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SMART Modified Tour
The Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (SMART) Tour is a Modified stock car racing series racing in the Southeastern region of The United States. The series began in 1989, NASCAR took over the series in 2005. During its time as a NASCAR sanctioned series it followed identical regulations to the Northern NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
The series merged with the Northern Modified Tour in 2017 bringing an end to the series after almost 30 years.
The series came back in late 2020 without NASCAR sanction under the SMART Tour name and ran its first full season since 2004, in 2021 with the likes of Bobby Labonte and Ryan Preece competing, after only 4 events in 2020.
All races are broadcast live on FloRacing.
NASCAR itself has a long tradition of Modified racing in the Southeastern U.S., prior to the formation of today's Northeast-based Whelen Modified Tour in 1985. The evolution of Modified racing began in the late 1940s with the first NASCAR sanctioned race taking place at the Daytona Beach course in February, 1948. Coupes and sedans were the vehicles of choice and provided a new form of entertainment as tracks began to spring up all over the country. NASCAR Modified teams competed in championship events up and down the east coast, including stops at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Top drivers from North Carolina and Virginia, such as Ralph Brinkley, Ray Hendrick and Satch Worley, were regular NASCAR Modified competitors.
In the late 1980s, while modified racing was maintaining its popularity in the Northeast, Late Model Stock cars moved into the spotlight throughout the South. The downward slide suffered by the Southern Modifieds made many people feel that the division was fading, and quite possibly disappearing altogether from the region.
In September 1988, after a rain-out in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a group of dedicated car owners and drivers banded together and formed the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams, or S.M.A.R.T., as they became known to race fans throughout the region. The group set as its goal to strive to return Modifieds to their previous state of popularity in the South. For the next 16 years, Modified racing through the S.M.A.R.T. Tour raced at tracks throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.
The Inaugural Season included a total of six races. The schedule had two races each at North Wilkesboro and Pulaski County, and one race each at Langley and Myrtle Beach. The first race in series history was on April 9, 1989, at Langley Speedway in Hampton, VA. Eighteen modifieds entered the inaugural event. Frank Fleming's pole-winning lap of 15.990 seconds (89.660 mph) for the event was the quickest in Langley's history. Robert Jeffreys earned the honor of being the first race winner by holding off Philip Smith. At the Lowes 150 on April 15 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, driver Don Smith had to be cut from his car after crashing on the second lap. Smith had a broken left shoulder from the crash. Northern Modified superstar Jimmy Spencer won in his only career S.M.A.R.T. start after recovering from a mid-race crash to finish two car-lengths ahead of Gary Myers. The season concluded at Pulaski County Speedway on October 15. Johnny Bush grabbed his only career series victory while Philip Smith was crowned the tour's inaugural champion. In the first season there were six different winners, with no driver winning more than one event.
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SMART Modified Tour AI simulator
(@SMART Modified Tour_simulator)
SMART Modified Tour
The Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (SMART) Tour is a Modified stock car racing series racing in the Southeastern region of The United States. The series began in 1989, NASCAR took over the series in 2005. During its time as a NASCAR sanctioned series it followed identical regulations to the Northern NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
The series merged with the Northern Modified Tour in 2017 bringing an end to the series after almost 30 years.
The series came back in late 2020 without NASCAR sanction under the SMART Tour name and ran its first full season since 2004, in 2021 with the likes of Bobby Labonte and Ryan Preece competing, after only 4 events in 2020.
All races are broadcast live on FloRacing.
NASCAR itself has a long tradition of Modified racing in the Southeastern U.S., prior to the formation of today's Northeast-based Whelen Modified Tour in 1985. The evolution of Modified racing began in the late 1940s with the first NASCAR sanctioned race taking place at the Daytona Beach course in February, 1948. Coupes and sedans were the vehicles of choice and provided a new form of entertainment as tracks began to spring up all over the country. NASCAR Modified teams competed in championship events up and down the east coast, including stops at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Top drivers from North Carolina and Virginia, such as Ralph Brinkley, Ray Hendrick and Satch Worley, were regular NASCAR Modified competitors.
In the late 1980s, while modified racing was maintaining its popularity in the Northeast, Late Model Stock cars moved into the spotlight throughout the South. The downward slide suffered by the Southern Modifieds made many people feel that the division was fading, and quite possibly disappearing altogether from the region.
In September 1988, after a rain-out in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a group of dedicated car owners and drivers banded together and formed the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams, or S.M.A.R.T., as they became known to race fans throughout the region. The group set as its goal to strive to return Modifieds to their previous state of popularity in the South. For the next 16 years, Modified racing through the S.M.A.R.T. Tour raced at tracks throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.
The Inaugural Season included a total of six races. The schedule had two races each at North Wilkesboro and Pulaski County, and one race each at Langley and Myrtle Beach. The first race in series history was on April 9, 1989, at Langley Speedway in Hampton, VA. Eighteen modifieds entered the inaugural event. Frank Fleming's pole-winning lap of 15.990 seconds (89.660 mph) for the event was the quickest in Langley's history. Robert Jeffreys earned the honor of being the first race winner by holding off Philip Smith. At the Lowes 150 on April 15 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, driver Don Smith had to be cut from his car after crashing on the second lap. Smith had a broken left shoulder from the crash. Northern Modified superstar Jimmy Spencer won in his only career S.M.A.R.T. start after recovering from a mid-race crash to finish two car-lengths ahead of Gary Myers. The season concluded at Pulaski County Speedway on October 15. Johnny Bush grabbed his only career series victory while Philip Smith was crowned the tour's inaugural champion. In the first season there were six different winners, with no driver winning more than one event.