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Martinsville, VA (March 8, 2024) – A chance to be crowned King of the Modifieds is incentive enough for most teams in America to compete in the inaugural event on Saturday, March 23, at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. Now, thanks to recent sponsorships from Dominion Energy, Vista Installations and the Stanley Law Group, the purse will increase for the crown jewel event for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.
The Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds is now one of the richest purses in Modified racing. In addition to the $20,000 first place prize, it was announced today that the second-place finisher will score $10,000. If you are one of the 36 starters for the event, you will be guaranteed to take home at least $1,200.
“I am excited to add Dominion Energy to the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds. This will make the event the true crown jewel we were hoping it would be,” said Chris Williams, Series Director for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic. Pace-O-Matic powers the series and Dominion Energy now makes this an event for the ages. We can’t thank these sponsors and Senator Stanley enough, for all they do for our series, as well as Virginia short tracks and local businesses. They have helped build this historical event at South Boston Speedway to the magnitude that it is.”
Vista Installations, a family-owned window and door installation company for more than 50 years, is one of the companies helping build the purse to its historic mark. Stanley Law Group of Virginia is the title sponsor of “The King’s Court,” which will be the area in which the winning team and the top-three finishers celebrate at the conclusion of the event.
A total of 32 cars will lock in from qualifying on Saturday, March 23, at South Boston Speedway. The tally will be made up of the top-18 in current SMART Tour points that have participated in the first two events of the season, as well as 14 other starters from time trials. That group will be lined up via their qualifying time for the starting order of the race. An additional four cars will earn their way through a last-chance race, which will bring the total to 36 starters. The series reserves the right of an optional provisional starting spot.
The schedule of the event weekend has also been released. A tech day for teams will occur on Friday, March 22. Registration will open at 10am. There will be no practice for SMART Modifieds on Friday. Race day, on Saturday, March 23, will see registration open at 7am, qualifying at approximately Noon and the Dominion Energy Last Chance Race for SMART Modifieds to begin shortly after 2pm ET.
Discounted tickets for the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds are available though the South Boston Speedway website. General admission tickets are available now for $17. That price will be $20 on race day, Saturday, March 23. Children 12 and under are free for this event. The Sentara Health Late Models and the VSP HEAT Hornets will also be in action.
In 2024, SMART fans will be treated to 15 races at 13 different facilities in the tri-state region of North and South Carolina, as well as Virginia. 15 year-old Carson Loftin won the first event of the season, the Peanut Patch 99, on Saturday, March 2, at Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina.
The season continues when the 600-horsepower Modifieds tackle the Warrior 100 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC on Sunday, March 10.
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.
Burt Myers captured the 2023 championship for the SMART Modified Tour in the season’s final race in October. The contest at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC was won by Pace-O-Matic driver Bobby Labonte. OCS will host a race with the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic on Saturday, April 6.
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 – Twitter: @shorttracklife_
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.
