Loftin among winners at Tri-County; pair of teens finish 1st at HMS
Carson Loftin (right) receives his trophy from SMART Modified Tour director Chris Williams after winning the Freeman Hoosier 99 at Tri-County Speedway in Hudson on Oct. 9.
Hurricane Isaias caused a couple of local racing events to take place a night earlier than scheduled last weekend, with both Tri-County Speedway in Hudson and Hickory Motor Speedway hosting races on Friday, Oct. 9.
Here’s a look at how things turned out at both tracks ...
Tri-County Speedway
The SMART Modified Tour invaded Tri-County for its next-to-last event of the season, with four drivers — Ryan Newman, Jake Crum, Danny Bohn, and Brandon Ward — entering the night tied for first place in the points standings. Additionally, Burt Myers came in just 10 points back in fifth place.
Newman won the pole for the Freeman Hoosier 99 and took the early lead, but after a caution on the eighth lap, Carson Loftin passed Newman for the top spot on the 12th lap. Loftin remained in front the rest of the race, while Cayden Lapcevich was the runner-up, Luke Baldwin finished third after posting a 22nd-place finish in the NASCAR Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier in the evening, Carter McMurray came in fourth, and Bohn took fifth.
The rest of the top 10, in order, consisted of Crum, Myers, Newman, Joey Coulter IV, and Jack Baldwin. Meanwhile, Ward settled for a 12th-place finish.
North Wilkesboro Speedway will be the site of the final SMART Modified Tour race tonight (Saturday, Oct. 17).
Landon Huffman only led the final few feet to win the 60-lap Late Model feature. Hudson Sharp led most of the way, battling with Huffman door-to-door the final 30 laps. Coming out of turn four on the last lap, Huffman moved Sharp up the track to take the victory.
In victory lane, Sharp’s car owner, Lee Faulk, had words with Huffman, who had the following to say during a postrace interview: “Sharp kept taking my line away every time I had a run. I felt like we had the best car here, and I did what I had to do to get the victory. I know they are mad and I would be too, but that’s just racing.”
John Reynolds (fourth from left) finished first in the Street Stock division at Tri-County Speedway on Oct. 9.
In other action, Walter Jenkins IV finished ahead of Chase Pollard and Jackson Tovo to win the 40-lap Limited Late Model race, John Reynolds took the checkered flag in the Street Stock division after leading all 30 laps — Mike Hatton came in second, Gary Aldrich finished third, Terrence Tucker took fourth, and Kyle Jenkins rounded out the top five — and Klint Townsend was victorious in the 20-lap Renegade feature after trading the lead with Kyle Dubeau several times.
Klint Townsend (left) took the checkered flag in the Renegade feature at Tri-County Speedway on Oct. 9.
Marlin Gunter finished third in the aforementioned Renegade race, while Chris Branch took fourth, Michael Waldrop came in fifth, and Travis Cook finished sixth in a rare driving appearance. Cook is the crew chief for his son, Jordan Cook, and he also helps Reynolds with his cars.
Finally, Allison Houston overcame an illness to win the Carolina Mini Stock feature, Michael Cross was the winner of the FWD race, and Dominic Morlando finished first in the Crown Vic feature.
Tri-County will complete its 2026 slate with events on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31.
Hickory Motor Speedway
Four divisions of racing were held on Oct. 9 at Hickory Motor Speedway, where the main attraction was a 125-lap Limited Late Model race that paid the winner $3,000.
Twenty-one teams showed up, all trying to collect a big payday, with 16-year-old Gavin Gleitsman ultimately emerging victorious in his first-ever start on an oval track. The rest of the top five, in order, included Thomas Beane, Akinori Ogata, Brett Suggs, and DJ Canipe.
The Carolina Pro Late Model Series (CPLMS) also had a first-time winner. Driving for Setzer Racing and Development, Theo Salomao took the checkered flag in the 100-lap feature. The 14-year-old Brazilian made CPLMS history by becoming the first driver in series history to win in their first race, while Hudson Canipe finished second and Blake Jones was third.
Michael Bumgarner won the postponed Super Truck season finale, taking the pole and leading all 50 laps but having to fight off challenges from second-place finisher Josh Goble the entire way. Bumgarner was also crowned points champion of the Super Truck division.
In the 25-lap Baby Grand race, Jake Tretow finished ahead of Justin Gareis to earn the victory.
Hickory Motor Speedway will cap its 2026 season with the annual Fall Brawl on Nov. 7.
