Brett White wrestled his Crate Racin’ USA late model sportsman to the win after his left-front tire went flat. The incident occurred during the season-opening Battle of the States event at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Mississippi.
White qualified second for the feature after winning his heat race. He was chasing leader Colby Ponds with five laps to go when they both encountered lapped traffic.
“A lapped car came into contact with me and I got a flat left-front tire, but I did not know it,” White, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, said. “Then, the lapped car spun out and drew the caution. I knew something was wrong with my car, but I didn’t know if it was suspension, steering, or a tire that was damaged.”
White faced two choices. He could pull off and call it a night. Or, he could race on, hoping whatever was wrong would not affect his quest to finish.
“I choose to keep racing,” said White. “I did not know I had a flat until the race was over. That’s the first time in my career that something like that happened.”
In 2020, White won 18 late model sportsman features. He took home the championship at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi. White also finished runner-up in the Crate Racin’ USA national points last season.
Brett White hoped to start this year off on the right foot as he makes a run for the Crate Racin’ USA championship once again. With that motivation, he made his late model sportsman work, making the pass for the lead during the closing laps to win. For those who think the left-front wheel doesn’t affect a dirt car, White wants to set the record straight.
“The left front tire matters on the straightaway — it keeps the car straight,” White said. “The track was slick and smooth. I had to steer to the right to correct for the left-front flat. I was able to keep the car straight for the last five laps.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
