Top 10 Craziest Things... #7

#7  –  Muskingum County Speedway 5/29/93 

What happened:  Dad's first ever feature win came in pretty dramatic fashion Memorial Day weekend 1993 at Muskingum County Speedway.

It was May 29, 1993.  Dad had only been racing a couple years and was pretty comfortable in the local "Super Street" class.  The wide Late Model tires looked pretty cool on those old Camaro and Monte Carlo bodies, and the cars ran pretty darn good too.

Back then, the Super Street feature was only 12 laps in length and, due to the lack of cars, they were combined with an up-and-coming class called "Open Wheel Modifieds".

The race was a good one early on as Roger Salmons and Ryan Miller swapped the lead five times in the first seven laps.  Miller then assumed control of the top spot on lap 7 as Daryl Dodd motored into second. Dad slipped by Salmons to take third on lap 9, just three laps from the finish.  With two laps to go, Dodd made a bold move on Miller for the lead.  They made contact in turns three and four which resulted in Miller losing the handle and Dad, with no where to go, crashing into the side of him. Miller and Dad were both able to continue and second-running Dodd was charged with the caution and sent to the rear of the field.

This set-up a two lap dash to the finish between Ryan Miller and Larry Jarrett.

Miller led Dad on the restart and they stayed that way until the final lap.  Miller held a slim, one car length lead through turns one and two, and down the backstretch. Heading into turn three, Miller's #11 drifted high.  Dad also went high, but powered his #15 down to the bottom in an effort to get a run off the corner for the win. Coming off turn four to take the checkered flag, Miller was high and coming down the track.  Dad was low and coming up the track.  The finish was a wild one...

...with Keith Decker's checkered flag held high in the air, the two cars made contact just as the above picture was taken.  The two cars fighting for the win slammed together hard - Dad's right rear and Miller's left front - just feet from the start/finish line.  Dad spun in front of Miller right at the start/finish line and then careened backwards into the outside wall.

Despite some wrinkled sheet metal, bent suspension parts, and a flat tire, Larry Jarrett had just won his first ever feature.  At age 13, I (of course) was the first person in victory lane to great Dad after the win.

Looking Back:  My dad's won several features in his career, but this is the only one I have ever gotten to see.  It was a wild win that is still talked about by some of today's Muskingum County regulars.