Last weekend Matt Grable won his first late model sportsman feature. He did so by beating 29 of the finest cars in a Crate Racin’ USA (CRUSA)-sanctioned event at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi. It was only a year ago that Grable first climbed into a late model sportsman.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to race at Magnolia Motor Speedway,” Grable, 35, of Mathiston, Mississippi, said. “It is the biggest, baddest, fastest track in the Southeast.”
Grable works as an oil-and-gas industry technician. He spent many years working two weeks on and two weeks off on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Nowadays, Grable works on land, in Texas, but he still works two weeks on, two weeks off.
“I look at my schedule as a positive,” said Grable. “When I’m not working, I’ve got all day to prepare to race. I’m not rushed like the guys who have to work on race day or the day before.”
Grable came close to victory lane earlier this year, despite racing only four times.
His first race of 2021 came at Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Mississippi. Grable led nearly every lap until he suffered a flat tire after taking the white flag. Nevertheless, he still eked out a third-place finish.
During Grable’s previous time at Magnolia Motor Speedway, he qualified for the outside pole. However, he blew the setup for the feature and finished toward the back.
Grable’s third race came at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia. He placed second there.
“I felt I was on the verge of winning — I could feel it,” Grable said.
Matt Grable credits his fearless quest for knowledge for as the key for getting up to speed so quickly.
“I ask everyone a lot of questions when I’m in the pits — probably more than I should,” said Grable. “I’m like a sponge soaking up other driver’s knowledge.
“You have to be able to think outside of your box. We did and now we are in a special place. We feel that now we have momentum, we can hang with the best racers out there.”
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.
