I never saw a finish like it

          The craziest thing I ever saw on a racetrack came at the end of a NASCAR Southwest Tour race at Mesa Marin Raceway in, I believe, 1996. After crashing, a driver won a race, set two records and clinched a championship.

          Mesa Marin was a banked, half-mile track in Bakersfield, California and I loved the place. It was owned and run by the Collins family, just great folks. I used to write in press releases that the track was, The Kern County Jewel. The racing there was always great.

          The Tour’s championship came down to the final two races of the season and a guy named Chris Raudman led the points. His brother, Craig, was next in the standings.

          The race came down to the final laps and Chris Raudman led with a guy named Sean Monroe second by scant inches. Monroe was nudging the back of Raudman’s car as they came down the front straightaway with three laps remaining. Monroe wanted to upset Raudman, maybe ruin his competition.

          But Monroe finally hit Raudman too hard and BOTH cars spun to the infield, making contact with the infield retaining wall. Both cars crashed to a stop. The caution flag came out. The remainder of the cars in the field slowed as they headed down the front straight.

          And Raudman got his car running again, rushing back onto the track. He drove the damaged car. The one that had hit the wall. The car that was bent up with impact damage.

          The race resumed with two laps remaining. Raudman stayed in front and won. But the story is in the details.

          Raudman and Monroe were the only cars on the lead lap when they crashed. Raudman resumed the race without losing a lap. He became the first Southwest Tour driver to post a victory margin of a full lap or more; his victory margin was two laps.

          He clinched the series championship with the win. Mathematically, he could have lost the title by not showing up at the final race of the season, but even then, his brother would have to win the race. The championship leader was very likely to attend the final event.

          By winning the title, he became the first rookie to win the Tour trophy.

          Crazy? By any definition. But that’s racing.

 

          Thanks for reading.