Electrician Mitch Morris was charged up to race his IMCA sport mod in front of fans for the first time this year at the Dirt Duel at Stuart International Speedway in Iowa.
“Until that night, it was just weird coming out of the fourth turn when the green was about to drop and seeing that empty grandstand,” said Morris, 24, of St. Charles, Iowa. “Fans are a part of the show. It’s the environment we thrive in — a big money show, a high level of competition, fans standing up to cheer — it all makes a driver perform better.”
With more than 60 cars in the pits and $3,000 to win, Morris thought he was having a great night as he led his heat race. Then, things took a turn for the worse.
“I got into the loose stuff, hit the brake, and my car stalled,” Morris said. “I fired it back up, started rolling, and saw half the field going by me on the bottom. The cars in the outside groove piled into me. Another car hit mine on the right rear. The next thing I knew I was airborne.”
The incident destroyed his 2010 Victory Race Cars chassis. Morris, however, escaped without injury. His safety equipment included a Kirkey full-containment seat, a five-point harness from G-Force Racing Gear, HANS head-and-neck restraint system, and a Bell Racing USA helmet.
Three days later, Morris; his father, Bryan; and his grandfather, Dale, began transferring parts from the battered chassis to a new one in their home garage, with hopes of racing this coming weekend.
“I started racing in the sport mod division three years ago after going to see a friend race at Boone [Speedway in Iowa],” said Morris. “Since then, I built a lot of friendships. Racing is amazing that way. I can’t wait to get back.”
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.
