On Friday, a flip left Joe Toth frustrated. On Saturday, his fortunes turned, visiting victory lane at Hagerstown Speedway, dedicating the win to his late friend and fellow racer Chris Kurtz Jr.
Friday night’s frustration stemmed from the 358 modified B-main at Hagerstown Speedway.
“I got wrecked twice when the same racer ran into me,” Toth, of Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania, said. “He didn’t lift in a heat race and we got together. We repaired the damage, only to have the same racer getting into my left rear in [again], sending me up and over twice. I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best.”
The last wreck resulting in his car flipping and landing on all fours. Toth wasn’t injured. He wore a Simpson helmet paired with a NecksGen head-and-neck restraint. Toth sat in a full-containment seat from The Joie of the Seating and a Simpson five-point harness strapped him in.
“I got a little beaten up from being bounced around,” said Toth. “But, thanks to the safety equipment, I was able to get out later that night for practice with sportsman car.”
Toth’s Bicknell-chassis 358 modified incurred a bent front axle and extensive body damage. He and his crew installed a new axle along with new shocks, drove it onto the trailer, and they prepared for the next day’s Short Track Super Series crate 602 sportsman modified race.
“The track went slick, and when that happens, we tend to do well,” Toth said. “I went into the race knowing I would have a good chance of winning.”
Saturday night turned into a family affair. His cousin Matt Laubach finished right behind him. Toth’s little sister, “Tiny Miss Motorsports,” Rey Lynne, greeted him in victory lane. But, perhaps his sweet achievement was being able to win one for Chris Kurtz.
“Chris was a friend and competitor of mine in the slingshot division,” said Toth. “When I moved up to crate sportsman, I continued to stay in touch with him. I told myself I needed to win a race and dedicate it to him.”
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.
