The Crud Brother's Racing team invaded the Carolina Speedway on Friday night as part of a special program with the USCS Outlaw Thunder Sprint Car Series. The team was looking for a better outcome than their last visit to the 4/10th mile clay oval, which was their first finish outside of the Top 5 in seven consecutive races. The month of June had been filled with highs and lows for the team, and this night would be no different.
After a good draw, Falcon Smith would start on the inside of the front row for his Heat Race. Smith got the jump on the start and took the lead going into the first turn. From there, the Oak Hill, OH driver moved to the top shelf and began to check out on the field. Falcon led every lap on his way to the dominating win, the team's fouth Heat Race victory of the season.
With the Heat Race win, the #34 would lead the field to the green flag to start the A-Main. However, the stay at the front of the pack would be very short lived. Before the green flew, the outside line began to move early and Falcon found himself in 4th position before entering the first turn. The botched start would not be called back and the race remained under green. On lap two, Smith jumped over the cushion and caught a piece of the outside retaining wall in Turns 1 and 2, dropping three more spots to 7th. After the rough start, the CBR mount began to move back in the right direction. The field was only slowed two times for caution. At the end, Falcon was able to work his way back into the Top 5 with a 5th place finish.
"That one should have turned out a little different," Smith said after the race. "Those were some of the worst starts and restarts I've ever seen. The fourth place starter was pushing the car lined up beside me on the inital start and they were both in front of me before I even fired. I have no idea how they let that one stand. The restarts were just as bad. The track blew off and got slick, which we haven't seen here yet. The car was good...a lot better than 5th place. We'll put that one behiend us and move foward."
The team's 2009 consitsency has paid off to the mid-season point. Falcon leads the Ohio State Pro Division Point Standings by 892 markers. Smith remains atop the Carolina Speedway Point Standings with a slim 9 point lead. Also, Falcon finds himself in 7th position in the National Pro Dirt Point Standings.
Troutman, NC (June 20, 2009)
On Saturday night, the Crud Brother's Racing team rolled into the East Lincoln Speedway for Round 1 of Hot Summer Nights. For the fans that packed the Ray Evernham and Bob Mack owned facility, the event lived up to its name, with near 100 degree temperatures and great racing action on the track. For the CBR team, it was a chance to rebound and get back to form after a long week.
In front of a standing room only crowd, Falcon Smith would find himself starting in the back of the pack to begin his Heat Race. After getting boxed in behiend some slower cars, Smith was able to weave his way through some of the traffic by the half way point. At the finish, Falcon was able to move up to the 3rd position and set the stage for the A-Main later in the evening.
The #34 machine would line up 6th to start the A-Main. On the initial start, Falcon was able to pick up five spots in the first two corners with a strong move to the outside. However, a caution would come out, forcing everyone back to their original starting positions. The complete restart would not go as well and Smith would fall in line in the fifth position. The Ohio wheelman would pick his way past two more competitors and set his sights on the leaders. The race would go clean and green the rest of the way and Falcon would have to settle for a 3rd place finish, his fourth consecutive Top 5 at East Lincoln.
"I'll take that finish after the week we've had," Falcon commented after the race. "The wreck last week made a lot of work for us to get the car ready to go this week. Once again, all of my crew worked hard all week to fix everything. I wouldn't have been able to get it all together if not for their help, so I can't thank all those guys enough."
With the solid finish, Falcon remains at the top of the East Lincoln Speedway Point Standings with a 47 point edge. Also, Falcon now leads the Ohio State Pro Division Point Standings by 895 markers. Smith currently sits in 7th position in the National Pro Dirt Piont Standings.
Falcon and the CBR team will be back in action Friday night, June 26th at the Carolina Speedway as part of the USCS Outlaw Thunder Sprint Car Special. The team will look to snag their first overall win of the season and maintain their lead in the Carolina Speedway Point Standings.
CBR Team Fights From the Back, Snags Carolina Speedway Points Lead
Troutman, NC (June 13, 2009)
The Crud Brother's Racing team made the trip to Gaston County Friday night riding a string of seven consecutive Top 5 finishes. With rain once again threatening, Carolina Speedway was able to put the Mid-Season Championship races in the books. The night would prove to be an uphill battle for the CBR crew from the drop of the first green flag.
Falcon Smith lined up on the outside of the second row to start his Heat Race. When the green flag flew, Smith made a bold move to the top of the track, making it three wide for the lead in the middle of Turns 1 and 2. It looked like the move paid off, but the car on the bottom drifted up the track and made contact with Falcon's left rear tire as the field exited Turn 2. The contact sent the #34 sideways and airborne, with the back of the car landing violently on top of the back stretch retaining wall. The car spun around several times, then came to rest at the bottom of the track. At that point, it looked like the night was over.
With only a short amount of time between the Heat Race and the A-Main, the CBR team went to work. The rear axle, the back section of the frame, the body, rear bumper and several other things had to be repaired or replaced on the car. The team was able to get everything back together just in time to line up for the A-Main.
After all the thrashing, the CBR team had to line up 14th to start the A-Main. Falcon would not stay in the back of the pack for very long. From the start of the race, the Oak Hill, OH native used every inch of the racing surface as he charged to the front. However, caution flags early on slowed his progress through the field. Falcon had to pass several cars mulitple times when the cautions reverted the running order back to the last completed lap. Under the green, the CBR mount was among the fastest on the race track, but the leaders were able to pull away a little as Falcon charged through traffic. In the end, Smith crossed the finish line in the 6th position, just missing another Top 5.
"Our hard work paid off tonight," Falcon offered after the race. "The wreck in the Heat Race could have been a lot worse than it was. I thought it was going over for sure, and I think it was really close to going over the wall and out of the track. That's what happens when inexperienced drivers draw good starting spots for the Heat. It can get ugly pretty quick. Matt, Taner, Zack and I really worked hard to get it back together in time. The car was great, I just ran out of laps there at the end. It seems like I passed about 20 cars with all the cautions and having to go back and pass them again. I can't thank my guys enough for all the effort they put in tonight."
With the 6th place finish, Falcon now leads the Ohio State Pro Division Point Standings by 901 points. The comeback also helped Falcon snag the top spot in the Carolina Speedway Point Standings, as he now leads by 29 markers. The CBR team now finds themselves at the top of the Point Standings at both Carolina Speedway and East Lincoln Speedway. Falcon is waiting for 600 Racing to update the National Pro Dirt Point Standings.
Falcon and the CBR team will be back in action on June 20th for Round 1 of Hot Summer Nights at East Lincoln Speedway in Stanley, NC.
Dominating Night, But One Position Short at the Finish
Troutman, NC (June 7, 2009)
The Crud Brother's Racing team traveled to the East Lincoln Speedway Saturday night eyeing another solid finish. Mother Nature was again hard on the North Carolina Piedmont region during the week, dumping nearly 5 inches of rain on the speedway in just over two days. Track officials worked all day on the track surface, but all the rain made for a very rough race track.
Hotlaps did not start well for Falcon Smith and the CBR team. The car lost power and sent the crew into a frenzy to fix the problem, which ended up being a bad wiring connection.
With the trouble hopefully out of the way for the evening, Falcon lined up on the outside of the front row for his Heat Race. On the drop of the green flag, the CBR mount shot to the lead. For Smith, the fast way around the track and through the holes was where no one else had been running. The Oak Hill, OH native rode the very top of the track to another dominating Heat Race win, leading every lap en route to his third Heat Race win of 2009.
The CBR team lined up on the pole for the A-Main. Once again, on the drop of the green flag, Falcon muscled his way into the lead. Smith was riding through the ruts on the very top of the track, which was still the fast way around. The race way slowed five times by the caution flag, with the #34 machine leading throughout the race. A green-white-checkered restart looked like it would decide the race. Falcon got another great restart and paced the field to the white flag, however the sixth caution flag flew before the field could complete the final lap. That would set the stage for a one lap shoot out. This time on the restart, Smith couldn't get the car into gear, missing a shift and opened up the door. Falcon lost a spot, but made a charge in the last corner, coming up a half car length short of the win at the finish line. After dominating all evening, the CBR team would have to settle for a runner-up finish for the second week in a row. However, Falcon was the first to cross the line in the Pro division, earning his first division win of 2009.
"That's a hard one to take," Falcon said after the race. "We had everyone covered all night, and to loose it on a restart is tough. I had been getting through the gears great up to that point. " It was obvious that the CBR team's experience on the rougher tracks came into play. "With all the rain, they could have canceled the races and we'd all be setting at home watching the sun shine. They did what they could, and it was the same for everyone. It was hard on equipment though. It definetly brought back some memories of the old Lawrenceburg Speedway (IN). It was fun and I think the fans loved it. I wish we were just one spot better."
With the solid run, Falcon now has seven consecutive Top 5 finsihes, with four straight at third or better. The runner-up finish extended Falcon's lead in the Ohio State Pro Division Point Standings to 813 markers. Smith now sets at the top of the East Lincoln Speedway Piont Standings, with a 52 point edge over the nearest competitor. Falcon is still waiting for 600 Racing to update the National Pro Dirt Point Standings.
The CBR team will return to action on Friday June 12th at the Carolina's Action Track, Carolina Speedway.
