Who says you can’t run pavement and dirt in the same day? Seven intrepid front wheel drive racers proved it can be done, racing the paved Newport Speedway and dirt Volunteer Speedway on October 25.
Eight cars started the stock 4 feature at Newport during the day. Of those, six made the half-hour trek afterward to Volunteer Speedway to race in its front wheel drive class.
“It worked out good having two tracks race at different times on the same day within 30 mins of each other,” said Brandon Crawford, whose son Jackson did the double while Brandon himself just raced Newport.
For rookie Anthony Ferrell, the time at Volunteer Speedway served as a test and tune.
“I am in points at Newport,” Ferrell said. “My car was messed up — I can’t find what it is. [The car] won’t rev over 5,000 — like it is hitting a rev limiter. I [went] home and worked on it, and decided I wanted to run dirt.”
Crawford said his team made no changes between Newport and Volunteer other than taking out the front windshields.
“Asphalt is very technical,” said Crawford. “You have to have everything right. Toe, camber, rear steer — all of that — where you can be a little off on dirt and make up for it. Asphalt you have to be very smooth, where dirt you can just sling it in there and let it rip.”
How did the pavement-dirt crossover drivers do at Volunteer Speedway? Josh Ramsey finished the best among them, placing fifth. Jackson Crawford was next in ninth. The rest of the group included Ricky Ritenour (12), Anthony Ferrell (16), Shal Ritenour (17), Cody Ritenour (19).
Regardless of finish, for Brandon Crawford, the double offered more quality time between him and his son. The Ritenours also enjoyed family time. And Ferrell got more seat time.
“This is my first year racing,” Ferrell said. “[I’m] trying to find out where to run and [we got to] just keep trying.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
