Danny Bohn scored the win after a late race green-white-checkered in an exciting return of the SMART Tour to Wake County Speedway in the Capital Autogroup ModSquad 199, marking Bonn’s third win out of six races.
In the 100 lapper, Bohn would started fifth and fell back to as low as ninth early in the running. He methodically made his way to the front, and with 21 l to go, lined up on the front row against Carter McMurray. From there, it was his race to lose.
“I kind of knew we weren’t going to pit,” said Bohn.
“When those guys were running really hard early, I just kind of saved my tires. I got bounced around quite a bit. If I had all four tires straight at the end, I think it would have been a good night. But, you know, I managed my tires early, and then when it was time to go, we went. You know, just a cool racetrack, a lot of contact.”
Bohn would have to defend himself one more time, as the yellow flag flew on the white flag lap, setting up a green-white checkered finish scenario.
“It was kind of weird,” he added. “Like, I thought we got the checkered, or should have gotten the checkered, and then we had a three-way checkered again, but it all worked out. It’s cool to win three out of six, and like I said, just a really cool facility. A neat racetrack, a lot of fans, so thank everybody for coming out and putting it on for us.”
Bohn spoke on the little bit of contact he and Joey Coulter shared out of turn four on the final lap as well while fighting for the win.
“I mean, take that, the last couple laps. I think it was pretty good. I mean, Joey got a real good restart there, and I did run him up a little bit, but I don’t think he would have done anything different for the win there. And as I said, I feel like we should have won it two laps before that. So, yeah, just, you know, obviously, there was quite a few wrecks, and it’s tough to see, like, all those wrecks off of two. My spotter couldn’t see him.”
A local name to Wake County Speedway, Carson Haislip started m on the pole in his debut race in a SMART Modified, with 15-year-old Carter McMurray lining up on his outside. At the drop of the green, McMurray took the lead, and Joey Braun, who started fourth, took advantage as well, sending Haislip back to third. Braun lead lap two, getting past McMurray, and then lead comfortably until Lap 21, when the caution came out for a wreck that stemmed from contact between Brandon Ward and Will Lambros. Slate Myers, Jack Baldwin, Jonathan Cash, and Sean McElearney were also involved.
Braun claimed the win for stage 1, with McMurray and Luke Baldwin finishing second and third.
At the start of stage 2, McMurray was slow off the start, allowing Joey Braun to clear ahead and Luke Baldwin to move into second place. Baldwin assumed the lead on Lap 42 after some assistance from McMurray. The third caution of the race arrived on lap 55, as Slate Myers and Jimmy Wallace stopped in one and two after contact on entry to the corner.
Baldwin held the lead on the restart as Braun fell back into second, with Will Lambros able to make the pass on Haislip for fourth, and then third on Lap 61. McMurray took the lead away from Baldwin after some persistence on lap 65, which opened the floodgates as Lambros and Baldwin made contact, spinning Baldwin for the fourth caution of the night.
This promoted McMurray and Haislip to the front row, with Bohn and Coulter lining up on the second row. On the restart, McMurray solidified the lead, with Bohn being able to pass Haislip for second and set his sights on McMurray. Coulter then got past Haislip on lap 73.
The yellow flag waved yet again on lap 78 for contact between Burt Myers and Jake Crum that sent Crum spinning up the track. Crum made nose-to-nose contact with Myers under the caution to show his displeasure. In the ensuing restart, Danny Bohn was able to wrestle the top spot from McMurray. Contact between McMurray and Coulter on lap 81 would send McMurray sliding down the track, with Luke Baldwin, Slate Myers, and Jonathan Cash getting involved after attempting to avoid the wreck.
Bohn and Coulter lined up on the front row with 18 laps to go on this restart, with Ryan Newman and Max Handley making up the second row. Bohn continued to hold his ground and took the lead as Coulter would fell to second, with Newman, Handley, and Lambros squabbling for third position. On lap 90, Newman took away third place from Max Handley to set his sights on the two leaders.
Bohn maintained a comfortable gap all the way up to the white flag lap, until the yellow was thrown just before he crossed the line. Lambros spun in turn 2, and this set up a green-white-checkered finish. Bohn and Coulter would once more line up on the front row, with Newman and Handley on the second row. Bohn got a great launch and so did Coulter, but Bohn defended hard to take the win, and Newman just barely beat Coulter to the line to take second place.
Newman was well content with a good points day, even if it wasnt the win.
“A good first race for the SMART Tour, I thought, at Wake County Speedway. Thanks to Capital Auto Group for all they did to put this race on, all the fans for coming out, and Flo Racing for putting it on TV for everybody to see. We came up one spot short. I could’ve shoved Danny down into turn 3 or knocked him sideways to have a better shot at the win, but that’s not how I race. I race clean, race hard, and Danny races me the same way. Congratulations to him and his team. We gotta work a little harder,” Newman told Flo Racing.
Joey Coulter felt no hard feelings on the contact between him and Bohn while fighting for the lead on his way to a top 3 finish.
“We had to line up again, which I didn’t think we were getting another shot. He didn’t think we were getting another shot. So, I mean, honestly, he was going to do whatever he needed to do because he felt like he already won the race, and I knew that was coming. But the thing is, nothing he did was dirty. There wasn’t anything I was trying to do that was dirty. We’re racing for the win. That’s what it’s all about. I wasn’t going to settle for second. He wasn’t going to settle for second. Newman wasn’t going to settle for second. So, just good hard racing, and it’s fun, man. This series, you don’t see this diversity of talent and experience and respect, really.”
The SMART Modified Tour Season rolls into Franklin County Speedway on May 29th.
Capital Autogroup Modsquad 199
Wake County Speedway
April 25 2026
- Danny Bohn
- Ryan Newman
- Joey Coulter
- Carter McMurray
- Max Handley
- Burt Myers
- Luke Baldwin
- Slate Myers
- Jimmy Wallace
- Jonathan Cash
- Will Lambros
- Carson Haislip
- Jake Crum
- Joey Braun
- Jack Baldwin
- Austin McDaniel
- Max Handley
- Daniel Yates
- Brandon Ward
- Sean McElearney
- Jason Tutterow
