Ryan Newman has won a lot. The Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, and a host of open-wheel USAC events are just part of his racing resume, but he’s never been a King.

The 46 year-old driver from South Bend, Indiana, is trying to change that this weekend during the second annual King of the Modifieds at South Boston Speedway in Virginia.

During the royalty-laden victory lane ceremonies for the SoBo event, the winner wears a crown and dons a cloak only fit for a king… something Newman has also never done in his career, or, as he reminded us, “Not yet.”

Newman is vying for a championship this year with the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic. Veteran NASCAR wrench Randy Renfrow leads Newman’s SHITI Coolers number-2 ride in the series, where Newman is a three-time winner. He finished third in the series standings last year.

This weekend he is looking forward to battling some of the best Modified racing has to offer.

“It’s good to be king,’ so they say,” Newman stated.  “If you can be ‘King of the Modifieds’ when the money is on the line, which brings more competition in, then you have something to be proud of.” 

Newman currently sits 11th in the series point standings. And while he has contended in each of the series first two races of the season, unfortunate circumstances kept him out of victory lane. He’s hoping that changes, Saturday, at South Boston Speedway.

“It’s a fun track,” claimed Newman. “It’s fast and typically a track where you don’t have to save your tires much. And because of that, right off of turn two, and using the apron off of (turn) four, makes for a little easier passing. 

“We have struggled (so far),” admitted Newman. “We have found the problem with the car, so we will need to get recalibrated quickly. But, Randy and the team have been working hard. We seek redemption from getting stuffed in the wall at South Boston last year. It’s a race we want to win badly.”  

To see Newman and a big field of Modifieds invade South Boston Speedway with the SMART Modified Tour this weekend, you are encouraged to get advanced tickets on the track website.

Practice and qualifying for the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds powered by Dominion Energy will occur on Friday, March 21. Friday’s action is free to the public.

The 125-lap race, plus twin features for NASCAR Late Models and STAR Super Stocks, will highlight the action on Saturday, March 22. Advanced tickets are $20 with tickets also available for purchase on race day at the track for $25.

For more information about the event, fans are urged to visit the “King of the Modifieds Central” on the SMART Mods website.

All SMART races are streamed live on FloRacing, the official streaming broadcast partner of the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.

For updates on the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic, be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: SMART Modified Tour| Twitter: @SMARTMods_ | IG: @smartmods_).