Jake Crum won Saturday’s Friendly Tire 99 SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic feature at North Wilkesboro Speedway, clinching the 2026 series championship. Paulie Hartwig III and Bobbie Tumbleston III also earned feature victories during the track’s tripleheader.

Crum claimed the 99-lap SMART Modified Tour nightcap, followed by Ryan Newman, Danny Bohn, Sean McElearney and Jacob Perry. The championship battle came down to the season finale, with Crum, Newman and Bohn at one point tied in the standings during the race. Crum ended up on top by a scant three points.

“This thing was so good tonight. I was down on myself really bad after qualifying, and I didn’t know if we had it in us to get back to the front, but we did. I’m honestly speechless. If (SMART Modified Tour officials) didn’t call me over here (to Victory Lane), I think I’d still be out there riding around,” Crum said.

“I’m still kind of in shock. (Ryan) Newman, Danny Bohn, Brandon Ward, they’re all the best. I’m just so grateful. After qualifying, I kind of threw my hands up and was like, ‘Wherever our cards end up, it is what it is.’ Well, we showed our cards there at the end, and we had something for them.”

Newman finished second but fell short of the championship.

“We just needed to win,” Newman said. “We ended up too loose there at the end. Congrats to (Jake) Crum and his guys. They capitalized on these last few races. It’s disappointing, no doubt, but hard to come so close this year, not just tonight, and not win a race. We led a lot this year, but we should’ve definitely won a race somewhere.”

Bohn finished third, closing out the season with a strong run at a track where he had never previously finished a race. 

“Honestly, this is the first race I’ve ever finished here, in three starts,” Bohn said. “To finish third, obviously lost the championship. So many things could’ve played differently. Ultimately, Orange County is what hurt us the most. I’m surprised we got this close. It’s just a testament to Team 25. Throughout the year, we scored the most points, but it’s not how the playoffs work. Nothing to hang our head on. We’ll regroup and try again next year. It just didn’t work out in our favor. To run third here today, at a track I’d never even finished a race at, we kept them honest.”

Hartwig triumphed in the Northwest Automotive 62 Carolina Crate Modified feature. Matthew Nance, Gary Young Jr., Riley Neal and Mitchell Wright rounded out the top five.

Tumbleston claimed victory in the Carolina Mini-Stocks' Broadway Collision 30 presented by Better Homes Furniture Company. Shane Canipe, Isaac Harris, Burt Myers and Chuck Wall completed the top five.

Saturday’s tripleheader was part of a full day of activities at North Wilkesboro Speedway, which also hosted the seventh annual Moonshiners & Racers Reunion presented by Friendly Tire.

Tickets for the 2027 NASCAR All-Star Weekend, May 21-23, are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. 

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