JACKSONVILLE, NC – Open wheel modifieds are set to return to New River All American Speedway for Friday night’s Milam Equipment Rentals Open Wheel Mayhem presented by Pace-O-Matic with one of the largest and most decorated fields in speedway history.
The preliminary entry list includes a former Daytona 500 winner, an 11-time Bowman Gray Stadium champion, multiple drivers who have made appearances in the national ranks of NASCAR, and standout drivers from the north. All in all, 25 drivers are poised to take one of the most challenging tracks in the Southeast.
“What I remember, three and four was kind of tricky, but we ran well there,” Southern Modified racing veteran Burt Myers, who has two recorded starts at New River, said. “I can’t remember a whole lot about it. I do remember there was some controversy the night I was there. I won the race, got the trophy and the checkered flag. An hour later, they said there was a discrepancy in the scoring and I didn’t win.”
Myers is a two-time champion of the SMART Modified Tour and most recently clinched his 11th track championship at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is one of only a handful of drivers with experience at the 4/10-mile track in Onslow County and he hopes that experience, and momentum from his dominant championship-clinching performance at the Winston-Salem track known as “The Madhouse,” will propel him to a sweep of both Friday night’s race at New River and Saturday’s race at Carteret County Speedway.
“Momentum is key,” Myers continued. “We had a great season at Bowman Gray. Didn’t just win the championship but ended up with a pole and a win in the last race. We’re excited to get the SMART Tour kicked back off. We had a little bit of bad luck this year on the tour but we’re hanging around the top-five in points and we hope we can sweep the weekend.”
Jake Crum is one of only two drivers on the entry list for the SMART Modified Tour’s Pace-O-Matic 99 who has ever won at New River. Crum’s victories came in 2007 and 2008 in the former UARA STARS Late Model Series, which shut down in 2013 and was eventually replaced by the zMAX CARS Tour.
“I think anytime you can go somewhere that you’ve won a race at, even if you don’t remember a whole lot about the racetrack, that sets you up with confidence going into that weekend,” Crum stated. “As for who won there and who hasn’t, that was a really long time ago and things have changed over the years [with perspective and technology.]”
Along with that experience, he also tested in a car prepared by Florida driver Jeremy Gerstner in recent weeks to prepare for the race – and Crum expects tire management to be crucial.
“Back in the UARA days, we ran on Goodyear tires,” Crum explained. “That, the F45 tire, and the ST2 tires the CARS Tour [was] on, those tires are much harder. These Modified tires are like gumballs. You can sit in the pits and watch the sun beat down on the tires and you can scrap the rubber off with your fingers after. It’s for sure going to be a tire conservation race, hands down.”
The softer tires of the SMART Modified Tour will face their biggest test on New River’s gritty surface which is known for maximizing tire degradation throughout any race.
“There’s no way you can run 99 qualifying laps,” Crum continued. “You can forget that. Anybody that knows anything about racing knows, you race at the beach, the asphalt just tears the tires apart. I’ll be surprised if the modifieds aren’t racing on cords by the end of the race.”
Myers and Crum will be joined by 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, who also participated in a test session in the weeks leading up to the event and echoed Crum’s sentiments about how much of a factor tire degradation will be in Friday night’s 99 lap race.
“It’s my first time here and it’s a unique racetrack,” Newman said. “It’s got some good characteristics about it that make it unique. It does wear tires and we’ve seen that here today testing and we’ll see what it’s like and how we shake out compared to everybody else when we come back. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how much it wears, it’s just a matter of how much speed you have compared to the guys around you because, when you’re managing tires, sometimes you have to go when you don’t know how much other guys are going and then they have reserves and you don’t, or vice-versa, so that’s what you have to figure out when the time comes.”
Jack and Luke Baldwin, who are the sons of 2002 Daytona 500 winning crew chief Tommy Baldwin will also be in action. Jack Baldwin is the only other driver entered who has won a race at New River, a victory that came in the Carolina Crate Modified Series race in June 2023. His younger brother, Luke Baldwin, won a SMART Modified Tour race earlier this year at South Boston Speedway.
“This track’s pretty different,” the younger Baldwin said. “This place is abrasive, old, worn out pavement. This place is a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of character. There are a lot of ways to get around this place. It’s going to be a completely different ballgame in a Tour Mod compared to a Crate Mod, but I’m really excited about it this weekend.”
Other notable drivers include Brian Loftin, Carson Loftin, Joey Coulter, Jonathan Cash, Danny Bohn, Carsten DiGiantomasso, Josh Lowder, and Jimmy Blewett. The 25-car field is one of the largest fields in New River All American Speedway history.
In addition to the SMART Modified Tour, the Carolina Crate Modified Series and the speedway’s Champ Kart division will be in action. For tickets, prices, and more information, visit newriverspeedway.com/smart.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway,check out the speedway’s website,like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebookand/orfollow @newriverswy on X(formerly known as Twitter).
SMART Modified Tour Entry List
No. – Name; Hometown; Primary Sponsor
#1 – Burt Myers; Walnut Cove, NC; Citrusafe Cleaners
#02 – Joey Coulter; Miami Springs, FL; TORCH Eyewear
#2 – Ryan Newman; South Bend, IN; sh*tI Coolers
#4 – Jason Myers; Walnut Cove, NC; Greg Butcher Trucking
#7NY – Jack Baldwin; Charlotte, NC; Pace-O-Matic
#7VA – Luke Baldwin; Mooresville, NC; Pace-O-Matic
#8 – John-Michael Shenette; Thompson, CT; Eighty-Two Services
#12 – Cody Norman; Lewisville, NC; Jerry Hunt Supercenter
#12NC – Jake Crum; Statesville, NC; Cherokee Unlimited
#15 – Brian Loftin; Lexington, NC; L&R Transmissions
#16VA – Jonathan Cash; Oxford, NC; Pace-O-Matic
#18 – Daniel Yates; Lexington, NC; Yates Grading & Paving
#21 – Dwight Sauls; Apex, NC; Randy Renfrow Racing
#21 – Jimmy Wallace; Reedy Creek, NC; Carolina Drilling
#22 – Jason Tutterow; Advance, NC; Carolina Drilling
#23 – Carson Loftin; Lexington, NC; L&R Transmissions
#24 – Danny Bohn; Freehold, NJ; AmeriFast Supply of NC
#24x – Carsten DiGiantomasso; Jackson, NJ; Nick Catone MMA & Fitness
#25 – Tom Buzze, Jr.; Statesville, NC; Mark III Financial
#27 – Blake Barney; Jackson, NJ; D-Mac Pools
#45 – Gary Young, Jr.; Burlington, NC; Ideal Comfort Heating & Air
#48 – Johnny Kay; Deerfield Beach, FL; A-Best Forklift of Millbridge
#63 – Josh Lowder; Archdale, NC; Lowder Construction
#79 – Anthony Bello; Newtown, CT; SunDrop
#99 – Jimmy Blewett; Howell, NJ; Dunleavey Trucking
