As is common in the tight confines of a quarter-mile bullring, tempers boiled over last Friday (April 24) night during the SMART Modified Tour event at Wake County Speedway. Following an incident between Jake Crum and Burt Myers, Crum has been placed on probation by the Tour.
The incident occurred with 22-laps to go in the 99-lap “Mod Squad Nationals”, when Crum and Myers were battling for the sixth position. Myers made contact with the left rear of Crum, spinning Crum’s No. 1jc machine into the outside wall in turn 3. As the field circled back around, Crum pulled down in front of Myers and pulled up nose-to-nose with Myers’ No. 1, before pushing Myers car backwards on the track. While Myers attempted to back away, Crum continued to chase Myers nose-to-nose before eventually pulling alongside to voice his displeasure with the incident.
In addition to being placed on probation, which will last until August 7, 2026, Crum was fined $1,000 by the SMART Tour for Actions Detrimental to Racing during the Wake County Speedway event. Chris Williams, director of the SMART Tour, offered his explanation with the announcement of the penalty.
“Hard, aggressive racing is the heartbeat of the SMART Modified Tour, and it is one of the reasons this series has grown into a fan favorite,” said Chris Williams, Series Director. “We want our drivers racing each other hard — that’s the product our fans show up for. But, there is a clear line between racing hard and putting other competitors, officials, and fans at risk. Retaliation and driving into another car under caution is well past that line, and it will not be tolerated. These penalties reflect our ongoing commitment to protecting everyone involved, while preserving the competitive spirit that defines this series.”
The length of Crum’s probation covers the next three scheduled SMART Tour events, including races at Franklin County Speedway (May 29), Caraway Speedway (July 4) and Pulaski Motorsports Park (Aug. 7).
