It’s been so long since Matthew Craig had won a Super Late Model race that he destroyed the clutch trying to deliver a burnout after winning the Southern Super Series Rumble by the River 125 at Montgomery Motor Speedway.
“I tried to give y’all a little burnout, but I guess I forgot how to do it,” joked Craig in Victory Lane. “I think I blew the clutch out of it. It was a little embarrassing, but, hey, the car was phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for a better car.”
The car was amongst the best he has ever driven, a rewarding experience for the veteran racer who hadn’t won since the 2021 All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
He took the lead from Michael Hinde on Lap 84 and held the position the rest of the way.
“As soon as we unloaded yesterday, I knew we had something special,” Craig said. “We kept tuning on it, tuning on it, getting it a little bit better. That was probably the best race car I’ve ever driven and I’ve been doing this a while.”
It was a meaningful victory because it was his first as a dad but also happened without his dad, who is usually attached to the hip with his son as they race together more often than not.
“This win means a lot,” Craig said. “We have been struggling for the past two years, really. My dad couldn’t make it. He hurt his back last week and didn’t want to ride down. Shoutout to my family at home watching, I love y’all.”
While Craig had a comfortable lead, the race for second was considerably more eventful as Stephen Nasse and John Bolen crashed on the frontstretch just short of the checkered flag, which allowed Dustin Smith and Billy VanMeter to complete the podium instead.
Smith actually nursed his car home to what was a runner-up.
“We’ve been working hard for this,” Smith said. “I might have to buy a new motor. I wasn’t coming in, it was running 300 [degrees] and there were six laps to go. Oh, well. We definitely had to work for this one, for sure. The car’s a little beat up, but hey, it’s replaceable. Hopefully, we can go to Pensacola and Mobile in a couple of weeks and do one spot better.”
It was even more eventful for VanMeter on his way to third.
“Hitting the wall in qualifying and having to start last, getting dumped and finishing P3, I’ll take it,” said Van Meter. “I was happy with a fifth. We rallied back. The crew brought me a good car, and I just screwed up in qualifying. I’m just happy I made up for it.”
Michael Hinde led the first 83 laps before giving way to Craig and then suffering a mechanical issue that contributed to an incident between Bolen and Gio Ruggiero.
There was also this late incident.
Next for the Southern Super Series will be a doubleheader weekend on the Gulf Coast, with races at Five Flags Speedway and Mobile International Speedway on April 26-27.
ASA-SSS Rumble by the River 125
Montgomery Motor Speedway
April 13 2024
- Matt Craig
- Dustin Smith
- Billy Van Meter
- Gio Ruggiero
- Casey Roderick
- Dawson Sutton
- Cole Butcher
- Bubba Pollard
- Jackson Boone
- Jett Noland
- Jake Finch
- Connor Okrzesik
- Colby Howard
- John Bolen
- Stephen Nasse
- Michael Hinde
- Hunter Wright
- Michael Goddard
- Augie Grill
- Allen Karnes
- Blaise Rutherford
- Timothy Watson
