Oh, the Humidity - At Mobile

As my Saturday workday wore on, I found myself spamming the refresh button on the MyRacePass app to check on entries at Mobile International Speedway. With bounties in three divisions, I assumed the car count might get a nice bump, but the scattered showers in the area likely kept some teams at bay. However, I had seen some fantastic racing this season with 10 cars or fewer, so I was not going to let this sap my enthusiasm. "Cousin" Luke Horning took a nasty tumble at Utica-Rome Speedway on Friday night, so I tossed on his t-shirt that I picked up at Charlotte last October for a show of support, grabbed a Rockstar Energy out of the fridge, and set off on the relatively short drive over to Alabama for race #14 on the season.

I arrived at around 7:40 for the scheduled 8:00 feature racing start time, but there were so many kids for the "Kids Ride in Race Cars Night" that the Sportsmen feature didn't roll off the grid until 45 mins later. I had not been to Mobile in over 10 years, so I took the time to survey the track a bit. The wooden bleachers were new, with the exception of the far turn one stands, which were blocked off, and undergoing the upgrade. I checked out the bathrooms, which were clean by short track standards, and headed back to my seat as quickly as possible, because it was absolutely sweltering on a humid, Summer night.

The six-car Sportsmen feature began with a bang, as first lap crash damaged two cars. The rest of the 25-lap feature was relatively uneventful, with Chad Robinson claiming his 5th victory of the season over Howard Langham and Sam McDaniel. At the time of writing, I am just learning that Mobile veteran, Chopper Stagner, was disqualified from his podium position. The second feature of the night was the 20-lap Crown Stock event, with a $500 bounty on Okie Mason. Mason led early, but Adam Salter quickly moved past and set sail for his 3rd victory in 3 starts this season at Mobile. Mason held on for second and Chris Salter gave the Salter family two spots on the podium.

With a $500 bounty on Derrick Griffin, I was really hoping for a double-digit Outlaw field, but only 8 checked in, with 7 taking the flag. I did not see what occurred on the start until I watched the Racing America replay, but Allen Alexander got a poor start from 2nd and attempted to slot in behind the leader, but the Texan was sent spinning into the inside walls. The contact was hard, which brought out the red flag, but the driver from the San Antonio, TX area hopped out of his machine and walked dejectedly back to his pit area. I was hoping to see Alexander in action, because he is a part of a dying breed in Texas, being one of the few remaining active asphalt drivers from the Lone Star State. Bubba Winslow went to the pits for some repairs and the 40-lap race restarted with 6 cars. With everything against it, the race actually had some intrigue. Jay Jay Day took the early lead and tried to run away, but Griffin, the former CRA Super Series champion, sliced through the field, and took the lead away from Day. Day stayed within striking distance, while Grant Thompson tried to close in on the leaders in 3rd. Griffin, an expert at long-distance affairs, was clearly managing his tires, but Day was trying to mount a charge, bringing the lead down to a manageable margin. However, Day had cooked his tires, and Griffin marched away to another victory, while Thompson snuck by the slippin'-and-slidin' Day for 2nd in the closing laps.

I had to head out before the Pure Stock closer, so the 30-lap Pro Truck feature was to be my final race of the evening, which also happened to be the main event for the night, as a $1750 top prize was on the line for local ace Treyce Capers or anyone that could beat him. Before the race began, it was announced that Grant Thompson would be jumping in Dustin Bryson's truck to go after the money. Okie Mason took command of the race early on, but Capers and Thompson were quickly moving through the field. Mason was driving his truck as fast as it would possibly go, but the 01 of Capers was visibly closing in on the veteran driver. Mason was loose and desperately tried to keep his truck on the bottom of the high-banked half-mile, while Thompson was giving it everything he had to track down the two leaders. The top three began to tighten before Mason slipped out of two and Capers ducked low into three. Mason kept his foot in it on the outside and attempted to stay side-by-side into turn one, but got into the dusty part of the track, and had to give way. Capers streaked away to his biggest victory of the season, while Mason was able to hold off Thompson for the 2nd step on the podium.

I headed back to the car and set sail for home, having seen my 14th race of the year at my 8th track, and in my 3rd state - SC, NC, and AL. The weather is looking questionable, but I plan on heading to Hattiesburg Speedway for the 2-day USCS 360 Sprint Car event on Friday and Saturday. USCS has had every Hattiesburg race canceled due to rain this season, so I hope the the Weather Gods will give us some sunshine! Or at least overcast. No rain. Please.