The SMART Modified Tour (Presente by Pace-O-Matic) came down to 99 laps at Motor Mile Speedway. This race was supposed to be leading up to the championship as originally scheduled on October 1st. Weather issues forced a call to postpone so the “Radford 99” became the SMART season finale.

Paul Radford – The Ferrum Flash

The namesake of the race, Paul Radford (winner, driver, modified “legend”) was on hand with one of his cars. He earned the nickname “Ferrum Flash” with a string of wins and races around the region.

Coming into the weekend, the top three in SMART Tour points were Caleb Heady, Bobby Labonte and Brandon Ward. However, it would take a stack of situations to take the championship from Heady. Oddly enough, that almost came into play.

Qualifying put Brandon Ward on the pole. Brian Loftin and Burt Myers qualified into the top three. The drama for Heady was put off a bit as Burt Myers appealed off a one race suspension. That could come back to bite him in the 2023 season as he was allowed in at Motor Mile. That just added to competition for Heady.

It went further off the mark as Heady’s car lost the drive shaft early on and put him in the infield for the remainder of the race. Points were still being counted as race positions changed and the race went forward. Brandon Ward took advantage of team strategy and drove to a repeat series win at Motor Mile. Bobby Labonte drove to fourth but the points still fell in Heady’s favor for the championship. Ward and Labonte finished the season in the second and third slots.

The owner points fell much the same with Caleb Heady’s car owner, Tommy Baldwin Jr, taking the overall. Randy Renfrow (Ward) and Terry Hall (Labonte) shared the same slots as the drivers.

Racing on the modified circuit is not over with the SMART Tour finale. This week, the Whelen Modifieds are in the national spotlight from Martinsville Speedway. The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 is set for Thursday evening (Oct 27) as part of the “Final 4” NASCAR Cup elimination weekend at Martinsville.

Radford 99 / SMART Modified Tour Championship – Motor Mile Speedway (Oct 22, 2022)
Photos: Mike Paris / DoS Images

A little luck and some lap traffic brought a come back win to Justin Bonsignore Friday evening at Richmond Raceway.

The Whelen Modified Tour ran at Richmond on April 1st, 2022 following the season opener at New Smyrna, Florida. A mechanical issue put Bonsignore off the race to finish last in Florida. The win at Richmond brought back some of the form for the three-time series champion.

Justin won the pole and ran well but it was Tommy Catalano that raised the pressure with a fast car and first position as the race came into the later laps. Slower traffic put Catalano off the pace which allowed Bonsignore to get back up and in position. Catalano spun slightly and with 10 to go, allowing Bonsignore to get by and lead to the finish.

Top Five at the Whelen Modified – Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150

  1. Justin Bonsignore
  2. Tommy Catalono
  3. Chuck Hossfeld
  4. Kyle Ebersole
  5. Tyler Rypkema

Dominion Raceway… Usually it’s just a bit out of our radius but circumstances put us in Northern Virginia with a little time to make an introduction. Short notice “Thank You” to the staff and crew at Dominion and Dinah Mullins for opening the gates to the activities.

This place is more than a race track. The full name is Dominion Raceway & Entertainment. The “race way” portion also doubles up with a 4/10 mile oval and a road course. The oval features NASCAR sanctioned racing with points in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, Modified, Sportsman, UCars, Mod-4 and more. The oval and grandstands are surrounded by the road course drawing club racing, driver training, “drive your own” and more. It is a “car culture” destination right off of I-95 between Richmond and Washington, DC.

Racing isn’t all there is. The “entertainment” goes beyond the speed of racing action as there is staging and rigs for concerts and live performances both inside and out. There is food and drink in a dedicated serve and dine area with options for rentals and private parties.

Dominion is more than racing. Check their website for upcoming shows, racing and info on how you can make some hot laps with your car.

For the racing, the Saturday evening Community Bank Night at the Races of June 26 brought a good show. The NAAPWS Late Models were first off the checkers for race 1 of 2 60 lap runs with a 17 car field. There was a bit of a surprise to see Peyton Sellers with his Clarence’s Steak House / Danville Toyota #26 on the grid and on the pole. Sellers was a bit north of his usual place of business at South Boston. He put the field behind him for the win in race 1 and came up from mid-pack in race 2 later in the night to sweep the Late Models.
Race 1 Top 3: 1st-Peyton Sellers (26) 2nd-John Goin (90) 3rd-Mason Bailey (05)
Race 2 Top 3: 1st-Peyton Sellers (26) 2nd-John Goin (90) 3rd-Conner Jones (14J)

Dominion Stocks ran hard with changes in position and challenges for the lead. Like the late Models, the DomStocks were swept by one driver. The #33 with Dan Rogers at the wheel took home a double with wins in both events.
Race 1 Top 3: 1st-Dan Rogers (33) 2nd-Richard Powers (57) 3rd-Gary Burke (4)
Race 2 Top 3: 1st-Dan Rogers (33) 2nd-Richard Powers (57) 3rd-Carson Higgs (46)

The UCARS put on a chase for the lead with a 3rd row starter coming to the front for the win.
1st-Cameron Ruggles (40) 2nd-Blane Schumann (32) 3rd-Mike Chapman (07)

Modifieds took the green with Wayne Hartley (37) on the pole but as the race moved forward he fell back to finish 4th. The lead was challenged and taken early by the #8 of Mike Rudy but later taken for the win by the #20 with Chris Humblet at the wheel. The purple Humblet cars took the 1st and 3rd slots.
1st-Chris Humblet (20) 2nd-Mike Rudy (8) 3rd-Jimmy Humblet (11)

The Mini-Cups… OK… This was a new one, for us, anyway. This was a fun to watch, fast batch of itty-bitty go-kart type chassis with stock car bodies over the top. It was as if the drivers put on the car like a driver suit rather than got in it. Either way, it was a cool thing to see. Tyler Warner started on the pole and kept the #12 up front for the win.
1st-Tyler Warriner (12) 2nd-Travis Shepherd (44) 3rd-Fred Daniels (6)

The “Any Car” brought the variety of practically anything. CJ Terczak quickly took the front with a Mazda (51) that was body modified to look like, in our mind, a BMW Z3 Coupe. The V8 field was won by Cam Hensley (55).

The first visit to Dominion Raceway was full of good racing, a wide variety and many options in the future for driving, music and a variety of options for entertainment. If you are into speed and fun, check it out. You might want to avoid I-95 and just cruise on Highway 1. The scenery is better and the traffic actually moves.

The Photo Gallery from Community Bank Night at Dominion Raceway is below!