Teammates David Showers Jr. and Matt Henderson were racing their way into feature via the B-main. Unfortunately, one slip-up sent Henderson’s ride (pictured) into the wall.
The unfortunate action occurred during the Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series Powell Family Memorial at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Florida, last weekend.
Showers had invited his friend to drive his second car typically raced by his father, David Showers.
“I was in third and Matt was in fourth,” Showers, of St. Augustine, Florida, said. “As we tried to get the two transfer spots in the B-main, I passed him in turn two. I moved up the track in turn three, and my car’s right rear hit my other car’s left front.”
Showers did not know he crashed into his other car, but he had a bad feeling.
“As I drove around the track, I kept saying to myself, ‘Please don’t let it be Matt,’” said Showers. “When I came to the second turn, [I said,] ‘Oh, my gosh!’”
Henderson offered his perspective.
“We were just trying to get into the show,” Henderson said. “It was a late restart. The outside couldn’t get going as well as the inside. The outside got real dirty. My left-front tire was in front of his number. He just drove his own car into the wall. His car was broken to pieces. He just wrecked his own car.”
Henderson was not injured. He sat in Showers’ ButlerBuilt full-containment seat, with a Simpson five-point harness. Henderson wore a Bell helmet paired with a Simpson Hybrid head-and-neck restraint system. The car from CVR Race Cars incurred minor damage, according to Showers, mainly confined to the front suspension, rear suspension, and front bumper.
Matt Henderson will return to action driving for his regular Rusty Webb Racing ride next weekend. That’ll be the next Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series event, November 3-4, at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi.
David Showers Jr. repaired the damage to Matt’s car, swapped in a GM 604 crate engine (he had a 602 in it), and will head to Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Added the race name and corrected the engine going into Showers’ car this weekend (2023-10-27)
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.
