Jame Crum dominated in the first SMART Modified race at Pulaski Motorsports Park in three years to score his second win of the season.
Burt Myers started the race on pole, but Crum was able to take the lead on lap ten. He led until a caution with 56 laps to go for James Cevali spinning in turn one. Crum pitted along with most of the field for their tire change, but Myers and a few others stayed out to gain track position.
Myers led from the restart, but Crum was able to get past the rest of the field quickly, and with 40 laps to go he took the lead from Myers, a lead he would never relinquish. It’s his second win on the season, the first one coming at another track in Virginia, Franklin County.
“I thought that the first one was never going to come,” Crum said in victory lane on FloRacing. “I’ve always heard as soon as one comes, more is going to come behind it. So we’ve had the speed everywhere we’ve been, especially after the win. We’ve had a lot of speed, and everybody knows it, and that’s why they just raced me that much harder. So I don’t want them to give me anything.
“I do wish that we could have raced against Emerling and Bonsignore, you know, because I know they’re two of the best on the NASCAR WHELEN tour. But nonetheless, just what a great day. All the rain, [thanks] all the fans are sticking out. I would have probably been at home watching it on TV if it was raining and I was nearby. But a huge shout-out to just everybody that makes this possible. Justin Link, he’s the best, and everybody knows it. And I’m just lucky enough to get to drive this thing.”
Crum knew that as long as the race stayed green, he would be in the spot to win, but he would have to get to the front and stay in front of Ryan Newman.
“Yeah, I mean, honestly, we really didn’t know whether to pit or not,” Crum said. “But the way the race was going, it looked like it was going to go green if it got separated, so I chose to come, and when I looked up and seen Burt peeled off, I was like, ‘we’re in trouble’ But then I seen everybody come and left him hanging, so we for sure made the right call, but back to your question, as far as charging to the front, track position’s key, and that’s why Ryan was racing me so hard to try to get by me, so just had to get out in front of him and never look in the mirror,”
Newman finished runner-up beyond Crum less than half a second back, but was never able to mount a charge to get to Crums bumper, and Cayden Lapcevich rounded out the Podium.
the next race for the SMART Tour is in one month’s time at Carteret County Speedway on September 5.
The full results can be viewed below.
SMART Modified Tour
Pulaski Motorsports Park
August 7, 2026
1. 1C Jake Crum
2. 2 Ryan Newman
3. 13 Cayden Lapcevich
4. 7V Luke Baldim
5. 40 Carter McMurray
6. 17 Patrick Emerling
7. 04 Brandon Ward
8. 15 Sean McElearney
9. 25 Danny Bohn
10. 02 Joey Coulter
11. 79 James Civali
12. 16V Jamie McMurray
13. 24 Joey Braun
14. 39 Jimmy Blewett
15. 77 William Lambros
16. 1 Burth Myers
17. 21 Jimmy Wallace
18. 33 Carsten DiGiantomasso
19. 7N Jack Baldwin
20. 51 Justin Bonsignore
21. 3 Tristan Bruce
