This is just the second running of the ‘King of the Modifieds’ but the SMART Modified Tour race at South Boston Speedway in Virginia has quickly become a big deal that welcomes both the series regulars and national Tour Type contingent.
For example, beyond the regulars of the southern series, this race has two-time NASCAR Modified Tour champion Ron Silk, national true outlaw legend Matt Hirschman and even Late Model Stock regular Landon Huffman.
Northern stalwarts Chris Pasteryak and Stephen Kopcik are also entered in the $20,000-to-win race.
Ryan Newman, a SMART Modified Tour championship contender, is a Daytona 500 winner who also sees this race as a big deal.
“It’s good to be king,’ so they say,” Newman said. “If you can be ‘King of the Modifieds’ when the money is on the line, which brings more competition in, then you have something to be proud of.”
Three-time SMART champion and Bowman Gray legend Burt Myers says the whole field treats this race different than most.
“It’s a crazy race because there is so much on the line and it is so prestigious that guys are driving really hard,” Myers said. “When you’ve got 35-plus cars on a four tenths of a mile racetrack and put up that kind of number for a purse guys are really getting after it. It will be the best-of-the-best in Modifieds, especially in the South, and we’ve got some northern guys coming down to run this race. This is definitely a race we want to win.”
Veteran Tour Type racer Brandon Ward has had chances to win all three Tour races to date and also the Madhouse Classic at Bowman Gray Stadium.
“We are three races into the season and all three races we’ve had cars with plenty of speed that I felt like could win.” Ward said. “Unfortunately, we had a flat tire at the Clash when we got to the lead. Florence, I felt like we had the best car there and fell out with an issue. Last week we had a great car at Caraway and ended up third and we needed that Caraway race to get a completed race with this tour car under our belt and see how the balance of the car was going to shift at the end of the race.
“I felt like that Caraway race was very important to us even though it’s a different racetrack in preparing for this race at South Boston this weekend. I feel like a couple of things we learned from there are going to carry over to South Boston and feel good about the race.”
Similarly, Newman hasn’t totally enjoyed the start to his season either.
“We have struggled (so far),” said Newman. “We have found the problem with the car, so we will need to get recalibrated quickly. But Randy and the team have been working hard. We seek redemption from getting stuffed in the wall at South Boston last year. It’s a race we want to win badly.”
King of the Modifieds Entry List
Joey Coulter
Brandon Ward
Sammy Rameau
Burt Myers
Stephen Kopcik
Ryan Newman
Slate Myers
Tom Martino Jr.
Tom Buzze
Chris Pasteryak
Jack Baldwin
Luke Baldwin
Anthony Bello
Bryce Bailey
Ron Silk
Jonathan Cash
Daniel Yates
Eddie McCarthy
Tony Hanbury
Jimmy Wallace
Jason Tutterow
Carson Loftin
Carsten DiGiantomasso
Carter McMurray
Frank Fleming
Gary Young Jr.
Johnny Kay
Jayden Harman
Jeremy Gerstner
Matt Hirschman
Paulie Hartwig III
Joey Braun
Landon Huffman
Jake Crum
Scouting reports
02 Joey Coulter Miami Springs, FL TORCH Eyewear
- Former NASCAR Trucks Series winner
- 7th in SMART points | 2-time SMART Winner
- SoBo Stats: 5 starts, 2 Top-5 finishes, Best: 3rd
04 Brandon Ward Winston-Salem, NC KevinSaysYes.com
- 6-time SMART Winner | 2023 NASCAR Modified Champ – Bowman Gray Stadium
- SoBo Stats: 24 starts, 8 Top-5 finishes, Best: 2 wins (NASCAR Mod Tour / Pro Cup)
06 Sammy Rameau Westminster, MA New England Truck Design
- SMART Winner at Motor Mile Speedway (2023)
- SoBo Stats: 1 start, Best: 15th (NWMT – 2019)
1 Burt Myers Walnut Cove, NC Pinnacle / Citrusafe
- Racing NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway next week
- 3-time SMART Champ | 12-time SMART Winner | 11-time Bowman Gray Champ
- SoBo Stats: 17 starts, Best: 1 win (2024), Never finished outside top 7
1 Stephen Kopcik Newtown, CT Paul’s Auto Center
- 17 SK Modified wins at Stafford Motor Speedway (CT)
- 2-career SMART starts | Tri-Track Modified Winner (2024)
- SoBo Stats: 1 start, Best: 27th, Started 7th in last year’s KoM race
2 Ryan Newman South Bend, IN SHITI Coolers
- Former Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 Winner
- 3rd in SMART points in 2024 | 3-time SMART Winner
- SoBo Stats: 3 starts, Best: 2nd (Oct), Finished top 5 in SRX race at SoBo
4 Slate Myers Walnut Cove, NC Bryson Bros. Aerial
- 4th generation racer from Myers family, son of Burt Myers
- 3rd in SMART points | 4-career SMART starts | Best Finish: 4th (season opener)
- SoBo Stats: 1 start, Best: 12th (Oct)
5 Tommy Buzze Maiden, NC Mark III Financial
- 33-career SMART starts | 1st start of 2025
- SoBo Stats: 5 starts, 3 top-5 finishes, Best: 2nd (2023)
5ct Chris Pasteryak Lisbon, CT Dawley’s Collision & Custom
- 2-time Modified Racing Series Champ | 13-time MRS Winner
- 2-career SMART starts | Finished 12th at season opener (Florence)
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts, Mechanical issues resulted in DNQ in 2024
7ny Jack Baldwin Mooresville, NC Mohawk Northeast
- 3rd generation racer | Son of Tommy Baldwin (Daytona 500 winning crew chief)
- 2-career SMART starts | 7-time Winner in Crate Modifieds
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
7va Luke Baldwin Mooresville, NC Pace-O-Matic
- 3rd generation racer | Son of Tommy Baldwin (Daytona 500 winning crew chief)
- Defending SMART Champion | 3-time SMART Winner | Defending KoM Winner
- SoBo Stats: 2 starts, 2 top-5 finishes, Best: Win (KoM, 2024)
9nj Tom Martino Jr. Farmingdale, NJ Martino Race Engines
- Winner in Modifieds at Wall Stadium (NJ) in 2024
- 1st career SMART start
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
12pa Anthony Bello Newtown, CT TBA
- 2-time SK Modified Winner at Stafford Motor Speedway (CT)
- 18-career SMART starts | 1st start of 2025
- SoBo Stats: 2 starts, 2 top-10 finishes, Best: 5th (KoM, 2024)
15 Bryce Bailey Waverly, NY K2 BBQ Sauces
- Driver for famous Shady Grady Racing team
- 5-career SMART starts | Fast-time qualifier in season opener (Florence)
- SoBo Stats: 1 start, Best: 30th (KoM, 2024)
16 Ron Silk Norwalk, CT Future Homes
- 2-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champ | 26-time NWMT Winner
- 1st career SMART start
- SoBo Stats: 1 start, 1 top-5 finish, Best: Win (2019, NWMT)
16va Jonathan Cash Oxford, NC Pace-O-Matic
- 10th in SMART points | 23-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 7 starts, 2 top-5 finishes, Best: 4th (2x)
18 Daniel Yates Lexington, NC Yates Grading & Paving
- 9th in SMART points | 30-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 5 starts, Best: 10th (October 2024)
20 Eddie McCarthy Brick, NJ McCarthy’s Marine
- 2-time Winner at Wall Stadium (NJ) in 2024
- 1st career SMART start
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
20 Tony Hanbury Oswego, NY Jerry Gradl Motors
- 2-time RoC Modified Series Champ | 6-time RoC Winner
- 1st career SMART start | 1 RoC Sportsman Win in 2024
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
21 Jimmy Wallace Reedy Creek, NC Carolina Drilling
- 48-career SMART starts | 8th in KoM in 2024
- SoBo Stats: 6 starts, Best: 7th (2021)
22 Jason Tutterow Advance, NC Carolina Drilling
- Former Southeast Limited Late Model Winner
- 16-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 3 starts, Best: 9th (KoM, 2024)
23 Carson Loftin Lexington, NC LeBleu Water
- 5 SMART Wins in 2024
- 30-career SMART starts | 4th in CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Opener in 2025
- SoBo Stats: 4 starts, 1 top-5 finishes, Best: 2nd (2023)
33 Carsten DiGiantomasso Jackson, NJ TBA
- 2-time Winner at Wall Stadium (NJ) in 2024, including Garden State Classic
- 2-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
40 Carter McMurray Mooresville, NC Bass Pro Shops
- Son of former Daytona 500 winner, Jamie McMurray
- 5th in SMART points | 2-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
45 Gary Young, Jr. Burlington, NC Ideal Comfort Heating & Air
- Former Ace Speedway Modified Champ
- 23-career SMART starts | 1st start in 2025
- SoBo Stats: 5 starts, Best: 19th (2x)
48 Jonny Kievman Deerfield Beach, FL A-Best Forklift
- Former Florida Late Model Winner
- 27-career SMART starts | Bell Helmets Stage Winner at most recent SMART race
- SoBo Stats: 4 starts, Best: 13th (2012)
51 Jayden Harman Sugarloaf, PA K.D. Wolfe Trucking
- 10th in RoC Modified Series points in 2024
- 2-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 1 start, Best: 10th (2024)
55 Jeremy Gertsner Wesley Chapel, FL Cherokee Underground
- 6-time Tour-Type Modified Winner
- 36-career SMART starts | 1st start of 2025
- SoBo Stats: 9 starts, 4 top-10 finishes, Best: 5th (2015)
60 Matt Hirschman Northampton, PA Colyer Trucking
- Nearly 150 Tour-Type Modified Series Wins
- 9-time SMART Winner | 18-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 2 starts, 2 top-5 finishes, Best: Win (2022), 2nd (KoM, 2024)
73 Paulie Hartwig, III Galloway, NJ Jersey Shore Contracting
- 4 Wins (dirt) in 2025 | 2nd in most recent SMART race (Anderson)
- 4th in SMART points | 3-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
79 Joey Braun Manorville, NY Highmark Building Efficiency
- 17 Legend Cars Wins at Riverhead Raceway (NY)
- 8th in SMART points | 2-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 0 starts
98 Landon Huffman Claremont, NC Shamrock Motorsports
- Former Hickory Motor Speedway (NC) Late Model Stock Car Champ
- 3-career SMART starts | 6th in most recent SMART Modified race (Anderson)
- SoBo Stats: 5 starts, Best: 6th (CARS Tour, LMSC)
99 Jake Crum Statesville, NC Mount Airy Toyota
- Driver for owner, Jamie Tomaino (former NWMT Champ)
- SMART Point Leader | 15-career SMART starts
- SoBo Stats: 5 starts, 5 top-10 finishes, Best: 3rd (2024)
