Smith claims $50K win in Mobile following post-race Baldwin disqualification

Dustin Smith didn’t exactly have winning Saturday’s race from the tech shed on his mind to start the day, but that’s exactly what happened. Smith was declared the winner of the Heart of Dixie 200 at Mobile Speedway after an infraction found during post-race inspection left initial winner Luke Baldwin disqualified.

Short Track Scene spoke with the event’s chief technical inspector, Ricky Brooks, after the disqualification. Brooks said the infractions involved measurements of the rod bearings—the two-piece metal shells placed between the connecting rod and the crankshaft journal inside an engine—and lifters—small cylindrical components that sit between the camshaft and the valves.

Brooks added that he, Dustin Bryson, and Brandon Lopez of Bryson-Lopez Racing spoke with the team’s engine builder, Clarke Automotive, via video call and showed the builder the various infractions, which the builder agreed were not in compliance.

Short Track Scene reached out to Bryson-Lopez Racing for comment, which they respectfully declined.

Following the BLR disqualification, Smith submitted his engine for inspection and, after the same teardown procedure, was officially declared the winner.

“Yeah, I hate to win it this way, but Robbie White builds phenomenal engines, and ours was right,” Smith said after collecting his race winner’s trophy. “It kind of sucks that we didn’t get to take our Victory Lane photos, but at the end of the day, we still won and are now $50,000 richer, so I feel pretty good about it.”

Smith had plenty of speed to warrant a shot at winning the race on track, too. He ran within the top five throughout most of the event, but the final five laps capped off his performance. He and Baldwin battled door-to-door trading the lead, with Baldwin crossing the stripe first before the technical inspection overturned the result.

“There was some of it where he was a little wrong, some of it that I did a little wrong—it just is what it is,” said Smith, describing the late battle. “It’s pretty much hard racing all around. I feel like I ran probably one of the best races I’ve ever run here.”

Smith has had a stellar year at Mobile Speedway, racking up several wins and claiming his second straight track championship in the Pro Late Model division. This stands as his biggest victory yet.

With Baldwin removed from the top spot, the rest of the field advanced one position, moving Michael Atwell into second place.

“We were pretty good on the first run,” said Atwell. “We had to push a little harder than I initially thought with tire conservation and how rough the surface is here, but the car was solid. We got a little free toward the end of that run. We made a couple of adjustments for the second half and it just got too tight; we went a step too far.

“Solid finish,” he added. “I’m glad we were able to get that last spot in the closing laps, but we definitely need to work on it a bit and get a little better to beat these guys.”

The first half of the race was dominated by James Patrick, who broke away at full pace while the rest of the field paced about a half-lap behind.

The opening 20 laps saw polesitter Connor Okrzesik drop out due to a broken transmission, Stuart Dutton nearly trigger a multi-car pileup following a tire failure, and Bubba Pollard losing multiple laps to a suspension issue.

Heart of Dixie 200 – Mobile Speedway Results:

1. #33 – Dustin Smith
2. #14 – Michael Atwell
3. #18 – Jake Finch
4. #6 – Brandon Lopez
5. #1 – TJ DeCaire
6. #08 – James Searight
7. #22 – Donald Crocker
8. #12 – Christopher Tullis
9. #11 – James Patrick
10. #2 – Jaxson Bishop
11. #99 – Cody Martell
12. #26 – Bubba Pollard
13. #54 – Clayton Green
14. #24 – Mason Massey
15. #32 – Stuart Dutton
16. #5 – Chuck Dills
17. #67 – Colin Allman
18. #77 – Greg Fore
19. #75 – David McDade
20. #14 – Connor Okrzesik
21. #47 – Luke Baldwin (DQ)