PIT BOX: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour welcomes a stacked field at New Smyrna Speedway to begin its 41st season
Adam Fenwick
(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Florida in February sounds nice, especially for competitors on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
For the fifth consecutive season, the stars and cars of NASCAR's oldest division will travel south to New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, to launch a new season of racing with the running of the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing) as part of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
The half-mile asphalt oval hosted the Modified Tour for the first time in 2022, when Matt Hirschman led 112 of 200 laps en route to an impressive victory. Ron Silk followed with back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024, and Patrick Emerling triumphed one season ago.
Tickets to Saturday's New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the first race of the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
[caption id="attachment_498683" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] For the fifth consecutive season, New Smyrna Speedway will host the Modified Tour season opener. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)[/caption]
New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at New Smyrna Speedway
The battle for the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship begins Saturday night when a stacked field of competitors take to New Smyrna Speedway for the fifth annual New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200.
Headlining the list of entries are no fewer than four Modified Tour champions. Austin Beers, the reigning and defending series champion, will look to begin his title defense in style aboard the No. 64 KLM Motorsports Modified. Four-time Tour champion Justin Bonsignore is also back in the Ken Massa Motorsports No. 51; and two-time champion Ron Silk and 2022 champion Jon McKennedy return full-time to the series after their respective hiatuses.
Joining that quartet is a full contingent of drivers looking to add their names to the list of Modified Tour champions. Among them is Matt Hirschman, who will contest the full schedule aboard the No. 60 for PeeDee Motorsports. Craig Lutz is back in the Goodie Racing No. 46 after a two-win campaign last year, and Patrick Emerling is aboard the No. 1 again this year thanks to a new partnership with USNEPower.
Tyler Rypkema is back for his second full season in the Ole Blue No. 3, and 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephen Kopcik returns for his second season in the No. 21 for team owner Thomas Wanick. Kyle Bonsignore, Tommy and Trevor Catalano and Rookie of the Year contenders Teddy Hodgdon and Mike Christopher Jr. are also entered for Saturday's race at New Smyrna.
In addition to the expected contingent of full timers, several additional familiar faces will be joining the field Saturday at New Smyrna. Headlining that list is NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, who will pilot his own No. 40 in Saturday's opener.
Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is entered in the No. 38 for PSR Racing, and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 4 Mystic Missile entry for car owner Tim Connolly.
One notable returning driver is Jimmy Blewett, who is back to compete with the Modified Tour following a recovery following an illness. He will drive the No. 2 entry fielded by Gershow Motorsports.
Carson Loftin is scheduled to pilot the No. 73 entry fielded by the Hartwig family in place of Paulie Hartwig III, who isn't yet old enough to join the Modified Tour field.
Additional entries expected for Saturday's opener include Eric Goodale, Luke Baldwin, Timmy Solomito, Andrew Krause, Dave Sapienza, Conner Jones, Jeremy Gerstner and Luke Fleming, among others.
The complete entry list for Saturday's New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 is available here.
[caption id="attachment_498687" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Ron Silk has won two of the four Modified Tour events held at New Smyrna Speedway since 2022. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)[/caption]
SCHEDULE: Saturday, Feb. 7: Practice from 1 - 2:15 p.m. ET ... Final Practice from 3 - 3:45 p.m. ET ... American Racer Pole Award qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET ... Start of the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at 7:30 p.m. ET (200 Laps / 100 Miles)
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 is limited to 32 starters including Provisional Positions.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is twelve (12) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by NASCAR Officials, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. Four (4) tires of the allotment may be used for change tires. The tire change rule is two (2) tires, per stop. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice tires during the event.