Dillon Motor Speedway Fans and Competitors: 

Congratulations to the winners last night at DMS.  I hope the fans enjoyed the “Fan Appreciation Night” track owner Ron Barfield and his family put together on short notice. 

I want to apologize to the DMS fans for the decision to postpone the scheduled Southern Modified Race Tour event.   We traveled to DMS last month with a 40% chance of rain forecast but felt good about our chances to get the show in.  Rain on June 21st caused us to reschedule for last night but with a 60% chance of rain forecast and a Tropical Depression setting off the SC coast, I made the call to reschedule yet again.   Most of our teams had a 3 – 4 hour pull and with the current cost of fuel and a good chance of rain, I thought I was making the right call.  In this business you are sometimes the hero and sometimes you are the zero.   I guess I fell into the zero category last night.

The SMRT series will return to Dillon Motor Speedway at a later date that we will finalize this week.  We will let everyone know that date as soon as possible.   We are committed to bringing all race fans a quality event with a large and competitive field of cars and I pledge to do that for the DMS fans when we return.

I want to thank the Barfield family for working with the SMRT series and we look forward to a long relationship with the track and the great DMS fans.

Respectfully,
Randy Myers
Southern Modified Race Tour
 

                                   “BRIAN PACK MEMORIAL 150”

Owners and Drivers,

The loss of a friend or loved one is always hard on everyone involved, especially when it comes with no warning.  The loss of Brian Pack is tougher yet since he was a part of the “extended” family of fellow racers at Bowman Gray, the Whelen Modified Tour and as an occasional competitor with us on the Southern Modified Race Tour. 

That family, as witnessed last week with the tremendous crowds attending the Family Reception and Brian’s funeral, is after all the layers of toughness are peeled away, a caring and supportive group willing to do anything possible to help someone in a time of need.

Doug Smith from Ace Speedway called me Tuesday morning and asked about the possibility of doing something at Ace on Labor Day to honor Brian. Since Brian only raced occasionally with the SMRT tour, I wanted to clear everything with the family. I met with Julie and the boys and Gene and got their approval to move forward with the 1st Annual “Brian Pack Memorial 150”.

The Entry Form for that event is enclosed. This covers the basic purse as usual but I hope Doug and I are able to put some extras together over the next couple of weeks to really make this a special event.  We’ll look at a way to possibly sell some lap sponsors and things like that and if anyone has any suggestions on other ways to make this special, please don’t hesitate to let us know.   I understand others are working on other things like the concession stand at the Walkertown ball field so if we can do something with the race to help with that we will.

I also know that will be a busy weekend for some of you who compete on the Whelen tour making the trip to Lanier, but I appeal to each of you to at least attend this event if you should have bad luck there and can’t race with us.  And as always, come race if you can and have a good time while you are with us.  Brian always did.

Thanks,
Randy Myers
Southern Modified Race Tour

ASA SOUTHERN MODIFIED RACE TOUR RELEASES
INAUGURAL WINNERS OF THE RUSTY HARPE SPIRIT AWARD

Points for the 2007 Rusty Harpe Spirit Award have been tallied and the winners are in. The award was announced at last year’s Awards Banquet to honor the Spirit, Drive, and Determination shown by the late Rusty Harpe. The countless stories of how Rusty never turned away from a friend or fellow racer who needed help with a setup, shocks, springs or just weighing out the car have continued, even a year later. It didn’t matter what the problem was. He was there and along with all that, he made sure there was time for his family.

Rusty’s goal of Modified racing has been carried on by his Dad in the car they prepared together.  The black and blue #71 took to the track several times last year with Dean Ward behind the wheel.  Rusty would have surely been proud as Dean recorded a 7th place run in his first race.  Next came an impressive 2nd place run that nearly turned into a win, followed up by another top-five.  Three excellent showings in just three starts by the Harpe Motorsports team.  We look forward to what 2008 may hold for them.

With so many different ways to determine a winner, the ASA/SMRT Officials along with the Harpe family, came up with a point system that would value performance both on and off the track. A winner was calculated from each event in the 2007 Season as well as an overall winner gaining the most combined points. Congratulations to all the winners below who have exhibited the qualities set forth in this award and the true “Spirit” that Rusty represented.

RUSTY HARPE SPIRIT AWARD
(Combined Overall)

BRIAN KING


RUSTY HARPE SPIRIT AWARD
(Event Winners)

Race #1 Friendship Motor Speedway – Josh Nichols
Race #2 Friendship Motor Speedway – Greg Butcher
Race #3 Hickory Motor Speedway – Greg Butcher
Race #4 Friendship Motor Speedway – Jason Myers
Race #5 Franklin County Speedway – Brian King
Race #6 Friendship Motor Speedway – Scott Rigney
Race #7 Dillon Motor Speedway – Luke Fleming
Race #8 Friendship Motor Speedway – Johnny Sutton
Race #9 Franklin County Speedway – John Lain
 

                     MODIFIEDS INVADE FRANKLIN COUNTY SPEEDWAY
           2nd Annual Kenny Minter Memorial 150 Wraps Up Speedweeks 08 at FCS

(King, NC): When the cars of the ASA Southern Modified Race Tour roll off the starting line Saturday night at Franklin County Speedway in tiny Callaway, Virginia, the first real step towards independence for the Modifieds will have come full circle. This event just one year ago marked the first time the Southern Modifieds ran a Saturday night race during the summer months in well over twenty years. The signifiance of that event and the fact the cars are returning to Franklin County Speedway again this year bodes well for the future of the open-wheel division with roots back to the earliest days of sanctioned racing. But, this event has even more meaning than the future success of the division. That will come in time.

The Kenny Minter Memorial 150 honors a hometown driver who lost his life doing what he loved, driving a Modified race car. When Kenny died, life changed drastically for his family. When the current crop of drivers takes the green flag Saturday night many of his family and friends including many of the drivers in competition will remember the good side of racing, family and friends. The following story was written by Melissa Loftin, wife of Modified driver, Brian Loftin. Kenny Minter, Jr. is a crew member on the Loftin Racing Team.

                                                       It’s in the Blood

This weekend’s race at Franklin County marks the 2nd annual Kenny Minter Memorial 150. Minter was killed in a racing accident at Caraway Speedway in the 90’s. The memorial race will take place at Franklin County Motor Speedway, which was Minter’s home track. Kenny Minter was track champion and won many races there. When Minter’s son, Kenny Jr. was a little boy, he played racing with his matchbox cars on the side of the trailer at the track. Now, Kenny Jr. works full-time for Richard Childress Racing and is a crew member for Brian Loftin Racing. While Kenny Jr. threw the green flag last year, this will be the first time he has a chance at being in victory lane for his dad’s memorial race. “It means so much to me that the racing community and the promoters respected my dad enough to put on this show. I am so glad to be a part of a team that has a chance at winning this race for my dad. Not only do we have a good driver, but he’s a nice guy too. I brought my dad’s scrapbooks to the race at Dillon and it meant so much to me that Brian was interested in looking at it. I think Brian has respect for my dad because his dad raced too,” said Kenny Jr. when asked about this weekend’s events. Kenny Jr. also says that it means a lot to him to be a part of a father and son team. Bobby Loftin, Brian’s dad said, “I think Kenny looks at me and Brian and sees what it would have been like if the accident never happened. We look at Kenny like one of us, family and we hope he feels like he’s family.”

On any given day at the track, Kenny Jr. tells stories of his dad racing. “When dad first started racing, he actually hid it from his parents. He would go to the track after school and not tell anyone where he was going.  Kenny Jr. is also proud of his dad for always being a family man and putting his family in front of racing. “One time, when I was a little boy, I was in the pits. They told us I had to leave, so my dad said if I had to leave, he would leave. He told the track that this was a family sport and he wanted his family with him.” Kenny Jr. always encourages Brian Loftin to maintain the same priorities with his 3 month old boy. When asked who would win in a race between Brian Loftin and Kenny Sr., Jr. laughs and says, “It would be a great race, but my dad would win!”
When someone’s life has been cut way too short, one can’t help but wonder what his son would tell his dad if he was here to see him all grown up. Kenny Jr. simply says, “I always had dreams of racing against him, but that’s just not the cards I was dealt. I would love for him to see that I am at least working in the racing field at RCR and on the 23 modified team. But most of all, I would just want him to be proud of me.” As the #23 Brian Loftin race team fell silent to that comment, Bobby Loftin spoke up and said, “Trust me, I know for a fact as a father, your dad would be SO proud of you. Not only are you a hard worker and loyal, but just a great person as well.”
 

The Kenny Minter Memorial 150 is evidence of the impact Kenny Sr. had on the sport of racing. Not long into a conversation with Kenny Jr., anyone can tell that Kenny Minter Sr. had a more important impact on his family, especially Kenny Jr. If there is one thing he wants the racing community and fans to know about his dad, it is this: “Dad was determined. Things weren’t always easy for him. He didn’t have any hand-outs like some of the racers these days, but he worked hard. His motto was always to never, ever, give up.”
 

Rich Kuiken, Jr Aims for Rookie Title

For many, racing is part of our family heritage and for others it is just the love of the sport. For drivers like Rich Kuiken, Jr. it’s that lucky combination. Kuiken is a third generation driver from Staffordville, New Jersey looking to follow in the foot-steps of his grandfather and father.  His grandfather, Ray Kuiken raced under the name of Ray “Cook” and claimed the 1955 NASCAR Modified Track Championship at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rich, Sr. was also an accomplished racer with experience on dirt and asphalt. 

Rich, Jr. jumped right in at the early age of 6 and immediately began to show signs of things to come.  He would go on to race quarter midgets until age 12 when he moved to microsprints. Over the course of his young career, Rich would end up seeing 27 tracks in 10 states. This would only be the beginning and surely not the end. In 2006, it was time for something new. With family roots in modified racing and the abundance of modifieds in the northeast, it would seem only logical for Rich to test the waters. 

In 2006, they began with a few races on the ROC Asphalt Modified Series at Mahoning and Lancaster.  2007 saw Rich make several trips south to compete in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified tour and the ASA Southern Modified Race Tour as well as the prestigious North/South Shootout where he finished an impressive second in the non-qualifiers race. In his first trip to the lightning fast Franklin County Speedway, he qualified 6th while his second trip produced a 5th place finish.

Rich finished 18th in the 2007 ASA Southern Modified Race Tour standings while making only four starts on the nine race schedule. With a little guidance from family friend Jamie Tomaino, Rich is setting out to compete as much as possible in the ASA Southern Modified Race Tour for 2008 and has his sights set on the “Rookie of the Year” title. A freshened car, formerly “The Jets” orange and white #99; and a sponsorship package from Chad Sinon Motorsports/Joe Bertothy are all in place to aid Rich in his goals for 2008.  After race one of 2008, he sits 11th in the overall standings.

At the age of 17, Rich is preparing for the next stage of his career.  He is an Honor Student in High School and has his sights set on an Engineering Degree.  Even farther down the road, literally; Rich looks to come to the Carolina area and settle in with a NASCAR Sprint Cup or Nationwide Series team.  We wish him well!

Sources: Rich Kuiken, Sr. and www.richkuikenjr.com
 

Southern National Raceway Park to be sanctioned by ASA in 2009

Officials with the track and the ASA Southern Modified Race Tour are currently in talks to secure two dates at the speedway for the ‘09 schedule.

“BRIAN PACK MEMORIAL 150” AND “HICKORY 150”
ARE NORTH – SOUTH QUALIFIERS

(King, NC):  Officials from the North – South Shootout, the biggest Modified race in the South, and the Southern Modified Race Tour announced today that two of the premier SMRT tour events remaining in 2008 will become “Qualifying Races” for the “Shootout”. The “Shootout” is scheduled for November 7 & 8 at Concord Motorsport Park in Concord, NC.

“We are very happy to make the announcement of these events as qualifiers for the “North – South Shootout”, said shootout Owner and Promoter Charles Kepley.  The cars from the South are getting closer and closer each year to taking home the winners share of the purse.  Burt Myers came close last year falling short after a mid-race tire change upset the balance on his car but adjustments to the car on a late-race stop had Myers charging from 19th to 4th before time ran out. Myers along with several more top Southern Modified stars will be on hand for the 6th Annual running of the “Shootout”.

The inaugural “Brian Pack Memorial 150” will be held at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, NC on Labor Day, September 1st. The event will honor the memory of Pack who lost his life in a motorcycle accident on July 25th.   The event marks the second 2008 trip to the 4/10 mile track. Brian King won the first SMRT event back in May. Details of Lap Sponsors to increase the purse for the Memorial race will be announced early next week.

The SMRT series returns to Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton, NC on October 25th for the “Hickory 150”.  The 2007 SMRT race was one of the most exciting Modified races ever at a track with a history of close and competitive racing.  Seven drivers exchanged the lead ten times in the 150 lapper before Brian King prevailed.
 

Bonus Awards Announced for Inaugural Brian Pack Memorial 150

(King, NC):  C & C Racing Promotions, promoters of the 6th Annual
“North/South Shootout” announced today the addition of a special $500.00 bonus to the winner of the Inaugural “Brian Pack Memorial150” at Ace Speedway on Labor Day, September 1, 2008.  The winner of the event will receive the bonus if he competes in the “Shootout” on November 8. Should the winner of the ASA / Southern Modified Race Tour event at Ace decide not to compete in the “Shootout”, the award will go to the next highest finishing driver at Ace that competes in the “Shootout”. “Brian Pack was a special young man and his continuing support of the “North-South Shootout” over the years has been instrumental in the success of the event. We all miss him and we wanted to do something special at Ace to help honor his memory”, said C & C Racing Promotions owner, Charles Kepley.  For more info on the Shootout go to www.ccracingsouvenirs.com.

Phillip Walker from the Piedmont Racing Expo will sponsor the
Brian Pack Memorial Pole Award presented by the Piedmont Racing Expo.  The fastest qualifier will receive a beautiful plaque and $100.00 from Walker. The Piedmont Racing Expo is held annually in the Exposition Building at the NC State Fairgrounds complex in Raleigh, NC.  The Piedmont Racing Expo is scheduled for January 16 & 17, 2009 and features two big days of auctions and exhibits for the racer. For more information on the event go to www.piedmontracingexpo.com.

 Ace Speedway and the ASA / Southern Modified Race Tour have started a “Lap Leader” bonus award program for the “Brian Pack Memorial 150”. For only $100.00 someone can sponsor a designated lap during the event. That person or company will receive two admission tickets and a catered hospitality meal prior to the event. Lap 81 is available for $500.00 and half-way lap 75 is $250.00  If we are able to sell all 150 laps that will add an additional $7,500.00 to the purse as well as provide a $3,000.00 contribution from Ace Speedway to a fund chosen by the Pack family.  For more info on the "Brian Pack Memorial 150" check out www.southernmodtour.net

Special Thanks to the Brian Pack Memorial 150 Lap Sponsors below!

LAP #

SPONSORED BY

3

FARM BUREAU Ins. TERRY GAITHER

7

FRANK'S BODY SHOP

12

R H 2 WAY COMMUNICATIONS

19

HANK THOMAS PERFORMANCE

28

BRUNNHOELZL RACING

33

ZANE ANTHONY

49

SCOTT'S CUSTOM CABINETS

52

CARMEN & CLAUDIA BAKER

69

CULLER & FREEMAN ATT. @ LAW

71

CHIP & LYNN HARPE

81

SHUGART ENTERPRISES

92

BRODY JONES

99

EAST COAST FLATHEAD FORDS

101

JENNIFER GREEN & DOUG SECREST

104

KEVIN POWELL'S FOOTHILL FORD

126

HANK THOMAS PERFORMANCE