2007 Results
Pit Pass 2007 Archive also
available
We ended our 2007 Season at 81 Speedway with Matthew
taking second place in the points. It came down to the final race of
the season and we needed a little luck on our side. Instead, we got
our first flat tire of the year. Matthew won 10 of the 17 races at the
track!
At Wellington, Matthew finished second in the points
while Jacob finished fifth. It was also a very tight points battle there.
The boys learned a lot this season. They could have stayed with the
same karts and the same setup. But, instead, we changed everything,
took some risks, and tried new setups with the new shocks.
Overall, 2007 was a successful season for Crowell Bros.
Racing. Matthew and Jacob can be very proud of what they have learned,
their sportsmanship, their wins and yes, even their losses! They worked
hard and did their best at each race. They never gave up and I think
they even taught their parents a few things. And there was plenty of
fun and laughs through the season too!
Junior Kage Kart 2007 Season Race
Results:
April 28: Matthew 1st place; Jacob 3rd place
May 12: Matthew and Jacob choose to work in Greensburg on tornado cleanup
June 9: Jacob 2nd place; Matthew 6th place
July 14: Matthew 2nd place; Jacob 3rd place
July 28: Matthew 1st place; Jacob 2nd place
August 11: Matthew 1st place; Jacob 5th place
August 25: Jacob 1st place; Matthew 2nd place
September 8: Jacob 4th place; Matthew 5th place
October 6: Matthew 1st place; Jacob 5th place
October Update
October 5 - Matthew takes a first place in his heat
race and a third place in the feature at 81 Speedway. He hangs on to
his first place points standing with three races to go! Wish us a little
luck. He has come a long way to make up a whole race after missing one
when we chose to stay in Greensburg and help our friends after the devasting
tornado. It definitely made for a challenging season for him!
October 6 - Matthew played the National Athem on his
guitar during opening ceremonies. In the first heat race, Matthew was
leading with Jacob right on his bumper. Jacob was actually faster than
his brother and working hard to pass him. When they entered the fourth
turn, Jacob had to check-up to avoid hitting his brother's back bumper
and he spun out. The kart behind him then hit him. Jacob kept it running!
He did a great job, but he had a tire cut down so was out of the first
heat race. Matthew went on to win the race literally by a nose (or bumper)
as he and Matt Nordick were side by side across the finish line. Matthew
said they were looking at each other and laughing. They gave each other
a thumbs up after they crossed the line. This is what racing is all
about. The friendship, the clean racing, and the exciting finishes!
The second heat race, Matthew was in second with Jacob
a close third. It was a good race and led to the feature lineup. Matthew
got the pole while Jacob was in the fifth position. However, the rain
came and we never got to run the feature. And Jacob really needed the
feature race to get two more positions which would have changed the
final points standings. We also missed the first points race due to
Greensburg Tornado. So, I told the boys the weather started our season
off with a twist and the weather ended our season with another twist.
Jacob ended up fifth while Matthew ended up second in the points at
Wheatland Karting. But their finish positions do not represent everything
learned this season. They learned to sacrafice for their friends. They
learned to try new things when they switched to shocks and to take on
new challenges. They learned that some bad luck just cannot be avoided
- broken chains, flat tires, blown engines, no brakes. While the season
ended with some definite disappointment in the finish order, there is
definite pride in the way the boys drove and in their sportsmanship
at every race. Effie and Carl were able to come to this entire racing
weekend and the weekend together as a family is a memory to be treasured
above any trophy.
September Update
September 20 - At the heart of it racing is about family!
Matthew's Great-Grandma Effie Crowell and Grandpa Carl Brandt traveled
to 81 Speedway to watch Matthew compete. Matthew scored 1st place in
the heat race, but finished 3rd in the feature. The car was really loose
and he had chosen a little less air pressure than he needed. It was
a really good, close race. The Travel Channel was filming "Lawrence
of America" which is a documentary on a Brit traveling through
America participating in different cultures and events. He drove a borrowed
car during Matthew's races. The program will air in January of 2008.
He will travel next to Oklahoma for the State Fair, then Nashville and
then on to Roush Racing and Nascar. Kansas should be proud to be featured
in this series.
September 8 we ran two race tracks in one day! Matthew
won his feature at 81 Speedway and then we raced back to Wellington
where he managed to finish fifth in his kage kart while Jacob finished
in fourth. Not the points night we were hoping for in the kage karts,
but the boys had fun and always seem to learn something. Matthew's win
at 81 finally puts him first in points at that track!
August Update
Jacob gets his first win of the season! After spinning
out on the first lap, he came back off the restart to hold off his brother
for a great finish after a very close race. It was a lot of fun to watch
the two brothers duel it out.
Matthew makes it four in a row winning on August 2 and
9. But the winning streak ends on the 16th when he brings in a strong
second place finish. It was a "one groove" track and he just
couldn't make a clean pass.
The kage karts ran on the 11th and Matthew took first
while Jacob brought in a 5th. Jacob struggled after a crash in the second
heat race. He did a great job keeping it running, but did not realize
he had lost his brakes until he came around to line back up and couldn't
stop! He did a great job avoiding another major crash into the entire
field. But with DNF in both heats, he had to start at the pack of the
pack 8 deep. The positive of the evening was Matthew was able to figure
out the ongoing problems with Jacob's kage kart and repairs are well
on the way. If Jacob has driven this well with the problems, it should
be exciting to see the next race!
Thursday, July 26 and Saturday, July 28, 2007
Matthew makes it three in a row winning at 81 Speedway
in his Hornet. He went on to take the win at Worden Raceway in his Kage
Kart which Jacob coming in a close second.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Matthew gets a second place finish while Jacob works
his way through the field to land third place in the Jr. Kage Karts
at Worden Park Raceway. It was a brutally hot day and the boys worked
hard on their setup all day due to the changing track conditions. They
were proud of their finishes. Jacob had to drive hard working his way
through the field of eight karts. Lap traffic made for some great passes
and great racing all day.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Matthew takes first place in an exciting race. After
recovering from a close brush with the wall and an out of control car,
Matthew came back to win the race. His recovery was the highlight of
the race. We asked Matthew if he "let go of the steering wheel"
as his method of recovery and he laughed and said no, he had a lot of
driving to do, a lot of luck needed and it was actually a bit scary
for a second. But, he was very proud of the come-back from behind win.
Thursday, June 14 and 21, 2007
Matthew takes second place on June 14 and comes back
on the 21st to take the checkered and his fourth first place finish.
Matthew is now ranked 9th by MidWest Dirt.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Our first points series race at Worden Park Raceway
was not the night we had hoped. Race setup alluded us all night. In
the feature, Matthew's chain came off and he promptly exited the track.
Jacob did some outstanding driving in the feature avoiding a spin-out
and a wreck which earned him a second place finish. Even though Jacob
was in fourth place at one point in the race, he did not give up. His
concentration and determination paid off when in the final turn of the
final lap, the second place kart did not exercise the patience required
on a lap kart and ended up in a collision. Jacob managed to drive his
way through it to secure a great finish. We were very proud of him.
Both Jacob and Matthew showed great sportsmanship the entire evening
while at the same time, working on their kart and dealing with the frustration
that comes when you know you can drive better than your equipment is
allowing you to. That's racing!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
"Matthew Crowell returned to the O'Reilly Auto
Parts winners' circle after staving off a challenge from runner-up Kyle
Deringer." post from www.81.speedway.org
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Matthew takes his second feature win in the Hornet!
This having getting turned in a corner, and enough beating and banging
to receive a large dent in the driver's door and in rear quarter panel
as well as four different colors of paint. These photos landed in the
Pit Pass.
From Matthew's excitement, it was obviously a great race.
Before his wins, he is ranked 26th by MidWest
Dirt .
Monday, May 28, 2007
Matthew takes his first feature win in the Hornet! Check
out the pictures.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Different night, same result. Matthew Crowell takes
another photo finish second place to a cheering, standing crowd. Makes
for exciting finishes!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
First Hornet race of the year. Matthew Crowell takes
second place by a nose! It was a photo finish and many people commented
they thought he had won. Jacob video taped it, but the angle only makes
it look like he did.
Saturday, April 28 WKA Club Race
Matthew Crowell took a first place finish while Jacob
Crowell came in third. The first heat race was very exciting with Jacob
drawing a pole position and Matthew on the outside pole. Eight karts
were in the race. The boys had the opportunity to use the phrase "slingshot
engaged" (popular from the movie Talladega Nights" as they
each passed another kart in some great driving. It was some of the best
racing we had ever seen.
In the second heat race, Jacob took a hard hit in the
back which actually cracked the rear of his kart. Matthew made a lot
of adjustments. This was the first race for the both of the boys with
shocks and a suspended kage kart requires all new setups compared to
the non-suspended.
Matthew got the pole for the feature with Jacob on the
outside pole. In a close turn in the feature race, Jacob came in contact
with another kart and this bent his toe out a bit reducing his speed
in the final laps of the race. Matthew took the lead early and held
on to it with our close friend, Matt Nordick, hot on his rear the entire
race. It was nail biting. Then, the lap before the white flag, Matt
Nordick spun out and Matthew Crowell went on to take the checkered.
There were three teams of brothers running in this race:
The Crowells (Matthew and Jacob), The Nordicks (Matthew and Zack), and
The Runyans (Matthew and Brandon). If you cheer "Go Matthew"
you can make a lot of families happy!
For previous years, check out our
Archive.