The final night of racing for the Tour Type Modified division at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway fell victim to weather Friday evening Florida.
A steady rain came into area early in the racing card and wouldn’t subside.
With the Tour Type Modified division’s five-day schedule at the World Series scheduled to end Friday, track officials made the decision not attempt to make up the week’s closing event, the Richie Evans Memorial 100.
The decision to cancel the event handed the Tour Type Modified division championship to Matt Hirschman, who won all four events run during the week.
It was the fourth Tour Type Modified division World Series title for the Northampton, Pa. driver, who also won titles in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Points will be awarded for Friday night’s feature based on qualifying results. Final points standings were not immediately available. Hirschman was the fastest in qualifying Friday.
Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y., who finished second to Hirschman in all four Tour Type Modified division events this week was second in the standings. He came into the event eight points behind Hirschman. Emerling was fifth fastest in qualifying Friday.
Eric Goodale of Riverhead, N.Y. came into the night third in the division standings. He was eighth fastest in qualifying Friday and locked into third place in the standings.
The posted purse from Friday’s event will be paid to competitors based on their qualifying positions.
Very unfortunate for such a prestigious Race… None of this was predicted weather wise but it was hot today and it is Florida… nothing you can do and even with all the track dryers at Daytona .. they also got rained out… all the buzz of what was going to happen in the 100 lapper got cold water dumped on it .. pretty cool the teams all got paid full purse based of qualifying.. Fans kinda got the short straw with only 1 Feature… Mother Nature had other ideas… lots of disappointed Fans but what can you do… maybe a Rain date for the Richie Evans 100 next year ?? or Run it early in the week ? I am sure many ideas will be tossed around.. Definitely a Race that everyone wants to see every year…Unfortunate…for all sides…
They could have raced it on Saturday , what is wrong with New Smyrna. Very BAD decision!!!
I don’t think New Smyrna generally does rain dates for the divisions in the World Series unless their is some major circumstance. Like when they gave one of the lower divisions a rain date this year since that division would not gotten to get a race in without it. The only races that probably had solid rain dates setup were likely the Whelen Modified Tour and Southern Super Series events.
Mike,
Many participants have flights booked for Saturday and would likely leave even if the race was moved to Saturday. You want to have nine car field for a 100-lap feature? It stinks, but it makes sense.
Should the Evans Memorial be considered a “prestigious race” if it doesn’t merit rescheduling?
So those that voted Hirschman would not win 5 in a row were technically correct? 😆
Anybody notice that the Tour mods were not on the schedule for Saturday?
Geeze… these NWMT teams were packed and ready to haul out Friday night after the race, to get back up NORTH to go to work on Monday. When I go to these events, I often see many of these haulers heading back north, on the road or at the rest areas.
When you are dead, you don’t know that you are dead. It is only difficult for the others. It is the same when you are stupid.
I am still amazed at how so many have no chance of a clue as to understanding what it takes to field a car and the required TEAM, and for a sanctioning body/track to put on an event.
Gee More DRIBBLE from DADUMB, who understands what he writes?
While we all know we can’t control the weather i do think you have to give the Track and Promoter some grief, you have 9 nights of racing so why do you schedule ANOTHER 100 lap race on the FINAL MOD night? Was there a contractual deal with FLO that all Features started at 7:30 everynight when pits opened at 10 am every morning, you also do not have to qualify cars every day, u can use points or speeds to set feature lineups and the biggest thing is LOOK at the Radar, know when weather will hit and ADJUST yur schedule and not drag the show along, WE as modified fans HATE SHORTENED or Cancelled races, i understand not running it Saturday but it could have been run with much better planning on FRIDAY.
Maybe they ought to consider running the 2 big races on Monday and Wednesday, using rain dates of Tuesday and Thursday. If there are no weather issues, that would make the championship deciding race on Friday more significant as well.
“why do you schedule ANOTHER 100 lap race on the FINAL MOD night”
Because it was also the pro LM’s final night, and believe it or not, the entire world does not revolve around modifieds as much as we up here think it does.
Plenty of tracks up here “stick to the schedule” in the face of weather up here too. The last NWMT sizzler, the one that was delayed to a Friday night, got rain shortened because Stafford just had to get the SKL and old fart races in before the tour race. All while it was very cold, windy and incoming rain.
You would be pretty pissed if you expected the races to start at 730 and found out they were done already because they moved them up to 5:00 and you aren’t glued to your phone to find the news.
One can certainly argue both sides. For certain, whatever you do. someone won’t like it. Just the way it goes.
First class move by the track to pay the purse out. You have to wonder if the fans that were there for the mods Friday night and had no desire to attend Saturday got their money back.
My goodness we saw 4 nights of racing, two cars dominating, some drama and thank goodness for the drama because two cars dominated.
Would there be as much hunger for a rain date without the drama? That’s
what we really wanted wasn’t it? To see the 60-14 saga climax. We know who the best two cars were we just wanted to see the final act right?
These things are always a big deal for a nano second then we move on. Hirschman wanted the race for obvious reasons but also added he couldn’t recall the race being cancelled before because of weather. Don’t count Friday as win big guy you’re better then that.
Let’s see what did we get this week? Drama…check, big race on Wednesday…check, a good idea of the pecking order going into the 2023 season…check. The ticket holder’s in Fla have a beef, the rest of us at home not so much.
You riding home now Mr Crew member reading this? Exhausted, happy to get home to your own bed with a bunch of good memories…….safe journey and thanks!
On to SMART or Richmond depending on your interest.
Doug, you are correct.. The Drama had all been built up and the Final Race . the 100 Lap Richie Evans Race was going to be the Final Act of the Play… All the Actors were ready to Deliver their Final Chapter of Speedweeks and the curtain was closed and stayed closed… I would say there was going to be quite a few restarts and lots of nerf bar action..Lots of emotions were going to come to the surface… you could just feel it in the air….No one was going to miss the last race… the buzz was evident in the grandstands and pits…It will certainly carry over to the next time the 14 and 60 share space on a racetrack… in other words ” it ain’t over ” … Please have a rain date next year for the Richie Evans Memorial 100 … It’s just the RIGHT thing to do !!
you know Richie would be there with bells on the following day to Race….