From CL Motorsports
HOLMESVILLE, Ohio. – September 17, 2012 – As he looked back on what had transpired on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15, Stevie Smith couldn’t believe any of it.
“I figured we stood a good shot at winning,” said Smith, referring to the pair of events that made up the Jim Ford Classic at Fremont (OH) Speedway. “I made a mistake the first night and we just couldn’t grip the track the second night. It wasn’t a memorable weekend and something we’d just like to move on from quickly.”
Find out more about what went wrong for Smith at Fremont
Find out more about what went wrong for Smith at Fremont
Smith and his #19 CL Motorsports/DDNi/CJB Motorsports/Spectro Oils KPC timed in 8th quick on the opening night of the Jim Ford Classic, which was sponsored by All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, and finished third in his heat race. The Pennsylvania native rolled off for the 30-lap feature in the third position but didn’t complete the first lap.
“I screwed up and got to low in turns one and two,” said Smith. “I ran into one of the tractor tires that keeps the cars out of the infield. When I did that, it tore the front axle off the car and I flipped over. It was my mistake and I felt really bad because our car was going to be very fast. Drivers make mistakes. Sometimes people see them, sometimes people don’t. I got caught big time on that one.”
The #19 crew made the necessary repairs in time for the $10,000-to-win, 50 lap event the following night which was presented by Ludwig’s Propane. Smith timed in 9th, gained positions in his heat race and dash and started the feature in 5th.
“We took off and the car just was not gripping the race track,” explained Smith. “When the car doesn’t have the grip you need, as a driver, you start to overcompensate for that. I spun getting into turns three and four and just could not save it. We were starting to slide back and that put us further behind. We eventually got lapped and I pulled in under the next caution period. It was a very tough weekend overall. Probably one of the toughest we have had all year long.”
With Fremont in the history books, Smith is looking to the challenges ahead and what needs to happen for the #19 team to regain its consistency.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next six days,” said Smith. “When we hit Eldora Speedway and Lernerville Speedway this coming weekend, we’re back to racing with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and we have to bring our best. I know this team is capable of great finishes and wins. We’ve proved that we can do that this year. We’ve just got to figure out where we went wrong and use our weekend at Fremont as something to build on to finish out the season strong.”
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FREMONT SPEEDWAY FRIDAY BOX SCORE:
Time Trial Heat Finish A-main Start A-main Finish
8th 3rd 3rd 24th
FREMONT SPEEDWAY SATURDAY BOX SCORE:
Time Trial Heat Finish A-main Start A-main Finish
9th 3rd 5th 22nd
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