From CL Motorsports
HOLMESVILLE, Ohio. – September 27, 2012 – There have been several events throughout the 2012 season that Stevie Smith and his #19 CL Motorsports team felt they should have won. However, none compare to the final night of the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway.
“We’ve lot a lot of races slip away this season but the one at the Grove sticks out in my mind the most,” said the driver of the #19 CL Motorsports/DDNi/CJB Motorsports/ Spectro Oils KPC. “We had an amazing car that night. I would honestly rank it up there with the best cars I’ve ever had there. Everyone else was hooked on the bottom but we could run the top. We started 14th and was up to 3rd in four laps. It was incredible. Unfortunately, someone took our line away on the top, I had to make an evasive maneuver and went end over end in turn one. The car was totally destroyed. It was a shame because that was the car we won our first two races and the Ohio Sprint Speedweek title with.”
The Bandit During Time Trials at Lernerville Speedway. Photo courtesy of DBIII Imaging
Smith is looking to put that performance and the finishes of the last three races behind him and move on to one of the biggest sprint car races of the year, the 50th annual Morgan Hughes National Open on Saturday, September 29. The event is named in honor of legendary Williams Grove Speedway track promoter Morgan Hughes, who bought the track in 1972. Morgan’s daughter, Kathleen, inherited the speedway up on his death in 2008 and continues to promote events there.
“National Open is one of those events that you dream about winning,” said Smith, the 1989 and 1991 champion of the race. “Every driver does. The prestige and history surrounding it is on a level with the Knoxville Nationals and the Kings Royal. It pays $50,000 to the winner so the fight amongst the competitors is incredibly fierce. There is also added pressure because this is the golden anniversary of the event. 50 years is a long time to keep an event going and speaks to the commitment that the track has to this sport. The Hughes family has ment a lot to sprint car racing and this is a great way to honor them.”
The New Oxford, Pa. native likes his chances in at the half-mile track located near Mechanicsburg, Pa.
“I feel as if Williams Grove is our best track this year,” said Smith, who has 10 Top-10’s in 12 starts at the track this season. “We ran our very first race as an organization there in March and finished fourth. Since then, we’ve been in contention nearly every time we’ve raced there. It’s one of the tracks I learned how to race on and is very tricky to get around. You have two very long straights and two sets of tight corners. It’s tough on motors and the setup is one of the most difficult to get right of any track. Luckily, we race there on Friday night so we get the chance to fine tune our car before we go for the big money. Based on our performance the last time we were there, I am hoping that we stand a very good chance of picking up the victory on Saturday night and ending our season at our best track on a high note.”
Grandstands for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events during the 50th annual Morgan Hughes National Open weekend will open at 5:30 p.m. with racing beginning at 7:30 p.m.
For more information about Williams Grove Speedway, please visit www.WilliamsGrove.com
For more information on CL Motorsports and the Black Bandit, please visit www.TheBlackBandit.com