Casey Smith On The Pole

[Casey19]

The way I saw it was Dale Little was entering turn 1 and checked up to keep from hitting Hunter Robbins who was loose and sliding up on I think Donald Long. The 10 car of Danny Bagwell came in hard and turn Little sideways pushing him up the banking in turn 2. Little was able to stop right at the top of the track and Bagwell went off the track.

Little got going and went in the pits. The drivers side of his car was damage from the rear to the front tire. Bagwell went around the outside of the track to the middle of the back stretch and just shot on the track when Casey Smith came along under yellow.

I looked at Little's car after the race and the grill from Bagwell's car was stuck in the drivers door. If Little had bump Bagwell how did Bagwell's grill get in Little's door? I heard that Bagwell was telling everyone that he was after Little when he hit Smith. I think he was trying to get back on the track ahead of the lead car. Why would Bagwell be after Little when Bagwell ran into the back of him in turn 1. Also Little's pits was very hot that Bagwell said he was trying to hit him.

Smith had the car of the field on this night for sure. We will see how this all plays out at Opp on May 3.

 

Gasman: The #10 crew who happened to be parked right next to us - said "Casey got what he deserved he hit us first" and there were several people standing there that heard it. Does Bagwell run Opp?

[dano36]

Sounds like Casey needs to either change # or paint scheme.

Unfortunately Casey was the victim of an idiot who has no business

driving a race car.

But your comment may be more fact than you realize. I read somewhere

years ago and it had to be in some racing mag that statistics had shown

that dark colored cars tend to be involved in more accidents than brighter

cars in night racing. It was suggesting that competitors paint something

on their car bright to be better seen as lighting condifions vary at different

tracks or even in different areas of the same track. Made sense.

[looneedude]

i was at the mis sat. night and was in the 99 pits very shotlry after the races

and i was for sure acting an ass letting the 10 car driver owner and crew know that we where more than willing to settle this issue now instead of later...but the police told me that if i didnt pipe down then they where going to throw me in jail...i didnt go to jail but was more than willing to do so....[edited out by Nick Holt, 4/14/08] ...i just think i aint even a crew member or relative of the smiths...congrats to pollard and the 26 crew some time you dont have to be the best car on the track to win...he and casey where checked out from the rest of the feild and it appeared that by the stop watch casey had plenty left if he needed it....lynn hardy

nick edited the best part about how bagwell ought to be competing in the special olympics

Edited April 16, 2008 by looneedude

[Montgomery Motorhead]

Bagwell used to race in the NASCAR Dash Series a good bit until NASCAR got rid of that series. I don't know if he is racing in a series now or not..........Looks to me like if you wreck a man and tear his car all to pieces you could at least have the common courtesy to go and apoligize to him.........I just wonder what the officials at Mobile Speedway had to say about this incident. Are they going to do anything to Bagwell.

[gasman71]

Casey19: I checked and Bagwell ran the Rattler in March.

[racedude]

From 51 site:

 

QUALIFYING RESULTS / STARTING GRID

1) #99 Casey Smith (17.126)

2) #26 Bubba Pollard (17.139)

3) #2 John Bolen (17.176)

4) #94 Mitch Cobb (17.185)

5) #82 Grant Enfinger (17.223)

6) #10 Ryan Crane (17..243)

7) #82 Donnie Wilson (17.260)

8) #6 Hunter Robbins (17.353)

9) #14 Adam Crawford (17.378)

10) #11 Donald Long (17.387)

11) #70 Jeff Choquette (17.427)

12) #49L Joey Logano (17.442)

13) #27 Jason Young (17.449)

14) #41 Chris Davidson (17.451)

15) #44 Michael Pope (17.515)

16) #43 Dennis Schoenfeld (17.524)

17) #96 Greg Davidson (17.546)

18) #96 Steven Davis (17.552)

19) #131 Jeff Letson (17.577)

20) #99 Dale Little (17.612)

21) #54 Todd McLemore (17.625)

22) #49 Stanley Smith (17.649)

23) #07 Jeff Scofield (17.652)

24) #1M Tim Martin (17.743)

25) #42 Kevin Rehwinkle (17.760)

26) #02 Matt Smith (17.852)

27) #3 Chris Serio (17.904)

28) #10 Danny Bagwell (17.994)

 

Danny Bagwell might be a veteran in the Dash Series, but he is a rookie in a Super Late Model. Bagwell said he is just in a learning process with these cars, which is something he is trying to do to stay behind the wheel since he doesn't know if the ISCARS Dash Series will survive another year

 

It appears that he was VERY slow and inexperienced against this field of drivers - which leads to my question - do you feel the tracks should mandate a certain critera like NASCAR before entering the SLM series - obviously everyone that has posted says how expensive these cars are - this is the premier series of short tracks so don't you think you must demonstrate and earn your right to enter the series?

Edited April 15, 2008 by racedude

[Vir]

All of the tracks that run SLM will let all of them that show up run. There are drivers in all the races that have no business being there, and all they do is ride around getting in the way. We always wonder how many cars some of these drivers will take out before they call it quits.

[racedude]

Just read this article. Casey is a Champion both on and off the track - I am sure this interview was done shortly after the race and he shows great maturity!

 

http://www.51sportsracing.com/2008_Stories...obile_4_15.html

[racer61]

So 9 tenths of a second slower than the leader on a short track is too slow? Im not trying to argue or defend anyone but think about what that would mean to short track racing. You cant race if your not experianced, or within a half second of the leader? You would end up loosing half the field and cutting the throat of short track racing. This guy made of pulled a bone-head move, but the officials are the ones that have the responsibility to keep this mess under control. I dont think rules to the cars are as much a problem now a days but rules on the track. More and more cars are getting tore up and its always "close racing". Thats usually the bs given when someone doesnt want to make the tough call, someone might get offended. I actually havent seen the black flag used as a warning to a driver in probably 3 years or more.

I dont know Casey or this Bagwell guy personally but I was racing with Casey when he first started in the SLM class in Texas, he made his share of bone-head decisions just like every other driver in history. He learned from it and made himself a better driver. Now hes on top of his game. I personally think that all good drivers continue to learn, just not all drivers learn good driving. Like I said, if a track lets rough driving acceptable than everyone looses. JMO

[racedude]

Very good point - racer 61 - Rereading the post you will notice how many people asked what the track did? I was talking to a friend of mine today and he said the race director is the same person at five flags and mobile and use to be the race director of the ASA National Tour Series when it was going - If he doesn't stop this nonsense he will look up one day and see the same thing that tracks are suffering all over the country no car count. Racers can not afford to continue to pay for someone else's "racing" incidents.

[looneedude]

i think a 2 second rule is more then fair...

but you have to keep the cars at the track even if they are slow not every body can win and drivers have to get experince....but most venues throughout the country slm are the top class that is why they have bomber type cars limited late models and other classes..and i still think that this bagwell character needs to be punched in the nose by casey.........and thats jmo

[landlord]

The promoters are not going to say anything because this is the kind of stuff the spectators like to see.

[Snowball]

Five Flags has suspended many drivers over the last few years, but not in the Super Latemodel division. I can't remember anything in the Super latemodel division that would warrant any action being taken at Five Flags. Chris Cotto who is a multi time track champion in Super Stock went after another car after the race and roughed him up some, and he was stripped of all of his points and money. Also, Joel Leslie was suspended for the rest of the season a couple years back for slamming into someone after the race. As far as Dan Spence goes, he has been with All Pro, Hooters, ASA and has been with Five Flags and Mobile off and on since i was a child. I feel like he has always been pretty firm with stuff like this. I wasn't at Mobile, so i can't really comment. Did Bagwell continue on, or was he too damaged to continue? If he would have continued on, i would think that he would have been parked. Did he keep racing?