Jamie McMurray has an itch to scratch, and it’s not the typical reason a retired racer wants to return to the seat. On Friday May 29, McMurray, the 2010 Daytona 500 Champion, will make his debut in a tour-type Modified, racing in the Kenny Minter Classic SMART Modified Tour event at Virginia’s Franklin County Speedway. The former NASCAR star will drive the Sadler-Stanley Racing no.16VA ride that has been dubbed “The All-Star car,” with several different competitors at the wheel throughout the season. He will do so racing as teammates with two-time-defending SMART Tour Champion Luke Baldwin in the 7VA. The mount is co-owned by former NASCAR racer Hermie Sadler and Virginia Senator Bill Stanley.
Besides getting a chance to drive an ultra-fast Modified, McMurray will be racing alongside his son, 15-year old Carter McMurray, who is competing full-time on the SMART Tour in 2026 in the Phil Stefanelli owned no. 40 Bass Pro Shops Modified.
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“I am going to attempt to run a Modified,” said McMurray, whose post-NASCAR Cup Series career has transitioned to an on-air role during the FOX and CW NASCAR broadcasts. “Hermie (Sadler) asked me earlier this year if I would run the 16-car and I thought it would be fun to race with Carter.”
“There has been a little trash-talking,” admitted Jamie. “I am really nervous about how competitive I will be. It’s been a while since I have been in a car. We’ve done a little bit of karting together and he is significantly faster than me. So, I am a little nervous. We are going to go test some. I’m excited to race with Carter. We’ve only been on the kart track a few times together so it will be fun just to get to experience that. For me, also, I’m just trying to learn these cars with him. I want to help him but I’ve never driven one before so I think it will be good.”
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McMurray will be racing at one of the most traditional tracks on the southern Modified schedule, the rustic Franklin County Speedway. The Callaway, VA track has been a mainstay for Modified racing for generations, and provides ultra fast and tight-racing on its wore-out ⅜ mile surface.
“Franklin County is just the one that worked out with my schedule,” added Jamie. “It’s super fast and everyone, including Ryan Newman said that I’d have to learn to breathe again. It kinda reminds them of Bristol.”
McMurray, the 2014 winner of the NASCAR Cup Series All Star Race, will pilot the SS Racing “All Star” SMART Modified that has been raced by several drivers in 2026. Team owner Hermie Sadler started the year off in the ride during the season opener at Florence finishing 18th. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver and former NASCAR O’Reilly Local Racing National Champion Connor Hall has raced the yellow Pace-O-Matic car twice, with a top-result of 8th at Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina. Conner Jones, a winner this year on the zMAX CARS Tour this year, turned a lot of heads with speed but did not finish the Flying VA Classic at Dominion Raceway, resulting in a 22nd place finish. Wake County Speedway Late Model Stock hot-shoe Carson Haislip wheeled the ride at his home track to a 9th place result in the Capital Mod Squad Nationals. The best performance for the “All-Star Car” came during Elliott Sadler’s tour-type Modified debut. The Emporia, Virginia driver, and three-time Cup Series winner, drove his brother’s car to an impressive fifth place finish in the King of the Modifieds at South Boston Virginia. Sadler’s drive was the best result for the 16-team this season.
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McMurray will enter his tour-type Mod debut with testing under his belt. And, he can also lean on his son’s knowledge of the open-wheeled racecars. Carter led 15-laps in the SMART Tour’s previous race, at Wake County Speedway, and finished a career best 4th in his Bass Pro Shops no. 40 car. He has three top-ten finishes in six races in the Phil Stefanelli owned PSR Chassis racecar.
Jamie McMurray, a native of Joplin, Missouri, is seven-time Cup Series winner that has 16 points-paying wins across NASCAR’s big-three National Series. He’s also the 2014 Brickyard 400 Champion.
“I have known Jamie for almost 25 years, and I respect not only the racer he is, but also the person and father he has become,” Sadler-Stanley Racing co-owner Hermie Sadler said. “I am thrilled that he decided he wanted to get behind the wheel of our Pace-O-Matic No. 16VA for Franklin County. I am also happy to give him this opportunity to race with his son, Carter. That will be a memory for a lifetime. The folks who will be at the Kenny Minter Classic on May 29 will be in for a treat.”
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“Of all the NASCAR greats that have driven our Sadler-Stanley Racing modifieds, this one is special,” team co-owner Bill Stanley said. “To have Jamie McMurray return to racing in the Pace-O-Matic No. 16VA, at my home track in Franklin County, it’s every fan’s dream. If you love racing like we do, you have to come out to Franklin County Speedway for the Kenny Minter Classic on Friday, May 29.”
McMurray won’t be the only Daytona 500 Champion in the field Friday, as 2008 winner Ryan Newman will also be in the field. Newman currently sits second in SMART Tour points, six races into the 14-race season.
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Danny Bohn has won three of six races this season and is the points-leader on the SMART Modified Tour. Jack Baldwin sits third in points and is looking for his first win on the Tour. Three-time SMART Champ Burt Myers and 2025 Islip 300 winner Joey Braun round out the top-five in the standings.
The Kenny Minter Classic at Franklin County Speedway is on Friday night, May 29th. Qualifying is set to get underway at 6pm and the 110-lap main event at 8pm. As of now, the SMART Modified Tour event is the only race night on the 2026 schedule for the Virginia track.
All races are streamed live on FloRacing, the official streaming broadcast partner of the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic.
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For updates on the SMART Modified Tour, be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: SMART Modified Tour| Twitter: @SMARTMods_ | IG: @smartmods_), as well as visiting the official series website smartmodifiedtour.com.
