Crowell Bros. Racing Blog

Four Nights of Racing Fun?

Crowell Bros Racing — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:37:30 GMT

May 25: What a night. It was kind of indescribable. It starts out great with Matthew winning his heat race. We are having a pretty good night and the cell phones start going off. Tornado in LaCrosse and friends and family are checking on Dad, Rich and Effie. We get Matthew out for the A-Main. He had to start mid-pack and he slowly works his way to the front. Lots of cautions again, so every time he made progress, they go back a lap and it is hard to gain ground or really race. Last lap, he is racing for 4^th place. Coming out of turn four, they are three wide and right before the checkered flag, Matthew is put into the wall. Now, if it was just a racing deal, we could take it. But, the guy had been banging on Matthew the entire last lap and was driving rough. Then, to top it off, it looked intentional. Later, we got a call from someone that overheard them talking and it sounds like it really was intentional. I have no words. The track did DQ the guy for rough driving though so I was very impressed that they took action.

Steve was worried the car was totaled for good at first. He had never seen a cracked cross-member. But, he went out first thing in the morning measuring and thinks now they can fix it. Matthew had to go to work, so Steve started a list of notes for Matthew. Big thanks to Randy and Angie. They have seen it all and their experience and coaching makes all the difference. And a big thanks to Matthew’s friends. Without Clayton, Tyler and AJ, I am not sure we could have gotten that car loaded.

Meanwhile, back in LaCrosse, a lot of tree damage, windows busted and we lost our town’s car wash. Dad lost shingles on the North side of his house. Lots of clean up, but no one hurt and everyone has a home. Was awake a over 24 hours – what a day. We had just helped push Randy’s modified on the trailer and within seconds, the rain was pouring. I forgot to tie down the four-wheeler so by the time we got home, it had banged in a door and ruined it. Totally my fault. I wonder what Saturday will bring…

May 26: Minus Matthew, we head to Mayetta. Steve is already talking about breakfast after the race! He tells me to text chicken fry to the gang! LOL. Jacob wins his heat race. Again, a great way to start the night! Feature time and Jacob drove her up to a 3^rd place finish! It was a good race. Jacob was a bit frustrated as he was not sure what to do to close in on the leaders. He is doing great and happy to be in tech in one piece!

We pull as far as Salina and our gang has a mountain of food. With our great friends, it was a nice way to end the day. We pull into LaCrosse for a rushed couple of days. Graves to decorate and family picnics to make. My friends and cousins from everywhere – including Ron in Afghanistan – are emailing me to check on Dad. The significance of the holiday is never lost on me, especially with one I love still in the middle of one of the worst places to be in the world.

Saturday at Wakeeney is a draw-redraw night. Jacob wins his heat race so two in a row is pretty cool. But he draws just like big brother and ends up starting the feature in the middle of the pack. He works his way to 5^th side-by-side with two other cars at the finish. It was so close that the announcer actually says that Jacob got 4^th. That was exciting.

We return on Monday for the final show. At this point, it is a bit of a blur. The wind the day before was like 50 mph and just standing in it wears a person out. The weather is perfect though while the track, not so much so. They water right before the hobby stocks. I have no idea why, but they don’t have the tires the other classes have to work it in the same way. If we could have ran after the sportmods, I think you would have seen a lot more racing. As it was, Jacob finished 9^th. He took one hard hit early in the race from a guy that I think just can’t drive. Minor stuff to fix before next week. He passed a few cars and I know he was faster than the three cars directly in front of him, but it was a one-lane track.

The boys want to get Matthew back together by Friday, so it will be a very long week and long days. Front and rear of the car both need repaired, so it won’t be easy. Steve and I had to take two days of vacation to recover from our holiday weekend! LOL.

So far, I have only found one video from the weekend. Jacob’s race is at :36 second mark and at 9:43 is the exciting finish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZJtK_iwhNk&feature=relmfu

~CBR Mom

A Good Night and a Bad Night

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:57:31 GMT

May 18 – Shocks, springs, gears, stagger, tire pressure – all of these things and probably more than I know go into the setup of the Hobby Stock. The size and condition of the track dictates the setup. Last night, we saw something we had not seen at Salina Speedway. The track turned to dry-slick. Our setup wasn’t great, but Jacob adjusted and drove a great race. A lot of 3 wide racing with the pack never really spreading out that were in front. There were a lot of spins causing yellows, but thankfully no wrecks. Jacob just missed tech taking fifth place. Given his experience on this track, we felt pretty darn good. And the best moment of the night was when Jacob said each time I come here, I get a little better. Yes! He was happy and working hard to improve each time. I couldn’t ask for more. Here is that race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yd58VPH3TE&feature=g-all-u

May 19 – We all get to head to Mayetta tonight. It was beyond dry there. It was actually hard to see the cars the dust was so thick. I guess the high winds and warm weather makes it near impossible on the tracks. Matthew struggled all night to find the setup. There were five heat races and two B-features, so I thought it was great when Matthew made it straight into the A-Main. At one point, I think he was as far up as 7^th, but in the end, he finished 11^th I think. He was three wide across the finish line.

Jacob’s night went far worse. On the first lap between turns three and four, he drove in too hard and lost control. Thankfully, everyone missed him so he was put to the back and they resumed the race. On the first lap of the restart, a car spun coming out of turn two and Jacob was now in the wrong place at the wrong time. He hit him head on full out. The wreck smashed in the entire front of Jacob’s car. Not a good night. Jacob felt awful. The guy that spun came over and apologized to Jacob. But, it was just one of those racing deals. Lots of work ahead this week and Jacob is going to learn a lot. Steve already has cut the entire front of the car off. So, they will be ready to race by Friday night.

Here is the video of the wreck at the 20 second mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYqC8hK9y-M&feature=g-all-u

Pretty obvious Jacob couldn’t have seen it as he was shooting out of the turn running his line. You’ll see a car flipped ahead of them and none of us know exactly what happened. The driver was ok so as long as everyone was ok, it is all good.

Memorial weekend, Matthew will race Friday night in Salina, Saturday both boys are in Mayetta and there is a two-day show in Wakeeney. Hope to see a lot of family and friends over the weekend as well as remember our loved ones and get some flowers around. Have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend! Hopefully, we will as well.

~CBR Mom

Great Videos of Last Two Races with Great Finishes!

Crowell Bros Racing — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:12:30 GMT

Did you miss me last week? Thought I would catch you up on the races before a new weekend begins.

May 6, 2012 – We headed to Wakeeney for Jacob to race while Matthew races to work. I saw Jacob drive one of the best races I have ever seen and thanks to Dirt Track Central, you can see it too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klds8ABfxo4

About six minutes in, you will see Jacob pass the same cars – over and over again. The reason being there are a lot of cautions. They score the field back a lap so this is where the drivers have to keep their head as it can be very frustrating. At least it was for Mom! 8:40 seconds in check out that battle for 2^nd and 3^rd – quite the pack racing. How can you not get excited watching this?! 10:29 is the white flag and Jacob takes 3^rd! I was so proud of him. He had some great coaching from Randy and I swear that during the race, whatever Randy was yelling, Jacob was doing! It was pretty darn cool.

The next weekend, Salina was rained out. The boys headed off together on May 12 for Thunderhill.

Check out Jacob’s race where he takes 2^nd place: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxtslKQ6MAU&list=PL224CF366B8CA3EF3&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Now, check out Matthew’s race where, 40 seconds in, you can see the guy drive right up in to Matthew. I don’t know if something broke or the guy cut a tire, but it took Matthew out and tore up the car after also getting tore up in the heat race. Matthew is put to the back because even though it was clearly not his fault, he was involved in a caution. Now, this is where it actually gets interesting. Watch him drive from the back to 6^th place with that tore up car! Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZvtVBxaIlM&feature=relmfu

Matthew has worked really hard this week to repair his car. Rylee dived in helping as well. I am so proud of both of them!

It is so great to see so many videos of the races getting posted. Sometimes, there are several of the same race with different angles and views. Pretty darn cool and I really thank everyone that contributes a video.

While the boys were at Mayetta, Norton was also racing and there was a big crash in the SportMods there. Check out this one minute video. Every time I watch it, I cringe and get chills. I wish this type of wreck on no one – absolutely so sorry for everyone involved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chAqTEwnsdw&feature=related

Jacob races Salina Friday night and both boys return to Mayetta on Saturday. While we had to miss the Saturday graduations and parties, there is one Sunday that I plan to make. Hope everyone understands. When you are running for track points, you can’t miss a race.

~CBR Mom

Good For a Bit, Then Not So Much So

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:21:49 GMT

May 4 – Back to Salina for Friday night racing, but Hobby Stocks have the night off. So, Jacob is part of the pit crew as Matthew works on his setup. Once again, the SportMod feature is called for time as caution after caution happens. It was incredibly frustrating. Matthew passed the same two cars at least three times. Then, caution so they go a lap back to line up and restart, pass the same cars, caution… hard to gain any ground when you don’t get to race. He ended up 6^th. Then, his gang (Rylee, Clayton, Tyler plus one with Liz), load up to get home as Matthew had a final in Physics Saturday morning.

We head to breakfast with Bryan and Amber and at least end the night with a full belly. Saw the biggest chicken fried steak I had ever seen. Once I got some gravy out of Bryan, it tasted pretty darn good too! We all head to the hotel and the next day, we are all off to Mayetta after Jacob and Steve repair the trailer door. Change the gear, work on the car and get ready to race. Boy is it hot! Hard to believe it is May weather.

The track was still pretty slimy and really, really muddy for Jacob’s heat and he finished 4^th. Matthew went out and won his heat. Both boys get setup for the feature. We were busy all night as we had no extra help. Uncle Rich had a swap meet and Matthew flew straight from finals to Mayetta. Everything was going really well though until the features. Jacob drove amazing. He worked his way through the pack. At one point, I see a car come down and hit him hard in the right rear quarter panel. Jacob holds on and drives on while the car that hit him spins out. I look at Steve and say, “I hope that didn’t cut a tire down.” He keeps working his way through traffic so we think we are ok. Steve and I were in the pit area for tire changes so you can’t see turn three at all. I literally hold my breathe and wait for them to come out of the turn. Not sure what he did, but he passed three cars as he exited turn four! It was amazing and now he is in second place! Leader is way out ahead and then we get a caution when we actually needed one. He holds a solid second place. Then, with only two laps to go, we see the car die on the front stretch. He pulls in to the pits and that right rear tire is flat, so we change it in 30 seconds (a guy on the wall timed us and told us after). Then, they wouldn’t let him back on the track. Said he caused an intentional caution, so we were done. Very disappointing. Actually, he left off the gas a bit when he felt the flat not sure what was happening and then the car died. It has been overheating all night. After the heat race, the front was so packed with mud it had gotten no air. Last week, we had an exhaust leak and the manifold got red hot. So, Steve is watching it close to make sure he isn’t missing something else. Anyway, it was definitely disappointing but after all the cautions that had already happened, Jacob still ended up 9^th. We can fix all the damage. And Mom was right. The quarter panel was pushed in and it definitely cut the tire down.

Matthew’s race starts immediately after, so stifle that disappointment for a bit. He started behind Bryan and in just a couple of laps, they are racing side by side and both working their way to the front. At one point, they are both in the top five and I am feeling just like I did a little bit earlier as I thought Jacob was headed to tech. I see Matthew get hit as a car is literally hitting everybody he passes. So frustrating to race against people like that, but it is part of racing and doesn’t change the way we drive. I would rather watch any race with drivers that race clean than jerks that race like this. Again, it is caution after caution and I am not sure if they finish all the laps or if it is called for time. But, as Bryan works his way to the front, Matthew starts slipping backwards. I can’t figure out what is going on. It looks awful – actually I told Abbey this is painful to watch. I am thinking they just totally missed the setup except the start looked so darn good. He holds on for 9^th place just like Jacob and drives into the pits. I walk up to the car and just guess what I see! Left front is totally flat! Seriously! I wrote on Facebook that you can’t make this stuff up! Well, now I would say he drove hell out of it holding on for 9^th. He said he didn’t know it was flat, but when it went, he thought it was something wrong with the motor. He said it felt like someone had attached a 100 pound anchor to him and was pulling him down. It was also bottoming out in the turns.

Matthew and Abbey take off for home as Matthew has to open Cabelas and it is already midnight! By the time we load up, it is 1:30 and Steve says he can’t make it to LaCrosse. It would be 5 AM. We decided to divert for home where we can fix Jacob and unload Matthew. He has to work all day, so he can’t race Wakeeney anyway. On the drive, I see Paula’s Facebook picture of the full moon and I look out the window. Well, that explains our night! LOL.

This morning, after my cold shower, I pull Steve from working on Jacob’s car to fixing the hot water heater! Thermo coupler went out – at least we hope that is all it is. Does that make three things (trailer door, tires and now this?) And if we don’t get to count the tires, then we poked a hole in the air mattress so that should count, right?!

Now we are watching the weather hoping we can get Wakeeney in today yet. I have to fly out to Europe for work tomorrow, so no blog for two weeks! Hopefully, the next phase of the moon brings back our good luck. If we rain out, I’ll post some pictures. Otherwise, we are on the road in less than 2 hours so I won’t have time! If you go into Cabela’s today, shake Matthew to make sure he is awake. LOL. And for those that make it to the races, cheer extra hard to make up for me not being there! See you in a couple of weeks.

~CBR Mom

Links to Racing Videos

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:39:24 GMT

April 29 - Wow there were a lot of videos taken last weekend of the races - especially at Salina! Here are the links. Found out that Matthew lost the race at Mayetta by 1/10 of a second! They have transponders there, so very accurate. That link is the last one.
Enjoy.

Salina SportMod Heat Race – Matthew wins it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrOZaL0p6LU&feature=relmfu
Salina Hobby Stock Heats – Jacob’s race at 2:40 mark -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDSkMdraDg&feature=relmfu
Salina SportMod A-Main – Matthew takes 3^{rd -}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rGJAsK_5bc&feature=relmfu
Salina Hobby Stock A-Main – Jacob takes 8^th -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8etmxo_GyU4&feature=relmfu
And yet another view of both races with a fan’s commentary; Jacob’s at the beginning with Matthew’s race following at 9:44 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dKvUcKDCwQ
And yet another view of the SportMod race with in-car camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOdZ50v5vsI&list=PLB6C974A6FE1336A5

And finally, if you are only going to watch one, this is the one to watch -
Mayetta A-Features:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjjxnHypeeU&feature=share
Jacob’s 3^rd place finish at 4:37 and Matthew’s 2^nd place finish at 11:58. Some great racing and a lot of fun.

Both Boys Land in Tech at Mayetta!

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:49:14 GMT

April 27 – We all arrive at Salina thankful the weather is east of us and we are able to race. Matthew has a final in physics, so Tyler, Clayton and Rylee arrive with him in time to hot lap. Track is better than last week, although they actually start racing while there is water still standing on the front stretch. Someone that knows what they are doing should write a manual on how to prep a dirt track. Course, even if they did, they wouldn’t read it. Still, it never ceases to amaze me.

Jacob runs first and it was an awesome race to watch. He dodged a couple of wrecks that could have ended our night. They tried a different gear and that clearly didn’t work for him. Also, this was only his second time on that track, so he is also still learning how to drive it. He ended up 8^th and he wasn’t happy with his finish. I thought he did a great job and was a lot better than last week. He’ll be in tech there soon. He just needs to keep learning and improving each week.

Matthew drove like I have never seen before. I always felt Matthew would back off when he shouldn’t because he tries so hard to drive everyone clean. His confidence in his driving and his car showed as he didn’t back off Friday night. When he clearly was beside someone and had position, he stood his ground. Others that have pushed on him in the past found it didn’t work that night. He worked his way through the pack all the way to 3^rd place. Afterwards, a driver came and yelled at Matthew. My reaction – I hope he yells at him every single race the rest of the year as Matthew beats him! Matthew would never, ever spin anyone out intentionally and if he hasn’t proved that in all of these years of racing, then to hell with all of them. He has always been a great sportsman and even when he was clearly intentionally taken out, he has never yelled at anyone or went to get even. I think he is the most mature, humble racer in all of IMCA. I could not be prouder of how he handles himself and his ability to just ignore the comments and tantrums of others. A video is posted and sounds like most people agree it was just a racing thing. His car doesn’t have a mark on it so I am not sure how you hit someone else without evidence. All in all, it gave a lot of people a lot to talk about and gossip about. We heard some pretty ridiculous stories, not any of which are true. I am actually learning to laugh about it and ignore it as Matthew is teaching me how to do that!

Before I forget to mention it, they had a 50-50 at Salina that night, but they don’t know how to sell tickets the way Norton does. With a much smaller ground, Norton had $500 raised. They got to $150. Jordon and Steve couldn’t resist buying tickets at Norton and there was a trail of tickets after the races in the pits. Let’s just say the girl selling them was dressed for success. I swear, I will laugh every time I see a 50-50 now.

Matthew and his crew head home as Matthew has to open at Cabela’s Saturday morning. Steve, Jacob, Abbey, Bryan, Amber and I go out for breakfast and then to the motel. The next morning, the boys change gears in the parking lot and we head up to Mayetta. Races start out really well with Jacob getting 2^nd in his heat and Matthew winning his. First points race of the year, so it is a draw-redraw. Of course, both boys draw high numbers which put them back in the middle of the pack. Both of them manage to dodge wrecks and apparently, I almost pull Abbey’s arm out of her socket. LOL.

Jacob has a great start and is in the top five with a pack in either the first or second lap of the race. Then, coming out of turn four, a car spins. Jacob dives up high and misses it by a mile, but the other car that dodges it dives right up into Jacob hitting him really hard in the rear quarter panel. Jacob hangs on driving through it, but the front two cars really were able to pull ahead during the incident. They never threw a caution because the car that spun out got going again. So, it was a caution free race. Jacob was gaining ground on the 2^nd place car, but he ran out of laps. He took 3^rd. It was exciting and fun to watch him. He loves that track and he really knows how to drive it.

Matthew also had a great start and worked him way through the pack. Before I knew it, it was him and B racing for 2^nd and 3^rd place. I was having a lot of fun watching them, but I was pretty sure B had broke because I saw him making the mistakes and thought, what the heck is going on. Still, Matthew was moving on to run for first, so my eyes were on him with one lap to go. They came out of turn four side by side and Matthew lost by inches. It was so fun and we’ll take 2^nd place anytime with such a great race as that. I know he had fun. We arrive in tech, and Amber is laughing and saying how awesome that is. I am thinking, yeah, it was awesome to see him and Matthew racing. Then, I finally see it. The top piece of his hood had blown up and was covering the whole front meaning he was driving almost the whole race blind. I knew something was wrong during the race, but never imagined that was it. He took 3^rd place like that! Hell of a driver. I am proud of him too. It was a great weekend being together and I love my family so much. Just missed two members as Randy and Angie weren't there.

Matthew and Clayton take off because Matthew has to open again on Sunday. I am hoping when finals is over, he can work more weekdays and get some weekends off because the stress of the kids driving back so late at night is killing me. Plus, I want them with me an entire weekend! Jacob and Abbey help us load up. Abbey dove in this weekend and ran the jack, changed her first tires, and did all kinds of work to help out Jacob. She also reminded me where we needed to stand for Matthew’s race! No superstition here.

Next weekend is a three-night show starting again in Salina on Friday, then Mayetta and Wakeeney on Sunday. I hope our streak can continue. I am truly thankful for the way the season has started so far. There are videos on You Tube and via Dirt Track Central. I will try to post a link on the home page of crowellracing.com. First, I need a nap!

~CBR Mom

If You Don't Try, You Don't Learn

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:46:40 GMT

April 20 - Opening night at Salina speedway and if it wasn't the roughest track we have ever seen, it was right there at the top. Matthew said early that tonight, it wouldn't be about who made a mistake, but rather how you could recover from the mistake. He was exactly right. Everyone would hit a rut which would cause the race car to move and either create the opening or someone would not control their car and spin out.

Both boys finished 3rd in the heat race. The SportMod race had so many cautions that the track gave up and did a green, white, checkered finish. I am not sure how many actually laps they even ran, but it wasn't many. Matthew and Bryan got to race each other for a little bit and I enjoyed watching that. I can't wait for a track where they can truly race. Matt finished 4th out of 21 cars. At least we know for sure they fixed the transmission problems now cause if it was going to break, it should have shook apart there!

Jacob had 20 cars in his pack and not as many cautions. The boys dove in and changed a spring with very little time between heats and features. He ended up 10th. He definitely wasn't happy with his finish. Next morning is a gear change and found a shock had broke on Jacob's car. As rough as the track was, Steve is expecting there to be more broke.

Saturday it is on to Norton and the half-mile track. Jacob gets 4th in his heat and Matthew finished 3rd. Heat races still had mud on the track. By feature time, it was a totally different track - especially after the Sprint cars ran.

Matthew was really loose and struggling to gain spots. He had a couple of really awesome starts. Ended up finishing 6th.

Jacob had a heck of a race. Started off and Steve thought it was just time for a new motor. Then, officials told Jacob on the radio he had a flat tire and he had to pull off. He drove into pits and there was not flat. Luckily, another car had stopped so there was a caution. Jacob still had to start in the back though cause he had went to the pits. Well, then he was flat mad. Drove completely different. Came back and got 5th. Brian and him got hooked up on back stretch racing each other hard. Later, Jacob apologized and he was also apologizing thinking it was his fault so that was good, hard racing. Very cool. Jacob and the 4th place car were neck and neck at the finish so that was really cool too.

After the races, Matthew and Jordon flew home as Matthew had to work at Cabelas on Sunday. Thanks to Jordon for driving him. And Friday night, Rylee, Clayton, Tyler and Blake helped out in the pits. I love it when everyone is with us! But, Abbey had to work so she watched over Sandy.

Another gear change Sunday morning, some lunch at Effie's and off to Wakeeney. Jacob finished 2nd in his heat race. There was a lot of cars there and we expected the track to take some rubber, but it never really did. It was smooth and slick as ice. In the heat race, there was a huge wreck and in an instance, I saw our whole, fun weekend ending in major disappointment. A car in the front of the pack spins out coming out of turn four on the first lap with the whole pack behind and Jacob right in the middle. I didn't think he had any place to go as cars dodged everywhere and the dirt flew. When the cloud of dirt settled, I said where is he? He had made it through. One car hit the wall and was done while others had minor damage. Turned out, Jacob did get some of it too with his front, left fender caved in and the bumper almost knocked off. Uncle Rich, Dad and I did repairs and the feature was pretty good. Jacob held on to 4th place with three really fast, experienced drivers right in front of him. He was right there with them. Awesome weekend came to a close. So much fun. Just a great weekend with everyone.

Now, it is 4 AM and I am running to catch a flight. Back on Friday so we can do it all again! Salina Friday night and Mayetta Saturday night. See you there!

~CBR Mom

Did You Miss Us?

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:55:11 GMT

April 9 - Are you having withdrawal? We didn't race anywhere last weekend. The boys made all the repairs to the race cars. Built a new front bummer for Jacob and hooked up Matthew's transmission. Steve is washing out the trailer as I type this so we are getting organized and ready. However, this weekend is prom, so Jacob won't be racing at Salina. He wants to go to Wakeeney on Sunday, so we'll see what time he gets home from prom. I haven't heard from Matthew yet if he is racing Salina.

I added some pictures at www.crowellracing.com from our first two races. Also, if you want to see Jacob's race at Thunder Hill, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDwsIU4cbg

There is lap traffic so kind of hard to tell, but Jacob does finish 4th. Matthew's race is there to, but he broke on the first lap that Sunday when they were filming. I didn't get his win the night before.

So, that's all for this week. Enjoy the video.

~CBR Mom

Non-stop Fun!

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:19:09 GMT

March 30 – We travel to Mayetta for Thunder on the Hill’s 2-day show. Steve, Jacob and I head out first thing Saturday morning. Matthew has to work in the morning, so Clayton and Fox join him on the road arriving just in time for hot laps. The girls have to work on Sunday, so Rylee and Abbey arrive separately. Meeting us there is Grandpa Brandt, Uncle Rich, Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Clarence. Hey – some people go to movies and dinner. We drive and eat dirt. HA!

Saturday was an awesome day with qualifying races for Sunday’s A-features. Jacob ran great and with 11 cars in the field total, he only got to run one race as they would all move to the A-feature. He ended up 3^rd in his heat race if I remember right! That seems like a long time ago and I should have taken notes. His exhaust bust in two and a shock broke so it was a good thing he was done for the day. Thanks to the Gemmill’s for letting us use their welder. Jacob and Steve had the repairs complete before leaving the track that night.

Matthew ran two races and he won the qualifying race that night! It was exciting. At one point, he had a solid lead and the yellow came out. I slapped my hand down at my side in frustration and accidently hit Rylee on the leg. Lucky it didn’t bruise her! Bryan made his way to second and was behind Matthew and catching him fast. During one caution, I saw Bryan running up beside Matthew on the parade laps saying “I’m here son…” Later, I teased him as I knew he was trying to shake Matthew. He grinned and said something like hey it is a mental game as much as physical. I KNEW I was right. Thing is, you can’t shake Matthew. LOL. Don’t know if he would have gotten around him because the checkers flew. It was fun, but what was even more fun was this gave Matthew the pole and Bryan the outside pole for the main feature on Sunday. I was so excited to see the two of them race each other.

We went to the casino and the bad luck began. Looking back, it was a sign. We should have went home then! What I lost, Steve won so we were breaking even until Steve tried to get ahead. We won’t be back to the casino until the last race of the season, so that’s all I’ll say about that! We all had some good times together and I love just being with my family. Personally, if we could have all just sit around and played cards, I would have been in heaven.

Sunday morning, I get the girls briefly with an April’s Fools and even fools the boys for a few seconds. LOL. We see the girls off so they can get to work. We get to the track and Jacob runs first. He starts mid-pack and is driving so good working his way to the front. It was so much fun to watch him. He is so smooth. I see other cars coming out of the turns all squirrelly while he is just as smooth as can be. He has made his way to either second or third place – I can’t really tell because I am video taping the race. The sun is bright and it is really hard to see and video and cheer. Then, a lead car spins out right in the middle of three and four. Jacob comes around and sees it in time to shut down as much as possible hitting him hard enough to push his front end in to the radiator but saving it as he got it shut down in time. Good driving on his part. Now, here is where it gets interesting. At ANY other track, he would get his spot back – no question. Not here. He stopped so he goes to the back too! This is so unbelievable to me. We love this track and the people running it. Their tech is the fairest and best in the state. But, if they won’t referee the races, then the worst drivers can take someone out and get to run the races in the end. I am still frustrated with it. Jacob should have gotten his spot back and if he didn’t win it, he would have definitely gotten second. Instead, he was put to the back. Somehow he drove up to finish 4^th. I am planning to post the video on You Tube so all can see it. Oh – and even videotaping, I could tell the brake checking that was happening during the final restart and they still dropped the green. Again, seriously?! It looked like pure chaos and there is my son in the middle of it like a sandwich driving his way through it. To say I am mad is an understatement. Jacob was mad too but he did a great job controlling it. I am so very proud of him. He is amazing.

Matthew and Bryan enter the track leading the full field. I am so excited. No matter what, we are going to see a great race because I know my son will be right there racing our National Champion! Really, this is so cool. And, then it wasn’t. It turned unbelievably disappointing immediately. First lap and Matthew’s transmission breaks. We are all mad at the mechanical defeat. Boy, what a lousy day! On the other hand, we all worked well together and I so appreciate all the kids being there. We are rich and lucky at love and family even if we are poor in luck when it comes to racing, money or casinos! So now, the boys will dive in and try to figure out what is still wrong with the transmissions that plagued us last year and followed us into this year. We have the next two weekends off from racing as Jacob and Abbey have Prom one weekend. Well, the 15^th is Wakeeney and Jacob says he wants to go even if he gets home late from Prom so we’ll see. We’ll likely make that race and then the 20^th is opening night at Salina. The non-stop fun has definitely begun!

~CBR Mom

Jacob Starts His Season

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:56:49 GMT

March 24 - First race of the season for Jacob and he managed a top ten as mechanical problems held him back.

Before leaving for the track, Grandma Effie brought us a picnic to the shop including an awesome race car cake for Jacob's birthday. Steve had a melt down saying it was bad luck cause we had major problems in the past whenever there was cake brought to the track. So we all agreed to wait until the next day to cut it.

Jacob took 2nd in his heat and was right there with Cheeseburger. On the redraw, he got 10th so out of field of 21, he would start 10th. Matthew always got bad redraws like this so we teased him about following in big brother's footsteps. During the race, Cheeseburger slid up and hit Jacob in the left rear. After the race, we teased Cheeseburger about being the first to dent our pretty new race car. Jacob pointed out it was at least orange on orange.

In the feature, Jacob looked like a rocket. He passed several cars and was doing great and then, something broke. Not sure yet if it was the carburetor, fuel pump or something else. He held on for 10th. Of course, Steve blames the cake!

Abbey had her first racing adventure. She scraped mud and learned to prep the helmet. It wasn't a bad night, but it wasn't great either. Steve was just happy the car was good and that Jacob drove her so well. Abbey had fun and loves racing.

On the drive home, Steve says "unexplained mechanical failures are due to the cake, so even though Matt has already planned to spend his 21 birthday at Boone, no cake or candles allowed!" That's two years away, so maybe he'll forget by then. I doubt it.

Next weekend, we'll have both boys with us in Mayetta for a two-day race. Matthew is anxious to get his first race in and Jacob is definitely ready. I need to get back in the whole groove! I didn't even have the cooler ready last weekend.

~CBR Mom

It Is Time To Go Racing!

Crowell Bros Racing — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:23:57 GMT

February 28, 2012: I’ve been asked repeatedly for a racing update, but Randy pushed me over the edge so once again, just for Randy, it is time to get started with our 2012 Season!

[Note I wrote this in February but too busy to get it posted until March!]

First of all, our first schedule of the year is now posted on crowellracing.com. You’ll notice a new track is added this year as Salina has been sanctioned by IMCA. They are running Friday nights. It is much closer for us than Hays and there is definitely nothing to pull us back to Hays at this point. Saturday nights we will head up to Mayetta. The track is impressive there, their tech ensures no one is cheating, and the staff and owners go out of their way to welcome you. It is a long drive, but worth it. Sunday night, we will drive to Wakeeney. Hoping our luck there finally turns around this year. We will add in the fair races once we know those schedules. We also hope to get to Goodland at some point as it is one of our favorite tracks and they run great races there. It is just too long of a pull during school.

In the off-season, we all traveled to the IMCA Banquet and got to celebrate. Jacob ended up 2^nd in National Rookie Points and won the Hutchinson Track Championship along with his mentor Randy Wilson who took the Modified Division there. Bryan LaRiviere took the National Championship in the SportMod and we were honored to celebrate with his family. It was a special weekend with a lot of moments to cherish. We also got to celebrate Bryan and Amber’s wedding in the off-season. We are all so blessed to have friends that are family. What a special group of people. I am thankful for each of them and love them more than words can say. I miss everyone when we are not racing. The best weekends to come this year will be those rare weekends when our entire family is there and that is a long list of names, but you know who you are!!

School will definitely play a factor again this year on Matthew’s racing schedule. He is full-time at Wichita State University and he also has a job at Cabela’s. Between the cost of tuition, books and fuel, we are all struggling. Matthew needs to get some racing in as it is definitely a stress release plus he needs to have some fun. But, we also all know that school comes first and his job second, so racing has to take a back seat. Oh, I should mention Rylee is also a priority, but she has crossed over to a full-fledged racing girlfriend, so when they have a chance to race, she’ll be right there scraping mud and making sure Matthew ends up in winner’s circle. So, his limited schedule will be better than no schedule at all. Steve feels like he found the source of all the transmission problems last year, so they are getting the SportMod back together now. Matthew spent last weekend putting on new sheet metal. I need to finish his stickers. Rylee jumped in running the drill and mastered the rivet gun too! And she didn’t even break a nail.

Jacob will return in the Hobby Stock and his goal is a track championship. He definitely now has the experience he needs and if we can start the season the way we ended last year with top fives and wins, then I have no doubt he can make this happen. Jacob is in his sophomore year of high school now and doing a great job with mostly all A’s. His Spanish needs help, but he is a math whiz and a pretty talented writer in my opinion even if the English teacher doesn’t always agree with me. Steve has spent the off-season building Jacob a new race car from scratch. After all the rolls and wrecks from last year, we no longer trusted it. Now, we have our first Crowell Built Racecar. We used to tease Steve that he built fences and mailboxes that would survive a tornado. I have no doubt that will be the case with the racecar as well. They are putting in the RPM Engine now and working to get it race ready. I am finishing the sticker work. I’ve gotten a lot of help this year from Rylee, Tamee and Jacob’s girlfriend, Abbey. Abbey will see Jacob race for the first time in March, so we have a new one to break in this season.

The first race is March 24 in Wakeeney. I am sure after virtually no winter, that as long as we are ready to race, it will probably snow that weekend! If we aren’t ready, I predict 75 degrees. I am kidding a little bit here. I did post a few pictures on www.crowellracing.com so check them out.

Update March 22: A lot of progress in the last month. I’ll post more pictures after the races this weekend. We are definitely ready to go. Matthew has to work all weekend, so it will just be Jacob on the track. Wish us luck and join us Saturday in Wakeeney if you can!

~CBR Mom

Congratulations Jacob!

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:16:29 GMT

October 1 - It is official. Jacob finished 2^nd in National Rookie Points. I think this is a great achievement at his age and shows he has built a good foundation of skills for next year. Who knows what he’ll be able to do with a straight car! The boys are already hard at work building it.

So, as I close out our 2011 season, I want to be sure to say thank you to our family and friends. I need to give special thanks to our engine builder, Randy Wilson and congratulate him on being the IMCA Northern SportMod Engine Builder of the Year. To Bryan LaRiviare, thanks for the coaching and support and also congratulations to him on his National SportMod Championship. Wow – it sure feels great to be in such great company! Actually, it is an honor. And, I could not be prouder of both of them along with their significant others who make it all happen, Angie and Amber. Thanks to Richard Wilson for building us a great chassis that has held up through a lot of beating and banging. And, I definitely recognize that none of us would probably be racing if not for their Dad, Rich Wilson, so a thank you to him. I know he is proud of what his boys are doing. I hope he is watching along with my Mom and Tim and we are keeping them all entertained as they watch over us.

A huge thank you goes out to Frying Pan Racing, Xtreme Motor Sports and Photos by Red. We appreciate all you do for us. Every weekend, Uncle Rich gets Great-Grandma and Grandpa to the races and works hard for us in the pits as well as rounding up parts for us along the way. I can’t thank him enough. Thanks also to Grandpa Brandt for finding us those hard to find pieces! And to Grandma Effie for feeding us. And to our fan club, especially Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Clarence, Grandma and Grandpa Crowell, Ms. Rylee and the Henderson’s for all of their love and support. I treasure every moment we have had – both the good and the bad – and it is fun to laugh now at the bad times. Some of the best stories even come out of those nights! I love Ryle’s no yelling rule. She supports, coaches and helps Matthew in so many ways and it is so wonderful to watch them win together. I appreciate all she does for us.

The kids are at hunter’s safety so they are already getting ready for winter activities. Racing never really ends as we have a lot of work to do to get ready for next year. And I have a lot of video from this season if I can find the time to post it. My final words of 2011 season would be to thank the three men in my life that make me so very proud each and every day. To my wonderful sons, Matthew and Jacob, and the best husband ever, Steve, I am so very blessed to have you in my life and love you more each and every day. I mostly only write about the races, but behind the scenes Steve works harder than anyone I know to make all of this happen. He never gets enough credit and thanks. We ran our first race in November of 2001. I never dreamed it would all lead to what we are doing today, but Steve really led the way and gave us all quite a decade. I love you more than words can express and am so very thankful for you. I am looking forward to the next decade - on and off the track - TOGETHER as only CBR can do it!

~CBR Mom

Bittersweet Season Finale

Crowell Bros Racing — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:41:55 GMT

September 23 – We all travel to Mayetta for Thunder on the Hill’s two-day show and the last points racing of the season. Friday night we had a pretty decent night considering how it started. First, the officials came over and informed Steve and Jacob that they needed to remove the regulator for tomorrow’s show as it is now illegal to run. This would be three years of running it that way, through tech at Boone and how many times in tech now at Mayetta, yet all of a sudden, it is illegal. Steve was a little worried about getting the carburetor to run right with it off. He also pointed out he would appreciate it if they would spell it out in the rules next year.

Now, as I have written about before, in the heat races there, if you spin out or stop for any reason, you have to leave the track. Due to the car count, only top 2 went to A-main. During Matthew’s race, there were two wrecks at the same time on opposite ends of the track. That only left Matthew and one other car that didn’t stop, yet for some reason, two cars get their spots back and Matthew is put at the back even though he wasn’t involved in any of it. There are bad calls in every sport, and I truly feel we got completely screwed on that. So, Matthew went on to the B-main where he ran up to a second place! Then, in the A-feature, he was doing great, working his way through traffic and was clearly a top five car. Guess what happens when Matthew is running 6th. A guy spins out and Matthew stops to avoid hitting him. Matthew is put to the back! Apparently now the rule is anyone that stops in the A feature also goes to the back. Seriously, I am still mad about it. Matthew could have drove through the guy, or he could have dived up hitting two cars on the side and kept going, but he did the right think in controlling his car and hitting no one and is then penalized for it! For a track that I am so impressed with in terms of running a fair tech lane to then have such a completely unfair ruling on the track could not be more contradictory. I am really impressed with so much of what they do at the track, so I want to be clear on that. But, this night, all I can say is, Matthew was not treated fairly and as a result, he ended up 12^th. He lost first gear early in the night and was leaking fluid. We wouldn’t learn until the next day why.

Jacob just couldn’t look smoother on the track. I am so impressed with his driving. He can pass everyone clean, unlike the 27 car. I literally watched that man hit every single car in order to pass them, including Jacob. I posted on Facebook I would like the definition of aggressive driving. Ok, I’ll just stop on that one. Let me just say that Jacob worked hard on his car and then drove it to a 5^th place finish. You could tell when something went wrong during the race, because he was higher up and then you saw it start to slow down, so he had to drive hard to maintain. Turns out he broke a rocker arm.

The next day, us girls found a hard tub, while the rest of the fan club found the casino. The boys, however, went to work on the cars. Jacob did all of his prep work by himself. He replaced the rocker arm and set the values. Matthew and Steve tore into the SportMod to try to find the problem. Steve broke some part while fixing the brakes, so Grandpa Brandt and Uncle Rich made an emergency parts run to Topeka. In the end, the part wouldn’t matter. Just as they were getting ready for hot laps, the find they crack in the transmission. He is done for the night. Wow, what a way to start the evening. I think I was probably the most disappointed one in the pits.

Matthew went straight to work helping Jacob. A really crappy evening (the bitter part) eventually turned out pretty sweet. Jacob drove that car up to 2^nd place. I am hoping the video will be on You Tube. It was one heck of a race and he made some unbelievable passes. It felt like 50 laps. I didn’t think the white flag was ever going to fly. We were all very proud of him. What a great finish. And, I am pretty sure this will get him enough points to move into 2^nd place in the nation in Rookie points. I wish we could have gotten him to first of course. But he is 15, so he has a lot of races ahead of him. And he finished the season with a very impressive record overall.

Jacob ends his 2011 season with 3 wins, 16 Top Five’s, 16 Top Ten’s, 9 Top Fifteen and 2 top Twenty. Steve has already started building him a new car for next year. He’ll have to practice to learn to drive something that is straight! Matthew will continue to run a limited schedule as he focuses on college. We had talked about running the race in Salina in October, but losing another transmission took care of that. We’ll concentrate now on school, getting ready for 2012 season, wrestling season, and hunting season.

So, to close out this season, I only have one final comment. There are a lot of people to thank as we wouldn’t be racing without them. Our family and friends are so supportive and I feel so lucky to spend almost every weekend with them. There is one name I need to point out though and that is to thank the Wilson Family. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be racing at all. I wish we could have brought them the Rookie title to add to the engine builder awards and to their legacy. Hopefully, we can pull a title sometime in the future. But, even if we never get a title, they have given us a gift and I hope they know how very much we appreciate them.

Enjoy the off-season. We’ll be hard at work getting ready for 2012. I think I already can’t wait!

~CBR Mom

Outstanding Weekend!

Crowell Bros Racing — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:16:31 GMT

September 16 – Note: This is last weekend's blog. I tried to post Monday morning at 3 AM but Web Site was down. So, here is the original write-up. Should get you excited for tonight!!

Matthew has to work and has also joined the race team at WSU, so he plans to meet up with us on Saturday. Jacob, Steve and I head to Hays for the last race of the season for us at RPM. In the heat, Jacob’s tires were spinning and he just couldn’t go. As a result, he starts 18th out of 19 cars in the feature. He did a great job working his way up to 9th! There is one car that can’t go one single race with hitting him, but this time, Jacob gave him a shove back. Good for Jacob! Everyone that matters knows he races clean and the rest will never have a clue.

Saturday, we all travel to Mayetta where Matthew and Rylee meet us. The night starts off perfectly with both boys winning their heat race! It was so much fun. The mist starts and the track does a great job keeping the races going ahead of the rain. Rylee says all she wants is a picture with Matthew in victory lane. He told her he starts in the middle and would do his best to get to the front and she coached him until he said, “I am going to go out and win.”

Matthew runs his feature before Jacob and out of a full field of 19 cars, he picks them off one by one and takes the win! It was so exciting. Rylee got her picture and her trophy. Could not be more proud. Our pic is posted on ThunderHill’s Web Site.

Jacob has ten cars in his feature and also starts in the middle. He does a perfect job working his way through and ends with a solid 3rd place. They just didn’t have the right gear for the way the track ended up that night. He couldn’t get closer to the top two cars. But, he made it in post-tech and the goal was always top fives.

You can watch both of their races on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAH9FgxHuqI

Matthew’s is the second race in the video and Jacob’s is third.

Grandpa Carl, Grandma Effie and Uncle Rich all joined us for a family picture to close out the night. The smiles on our faces say it all. And as we start driving, the texts start flying. B and Amber have won the National Championship! Congratulations to them. And that gets our engine builder, Randy Wilson, his championship. Wow. What an incredible night. Wish I could bottle it. I am so proud and so blessed to be a part of this amazing group of family (and our friends are part of that family as one of them pointed out back to me!) so when I say family, you all know who you are – there for the good and the bad times. I could not love or appreciate this group of people more.

Started off Sunday wishing Randy a Happy Birthday with everyone at Effie’s. Hearing his stories is awesome. I could listen all day. Blake and Rylee drove Matthew while Matthew finished his homework. At the track, Jacob worked on his homework. At Wakeeney, Jacob brought in a 7th place while Matthew finished 8th. Did a gear change between races on Matthew to try something new. Never done that before!

I’m on a flight in less than an hour so no sleep for Mom and Dad! Gotta run, but next weekend it is the final points races of the season and we’ll end it at Mayetta!

Making Memories!

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:16:08 GMT

September 2 – Jacob, Steve and I travel to Hays while Rylee, Matthew and his pit crew travel to Salina to race. This will be the first time Matthew has raced without us, but he could not make it to Hays after work and since he is not running for points, Salina is the closest option for him. He has had a full week of college, work, and getting race ready on his own. Rylee helped him out as well and the two of them just could not be any cuter together. Jacob and Steve had a full week putting in a new engine and repairing the right side after a major wreck at Wakeeney last Sunday. Jacob was hit so hard from behind that it pushed his hans into him bruising his shoulders and it caused a tire to roll off the rim which in turn, caused him to lose control. Then, he was hit full on so hard it broke the roll cage away. So, the repairs were extensive and after school and homework, Jacob worked all evening on his car. When I landed, the first job that I had was to make a new number sticker for his door. I think it was fair to say everyone was exhausted going into the weekend.

The conditions at Hays were poor. It rained off and on and sprinkled most of the evening. The mist and the sprint cars is a bad combo and it made for a tough track to figure out. Even veteran drivers said it was hard to setup their car. Jacob looked perfect in the heat race, but by the feature, it was evident everything was wrong. He just kept losing spots. He was also getting bumped and hit constantly. He finished 13^th out of 18 cars. It is fair to say he was disappointed, mad and frustrated. After all that work, it was not the finish he expected. Steve and Jacob went to work the next morning on the car and found the upper trailing arm was bent and bearings pushed out so rubbing metal on metal. This combined with wrong setup and likely the wrong gear as well was more than Jacob could overcome trying to figure out how to drive it. Steve tries to look for that kind of stuff being bent, but there are an awful lot of parts on cars so no way to catch everything I think.

During the whole evening, I kept waiting on racing updates and getting more nervous by the minute when I had not heard anything. But Rylee’s first text made us all laugh. 4^th in the heat race and there are only port-a-potties in the pits. She is so cute! Since it was Matthew’s first time there, he starts in the back and the feature sounded pretty exciting. He made his way up to third and was passing for the lead when the car in front spun out putting Matthew and the other car into the wall. Then, they put Matthew and the other car to the back as they could not tell who caused the wreck. Matthew made his way back up to 6^th. The car only had a bent tie rod. Rylee said it was so exciting to watch him get to the front, then she was mad when he was wrecked, then excited again. Overall, great night and I could not be prouder of all the kids. His friends Clayton and Blake helped in the pits and Caitlyn cheered Matthew on.

Saturday, we were all planning to meet up at Mayetta. After changing gears and getting ready, the track announced it was rained out. So, we had to change the gear again and Matthew had to do the same as we all decided to head to Minneapolis. We were going to conquer the track. No, we did not succeed.

It started off great. Jacob won his heat race. But Matthew was the middle of a sandwich in his and took a bad hit that bent the frame. Steve thinks his SportMod is totaled. Frame is bent too far forward and does not think he can straighten the frame. Matthew had the pole, so he went on out and ran, but just kept fading back. Ended 9^th, but it is no fun to race if you cannot be competitive. His season is probably over and we are not sure what we are going to do. The car was supposed to last longer than that.

Matthew told Jacob to drive the bottom or the top as it was slime in the middle. Jacob’s car was tight so when he got up top, he could not turn it and lost a lot of spots. He found his line and then was looking pretty good until he made a mistake. Then, he recovered and made another mistake and went off the back stretch. He came back on and luckily there were no cars around him as he recovered control. He finished 7^th. I was so proud of his attitude. He knew what mistakes he had made, so he talked it over with his Dad and it was all good.

Steve’s summary of the night really said it best, “The racing was crappy, but the evening was quite pleasant.” We all worked together, everyone knew what the problems were and what mistakes they had made, and worked to try to fix it. At one point, Matthew was coaching Jacob and Steve laughed telling me he sounded exactly like Randy. I heard the advice and I can tell you with 100% certainty that I had heard Randy tell Matthew the exact same thing, but I never thought Matthew heard it. Just goes to show, they really are listening!

So, it was a great evening being together as a family. Great reminder of how lucky we are. Remember the saying, “Making memories with every mile.” My emotions were tangled being so disappointed and worried about how we are going to deal with the SportMod, but at the same time, being so happy to have all been together. We have made a lot of sacrifices in order to race, but seeing how hard the boys work and how much they have learned makes it all worthwhile. Oh, and I can’t forget to point out that Rylee ran the impact for the first time. Her fingernails are messed up, but the toes still look great! Orange with racing numbers. LOL.

Big thanks to Uncle Rich for always helping us out so much. Grandma Effie and Grandpa Carl drove a long way to cheer us on and finally got some relief from the heat straight to coats and blankets! Gotta love Kansas weather! We actually have next weekend off. Then, we return to Hays on Sept. 16, Mayetta on the 17^th, and back to Wakeeney on the 18^th. Hope the weather will be more cooperative. Only five races left for us in the points season for Jacob. Last race at Hays and Wakeeney for the season, so hope we see you there!

~CBR Mom

Good finishes for CBR!

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:19:41 GMT

August 27 – All of us travel to Mayetta with Rylee fighting to keep Matthew awake most of the trip. It is a fairly decent evening. A bit humid, but that seems to be the weather there most of the time. The heat races went well and the whole evening went pretty smoothly. Matthew’s engine was cutting out in the heat race, but while they never really figured out why, they seemed to have solved it for the feature. Matthew had 27 SportMods start in his feature and he started in 18^th position. Before the race ended, there were only nine cars left running and Matthew had dodged his way to a third place finish. I know I have said longest race before, but this really was the longest race ever!

Jacob had twelve cars in his feature and he started in 6^th position. But, on the first turn, he got hit it felt like from all sides to me, but we quickly saw he had a tire cut down from it. He stopped and caused the caution to fly. He came into the pit and Steve and I dove in and changed that tire as if we had done it a few times before. He started at the back of the field then and he worked his way up to 4^th. I think if he hadn’t have run out of laps, he could have gotten a couple more positions. He was pretty frustrated after the race, but we were just pretty proud. It was a great evening with the kids. We had fun all evening and I just love being together.

Back on the road, Rylee quickly secured her position first for a quick nap. I bumped Jacob from the front seat as we will arrive home at 2 AM and I am up at 4 AM to catch a flight for work. Worst part is I miss the race tonight at Wakeeney!

Next week, we are in Hays and back to Mayetta. Gotta run to catch my flight now!

~CBR Mom

Two Great Finishes at Stockton

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:31:42 GMT

August 17 – Steve and Jacob travel for a two-night show at the Stockton Fair. It will be Jacob’s first time on a half-mile track. I was in New York for work anxiously awaiting results. He finished 5^th in the feature! Top five on his first time on the track is super. He had a lot to learn and did it really quickly. For example, a half-mile track can get up to some pretty high speeds and knowing when to let off and get back on in the corners is different. Jacob’s experience and seat time driving different tracks is paying off. Everyone was really happy with his finish.

The next day, the boys picked me up at the airport, Grandma Effie joins us and we travel back to Stockton. It is a draw-redraw again, and Jacob doesn’t draw well for the feature. He will have to start in the 9^th position. The feature was one of the most exciting races yet. Jacob works his way through the field one by one. This takes a bit of time, but he works his way up to a solid 4^th position. By this time, he is quite a ways behind the 3^rd place car which happens to be Cheeseburger. For those that do not know him, Cheeseburger is the current State points leader and veteran racer so when we are running up with him, that is quite an achievement. Jacob is flying and each lap, he gains on Cheeseburger. Of course, this is one of those times when you wish there was a caution to bunch the field back up. Of course, you never get a caution when you want it and the race goes caution free. With three laps to go, Jacob has closed the distance and is close to Cheeseburger. With two to go, he is on his bumper, and with the white flag, he is diving in beside him. As they exit the last turn, they are side by side across the finish line with Jacob about a half a car ahead. You truly cannot imagine the concentration it took for Jacob to run that race the way he did. There was no room for error at all and he did a fantastic job. It was great to be in post-tech with the other drivers. It was great to have two nights in a row with such great finishes.

Friday morning, the boys are changing the gear and going through the car to prepare for Hays. We arrive at the track ready to keep the momentum going for a third night when the storm moves in and they have no choice but to cancel the race. So, the boys decide to change the gear that night to prepare for Mayetta the next day and this way, they can sleep in the next morning. However, we wake up to a text message that Mayetta is cancelled. So, now we are in search of a race as we try to gain National points. And, yes, they get to change the gear yet again.

Not an easy decision as there are three tracks running, yet we need the car count so we end up choosing Minneapolis after much debate and even consultation through text messages and phone calls. Matthew can catch a ride with B and join us at Minnie after Matthew gets off work. Well, I think it was a decision we wish we could take back. But, that is racing and for whatever reason, our bad luck at Minnie seems to outweigh the good. Matthew had another transmission break in the heat, so he did not get to run. Jacob had two cars crash in front of him and as he came up the front stretch, he had the wall on one side and cars on the other, so while he tried to slow down, he still hit the two cars that had crashed head on. They can fix the damage, but at that point, I think exhaustion, frustration and disappointment over-ruled and the boys loaded it up. As they say, that is racing. If you cannot take disappointment, do not race. How many times have I written that one?!

It is a new day, so time to get to work on the cars. Obviously, there is a lot to do before next weekend. And Jacob already has a load of homework as well while Matthew starts college tomorrow. So, as if we could not get any busier, I guess we will juggle more! The points season ends on September 25, so only one more month of racing left in the season. We hope the weather cooperates and lets us get in the remaining scheduled races. Next weekend, we will return to Mayetta on Saturday and the boys will travel on to Wakeeney for a make-up race while I race to the airport. I couldn’t schedule work around that one since it is a make-up race. Hopefully, Hays will be able to add a make-up race as well, but we don’t know yet.

~CBR Mom

Jacob Wins at Thunder Hill!

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:45:51 GMT

August 13 – We made the long journey to Mayetta with high hopes for another top five. Matthew had all four of his wisdom teeth pulled the day before, so we had to sit him on the bench. That morning, he told me he thought he could race if he could get his helmet on! Well, his cheeks were swollen and painful to touch, so I told him even if he got his helmet on, I am pretty sure his head would move and it was not really a good idea.

Jacob ran his hot laps and really was watching for the track changing all night to be on top of adjustments. Even with one car, the whole night seemed to be busy and fly by. In Jacob’s heat race, two cars got into each other right in front of Jacob. I saw it coming and did not think there was anyway Jacob could miss them. I grabbed Steve’s arm and my heart rate soared as Jacob flew off the backstretch – which by the way has a solid concrete wall not far off the track – and Jacob went around the wreck and back on the track. I let my breathe out that I had been holding for those few seconds or milliseconds – whatever it was, I was actually shaking! He finished second in that heat. There is an element of skill to avoid such a wreck, but also luck as well because that would have sure ruined our night. You can see how Jacob continues to improve his driving skills with every single race. I am so proud of him.

He started fourth row, inside for the feature with 13 cars. It took him about half the race I think to work his way up to second place. Then, I was just hoping to keep second and wanting that white flag to come out. But the lap before it flew, the 3^rd place car got around Jacob. So, of course, I wanted more laps then! The white flag flew and they were side by side through that last lap. Jacob got him coming out of turn four and I think he was a full car length ahead when the checkered flew. I am going to have to watch the tape to be sure. I was pretty excited. We felt great thinking he brought home another second. But the story does not end there.

Now I might have mentioned that this is the best post-tech in the whole state – if not the whole nation. Jacob pulled in and they are going to whistle the motors which in my layman’s terms (sorry if I get this wrong), means they check the compression because there is a tolerance you have to stay within by the rules. If you are over 90 I think it is, then you are cheating as your engine is running too hot which is making you faster than everyone else illegally. Jacob gets teched first and of course, with a Wilson built engine, he passes just fine. He pulls back to the trailer and we start loading up. Now, this type of tech of the top four cars takes a while so we are just getting ready to load the car when we realize all the races are over and they are still in tech with the hobbies so Jacob’s check is not ready yet either. He runs to get some food when the track official comes by asking where Jacob is because he has just won! First place was disqualified!

Jacob went back on the track for his picture (which is already posted on Thunder Hill’s home page this morning!) Gotta love that too. I got to follow on the ATV. Now, we all look at that track and see the banking, but it is a whole lot more fun to drive on it. WOW is all I can say. Jacob takes his first win at Thunder Hill. I know there are plenty more to come, but it was so great to see. He had just been talking about how close he has been there now several times so I am glad his hard work paid off.

And, without Randy Wilson, it would never have happened. Can’t thank him enough. Words don’t express our appreciation for all he does for us. The more I have learned in this sport the last few years, the more my admiration has grown for the Wilsons. So, I know B is racking up the wins for RPM and glad we can contribute as well as this is part of Randy’s record as well as ours. THANK YOU!

Boys are already up going through everything on the car to get ready for Wakeeney tonight. I am hoping weather cooperates with us this time around. Again, our goal is a top five. I have to fly out at 5:30 AM Monday morning for work, so again, this might be the only blog of the weekend (unless I don’t go to bed at all tonight). Next week, we have four nights of racing! Wednesday and Thursday we will be at the Stockton Fair Races, then Hays on Friday night and return to Mayetta on Saturday. That is how Jacob will start his first week of his sophomore year of school! Pretty good deal, huh!

~CBR Mom

Best weekend yet!

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:32:07 GMT

August 5 - We return to Hays and the heat race was a good indicator of the weekend ahead as Jacob raced side by side with Cheeeseburger for several laps. It was quite exciting for most of that race until water was spirting from the car as he pulled through tech after the heat. The boys changed the radiator cap and everything else looked fine but that had me worried. It did not seem to be anything though.

Eighteen cars in the feature and Jacob started 3 row inside. He ran in 4th place for most of the race. He got spun out getting hit in left rear quarter panel coming out of turn two but the other guy was charged with the obvious and Jacob got his spot back. We teased him later that he spun in circles about as many times as he had rolled. Jacob is tiring of the rolling jokes. The top four cars to finish are top four in points at this track and very few points seperate them. Jacob was right there with them and while Pfannenstiel got him on last lap coming out of turn four, we were proud of that 5th place finish. Perfect driving with the big dogs. He showed his talent racing them clean and never giving them a centimeter! He left some orange paint on the front stretch wall a couple of times that night. They can try to push him up but he isn't backing down! Too much fun to watch.

On Saturday, we travel back to Mayetta. Matthew couldn't get off work on Friday, but him, Ty and Rylee drove up to meet us there. Ry had a blond moment when we went to visit Grandma Effie and Grandpa Carl in the stands wondering what had happened to her name on Matthew's car. They were mudding in the track going backwards, so her name was on the other side. I teased her that was how she would find out if they broke up - if her name was no longer on the car. It was a good for a laugh and later, when we were watching Matthew race, I said, "hey - you're name is back!"

Ty and Uncle Rich were both huge help in the pits that night. We just had a fantastic night with both boys making it to post-tech! (That means you score in the top 4 in the feature). Matthew ran first and had 22 cars in his feature. He drove a fantastic race earning the 4th place finish. He dodged several wrecks and it was exciting to watch.

Jacob had nine cars in his feature and started in the middle. He drove it up to first place and I'm not really sure what happened as he was coming out of turn 2 pretty early in the race, but him and another car got together. Jacob held on to it but dropped back several positions. He then drove it up to third and it was looking like that would be it when the front two cars got together and the one spun out which moved Jacob up to second. Unfortunately, then we ran out of laps or I am sure he would have battled back for first.

Both boys are in tech. Thanks to RPM for giving us such great motors to be able to race! What a great night. Nothing tore up. That reminds me, Andrew Towne posted some great pics that he took of Jacob's roll. I added them at the bottom of this page. Just scroll down:

http://www.crowellracing.com/photos/2011_Season/UpdatesandRollPics/index.html

If that doesn't make you cringe, I don't know what will! Boys went through every inch and every bolt of the car this past week after seeing those pics just to make sure nothing was bent or goofed up. It is hard to believe, but the damage is really just the roof and sheet metal. In the end, the hard work paid off with great finishes. Hope we can keep this momentum going! Next weekend, we will return to Mayetta on Saturday and then Wakeeney on Sunday.

~CBR Mom

Pics Added

Crowell Bros Racing — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:49:17 GMT

July 31 - Pics of the car and some other favorite photos now updated on http://www.crowellracing.com/. I didn't take any right after the roll over as we were too busy getting it ready to race. It looked a little worse with four flats and Steve did a little pounding on hood to get net secure. But, as you can see, she is holding up pretty darn well. When you see Jacob next, be sure to ask him if he is dizzy.

We are on to Wakeeney now. No one can say we ever give up easily!

~CBR Mom