EVENT HUB - KENNY MINTER CLASSIC AT FRANKLIN COUNTY SPEEDWAY

Opened in 1969, Franklin County Raceway is one of the most unique tracks in the American Short Track landscape.  Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia it's a hidden gem and down-home throwback venue.  The thrilling high banked 3/8 mile paved oval has a rich history in Modified racing and the SMART Modified Tour. 

From Ray Hendrick, Satch Worley, Paul Radford, Johnny Bryant, Gerald Compton, Richie Evans, Gary Myers, Junior Miller and Ted Christopher, the list of Modified greats to win at Franklin County is impressive.  Now the modern stars of the SMART Mod Tour look to add their names to the list of legends. 

The 2025 edition of the Kenny Minter Classic saw the closest finish in the history of the Modified Tour as 2008 Daytona 500 Champion Ryan Newman edged Luke Baldwin in a photo finish (photo above).

SMART MODIFIED TOUR AT FRANKLIN COUNTY

The SMART Mods have competed 11-time at Franklin County Speedway.

1995 - Jay Foley

April 1996 - Frank Fleming

July 1996 - Roger Hill

October 1996 Gary Myers

1999 - Junior Miller

2021 - John Smith (Kenny Minter Classic)

2022 - Jonathan Brown (Kenny Minter Classic)

2023 - Burt Myers (Kenny Minter Classic)

2024 - Carson Loftin (Kenny Minter Classic)

May 2024 - Ryan Newman (Kenny Minter Classic)

Sept 2025 - Danny Bohn (Mod Squad Ntls)

May 2026 - Jake Crum (Kenny Minter Classic)

2026 marks the sixth anniversary of the Kenny Minter Classic.  A race is in honor of of the late Kenny Minter.  

Kenny was a racer's racer. From Martinsville, Virginia, Kenny was a low-budget, working class racecar driver.  Making a name for himself in Hobby Modifieds at Log Cabin Speedway in Virginia, Madison, North Carolina's 311 Speedway and Sophia, NC's Caraway Speedway, Minter became a winner and a Champion. He moved up to the full-fledged Mods and then started to competed with the SMART Modified Tour. The Virginia driver quickly created a reputation as a clean and fair driver.  

Minter was lost his life in a racing accident in a SMART Modified Tour race at Caraway Speedway on October 29, 1995. He was survived by his wife Patricia and his son Kenny Jr., who currently serves as a crew member on the KP Speed Motorsports #04 SMART Modified driven by Brandon Ward.

We are proud to carry on Kenny Minter's legacy with the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic with the 6th Annual Kenny Minter Classic.  The Tour also presents the annual "Kenny Minter Award" at the year-ending banquet awarded to a person on the Tour who exemplifies Minter's hard work and dedication to Modified Racing.