
Ryan Newman will be making his 1st modified start at South Boston. To date this season Newman has a 2nd and 3rd place run for his new ride at Coulter Motorsports and he expects to be a strong contender for the win after recently testing at the track.
No driver comes into this race with more confidence than Carson Loftin after 2 wins and the strong performance he had in a SMART race at South Boston last fall before finishing 2nd to Andy Jankowiak.
Newmans’s teammate, Joey Coulter, figures to be a player at South Boston on the heels of strong runs in the past at this track and two top -10’s finishes to start the season in SMART competition.
Youngster Luke Baldwin has a 5th and 7th place finish to date in his new ride at Sadler- Stanley Racing in 2024. With his experience gained in those two events and the importance his team will place on running well at a “hometown” track, expect good results.
In all thirty-three drivers are on the pre-entry list (see below) at this time and the race has a Sunday rain date if needed.
Joining the card this weekend at South Boston will be the Senterra Late Model Stocks for a 100-lap feature and the VSP Hornets will race for 20 laps.
Good car counts are expected for both of these races including 20-25 entries for the Late Model event.
Advanced tickets are priced at $17 each. Tickets may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com or by calling the office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540.
Tickets at the gate on race day will be $20 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers and students (with id) will remain $17.
The URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day event schedule has practice running from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. Qualifying begins at 11:45 a.m., a driver autograph session is set for 1:15 p.m. and the first race of the day is set to get the green at 3 p.m.
If you can’t make it to the track the races will be streamed live on FloRacing.
King of the Modifieds Entry List as of 3/20/2024
