June5th2007

THE WEEKLY SMACK BY DJ RADANOVICH
JUNE 5TH, 2007

MOTHER NATURE REARED HER UGLY HEAD AGAIN THIS WEEK IN OHIO, BUT SHE EVENTUALLY LET A
SOME OF US GET OUR WEEKLY FIX OF RACING ACTION IN AND THE FANS IN COLUMBUS ARE GLAD
SHE DID. THE CRA SUPER SERIES WAS IN TOWN SATURDAY ALONG WITH THE AMERICAN MODIFIED
SERIES AND BOTH BROUGHT A GREAT FIELD OF CARS WITH THEM.

AS THE CRA SUPER SERIES LATE MODELS TOOK TO THE TRACK YOU COULD FEEL THE ENERGY IN
THE PACKED HOUSE IN COLUMBUS. JEFF LANE AND JR ROARHIG BROUGHT THE 26 CAR FIELD
DOWN FOR THE GREEN AND RIGHT FROM THE GET GO THERE WAS PLENTY OF ACTION AT THE
RECONFIGURED 1/3 MILE OVAL. THE TOP SIX CARS RACED SIDE BY SIDE FOR THE FIRST 14
CIRCUITS UNTIL WYOMING, MICHIGAN'S BRIAN CAMPBELL WAS FINALLY ABLE TO COMPLETE THE
PASS FOR THE LEAD. CAMPBELL'S LEAD WOULD BE SHORT LIVED AS ROBBIE PYLE WAS
CHARGING TOWARDS THE FRONT IN A BIG HURRY. ON LAP 33 PYLE MADE A NICE PASS ON THE
OUTSIDE OF CAMPBELL FOR THE LEAD. FROM THERE ON PYLE AND CAMPBELL SHREDDED THE
FIELD AS THE TWO CHASED EACH OTHER AROUND THE OUTSIDE. THERE WERE SEVERAL CAUTIONS
FOR SPINS, AND MANY OF THEM WAS FOR CURRENT SERIES POINT LEADER CHRIS GABEHART.
GABEHART WENT TO THE REAR OF THE FIELD ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BUT HE MANAGED
TO RACE HIS WAY BACK UP FRONT. A CAUTION ON LAP 114 WAS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR
ORDERED FOR BRIAN CAMPBELL WHO HAS A FEW CAR LENGTHS BEHIND LEADER ROBBIE PYLE AS
THE TWO MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH TRAFFIC. CAMPBELL IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE HIGH SIDE
OF PYLE AND THE TWO RACES SIDE BY SIDE UNTIL LAP 121 WHEN CAMPBELL DROVE HIS CAR INTO
TURN THREE A LITTLE TOO HARD AND HE BACKED HIS MACHINE INTO THE WALL ENDING HIS
EVENING. FROM THERE PYLE EASILY WON WITH JOHN VAN DOORN, SCOTT HANTZ, BOBBY
PARSLEY, AND CHRIS GABEHART FOLLOWING. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, GABEHART WENT TO THE
REAR THREE DIFFERENT TIMES BUT THE YOUNG MAN FROM INDIANAPOLIS MANAGED TO RACE HIS
WAY BACK TO FIFTH. EARLIER IN THE RACE BOBBY PARSLEY WAS RELEGATED TO THE REAR OF
THE FIELD AS WELL, AND WITH A LATE RACE CHARGE ON THE OUTSIDE BOBBY MANAGED TO PASS
FOUR CARS IN THE FINAL FOUR LAPS TO FINISH FOURTH (LOTS OF FOURS IN THERE). AS FOR
ROBBIE PYLE, THE WIN WAS HIS FIRST IN THE CRA SERIES AND HE WAS VERY THANKFUL IN
VICTORY LANE. CONGRATULATION TO PYLE AND CREW FOR A JOB WELL DONE.

THE AMERICAN MODIFIED SERIES TOOK THE TRACK NEXT, AND TIM ICE AND CHAD POOLE
BROUGHT THE FIELD DOWN FOR THE GREEN FLAG. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, IF TIME ICE IS ON
THE POLE AT COLUMBUS, LOOK OUT! ICE BUILT A HUGE LEAD, BUT AFTER GREG STAPLETON
PASSED CHAD POOLE, THE HUNT WAS ON. STAPLETON CLOSED THE NEAR HALF TRACK LEAD ICE
HAD BUILT UP, AND ON LAP 43 STAPLETON CAUGHT ICE. UNFORTUNATELY THE CAUTION FLEW ON
LAP 45 AFTER THE FANS WAS PREPARING FOR A SPECTACULAR FINISH, BUT STAPLETON'S RACER
WAS NOT NEARLY AS FAST ON COOLER TIRES AND ICE CRUISED TO VICTORY FOLLOWED BY
STAPLETON, POOLE, MIKE STACY, AND JIMMY WHITTREDGE.

IN CONCLUSION, GREAT JOB BY THE COLUMBUS STAFF TO RECONFIGURE THE SECOND GROOVE
ON THE TRACK. THIS CHANGE MADE FOR SOME EXCITING SIDE BY SIDE ACTION ALL EVENING AND
I REALLY NEVER SEEN THIS MANY CARS PASS ON THE OUTSIDE AT COLUMBUS. KUDOS AS WELL
THE CRA OFFICIALS WHO KEEP THEIR SERIES WELL UNDER THE MICROSCOPE AND THE CARS ARE
ALL PRETTY EVEN. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES TO ANYONE WILLING TO TRAVEL FOR
SOME RACING.