With a roster featuring well over 40 cars, it was assumed by many that the week at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway could very well include the disappearance of some big names.
And that first big name disappearance came after Tuesday’s caution-marred 35-lap feature for the Tour Type Modified division.
Six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby will cut his week short at New Smyrna after getting his car significantly shortened in a bruising wreck Tuesday night.
“No choice,” Coby said early Wednesday morning. “Needs a front clip.”
Coby was in a tight scrum of cars battling in the back half of the top-10 on lap 23 of Tuesday’s feature when disaster struck.
In turn three Coby – running eighth – got hit from behind by Jimmy Blewett and forced into seventh place running Ryan Preece. Coby ended up spinning and his car snapped hard around into the outside wall. Marcello Rufrano on the outside got pushed into the wreck and he and Coby came together hard as Coby hit the wall.
“Just a bunch of animals trying to win everything we can in a short feature and some guys just kind of started to go away with the handling there about halfway through the race,” Coby said. “[Blewett] was real loose. Couldn’t go on the outside that’s for sure. [Preece] looked real tight on the bottom so he was trying to arc his entry point a bit and stay on the bottom.
“I think he thought he could maybe get [Ron Silk] and [Ronnie Williams] and he did a real wide arc into [turns] three and four to try to make a move. And I gave him the room in front of me, but then I got hit from the back [by Blewett] and got shoved into him, got crossed up, tried to save it, got hit again because nobody lifts for anybody. That’s asphalt Modified racing here when there’s no rules and no consequences other than wrecked race cars and people getting hurt. … It’s rough down here.”
Rufrano said Wednesday morning that his crew was able to get his car back in working order and ready for tonight’s John Blewett III Memorial 76-lap event for the Tour Type Modified division.
“We got it back together last night,” Rufrano said. “It looked worse than it was thankfully. All bolt on [stuff] we had in the trailer.”
And tonight, we have 76 laps of mayhem.
That stinks! Next stop Martinsville!! Unless he finds another ride for this week.
Bugsy was RIGHT AGAIN, He said this behavior would filter down from Cup and Touring Series all the way down to the short tracks….. Smashing guys , spinning guys, bump and runs. They all watch it on Sundays then they think its fine, if its acceptable in NASCAR highest levels, well guess what its ok for me too. I just can’t stand this type of demo derby’s with beautiful prepared equipment getting junked. Maybe it bothers me more than most, Because I took many many Chassis from bare steel all the way to finished product with my crew and Father. We spent countless hours building race cars …… Too see all that time and money JUST TRASHED NEEDLESSLY IS WRONG…..!!!! its ok to race hard but leave the other guy or gal a LANE TO RACE IN… Blaney was taken out of a win by Elliot the other night and they held hands and laughed on their way to news conference . They don’t care …. they didn’t spend the time building them or PAYING FOR THEM… NO RESPECT FOR EQUIPMENT OR COMPETITORS . ANY ONE CAN SMASH YOU OUT OF THE WAY… THIS RACING IS TOTAL GARBAGE ….NOT RACING
Suitcase Jake, c’mon, this is what the fans want. NASCAR became a big deal when Yarborough and the Allison bothers got into the big fight at the ’79 Daytona 500. That stupid fight got NASCAR national attention and launched 🚀 the popularity of NASCAR. That’s the way it is. Stupid trash.
The saying that “people watch NASCAR racing for the wrecking” is true.
As a longtime race fan who enjoys that “racing” of this ilk represents standard practice, I thank you for providing a perspective of and insight into why many of us feel as we do!
You could hear all three of the FOX guys in the booth getting giddy during the last lap that Elliot would act as he did if he got close enough.
Even if one accepted that this were good, or good for, racing, which I do not, how can you enjoy something so predictable? Let’s just run a few laps, then suspend all rules for the last lap? I thought such existed only at a state fair, when states had those! 😆
The fact that drivers who must possess an entirely different set of skills to drive a modified, or any an open-wheeled race car frustrates, or at least should frustrate, competitors, fans, and officials even more!
Also, thanks for stating what, as someone who sees what you do, I question: Anyone can just dump someone out. I thought a great driver can place a car in the top three or five when the normal driver rarely breaks the top ten.
Food for thought!
Not to get off the topic, but does anyone know what was going on in the pit area last night at New Smynra? Could see all kinds of blue lights, maybe another fight?
Mod Fan,
It is my understanding there was a double fatality vehicle accident on the road just outside the entrance to the track.
You can’t disagree with what Jake said in my view, not a word of it. There is however a flip side to that 45.
You want to avoid damage simply go into the classic car hobby. Work your butt off and spend a ton of money like racing but at the end of it you have something that will last. Really if you think of it, it is rather an insane way to spend your leisure time. You create these absolutely beautiful cars that in my view are works of art in many ways then go out and crash them.
Race cars are expendable. I don’t’ consider Preece to be substandard in any way yet there he is on night one turning McKennedy with no extenuating circumstances. It happens.
Cup racing has it’s own issues that are unique but as far as local racing goes it’s lights years more civilized now then the last century.
I haven’t heard the term “stacked” so much since I was a wee lad and it was used to describe blonde bombshells like Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. I whined about starting all the cars and as far as I can see a 30 car field wouldn’t have changed it that much.
I’d have to disagree that the wrecks so far are out of what normally could have been expected in some form. One really expensive one a night with most of the cars being repaired. Could have been far worse. The caveat being “so far”.
It’s like Covid19. You take your chances and hope you don’t too close to a driver with a case of bonehead and contract a pile of twisted metal.
There’s an d saying ” rubbing’s racing”, there’s another one ” 8 tires turn better than 4″. For years I’ve watched as drivers ran door to door need bars banging, beating the bumpers off each other. The difference, yes, they beat on each other, but they didn’t wreck each other. In fact, it used to be where if you bumped a driver and got them out of shape, you lifted and allowed them to gather it up. Not any more, nowadays you just drive thru them. One reason may be that most of these guys don’t own the equipment they drive, when they wreck it’s not their wallet that takes the hit. Like Jake I’ve got the memories of spending all winter building a car, turning it from a pile of tubing and sheet metal into a beautiful piece of performance equipment. And Like Jake, I also remember that feeling when all that hard work is turned into a twisted wreck because of someone I patience, or stupidity. I’ll take good hard clean racing, over a wreck fest every day of the week. One last thought. Have you noticed when there is a wreck it’s always the other guy’s fault?
If you’re planning on going all the way down to Florida and race for five nights in a row, bringing two cars would probably be a good idea.
Good point 2020
🌈🦄2020, you are just like 🌈JD🌈 in that you can pull 💰💰💰💵💵💵💵 out of your built-in seat cushion.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤪😝🤪😝
Suitcase Jake,
100 percent agree with ur comment. I race and watch racing and struggle to race with or watch guys who wanna be patient and race their line with respect to the guys around them! Those times that brought true race fans to the edge of their seats seem to be long gone. Sucks!
What do you think the trip to New Smyrna cost Coby? Two nights of racing, cost of the trip only to return home early with a wrecked car that was unrepairable. Lets now add the repairs necessary to the car and then there was purse money which was negligible at best. And two cars would be a good idea? You and JD think money grows on trees. What are you his twin?
NSS is like Vegas. In Vegas, you leave your ATM card behind. At NSS, you leave your second car at home. Hopefully this will keep Doug from entering the Icebreaker. Save the good stuff for the WMT.
Yeah, should have brought both cars, wreck ’em all.
JD, Coby will be in the 20 at the Ice Breaker, not his 10. Surprised you did not know that since you claim to know everything else about racing.
Earl. I did know that. I just had the Icebreaker and World Series reversed in terms of which car he is bringing to which race. All the better. He can let someone else’s car get wrecked in April.
I think some of you forget that these guys are driving right on the edge of crashing in order to go fast. Going fast sometimes means you cross over the line and it makes you pay. It’s all part of the game. If your not totally ready to load that beautiful car back into the trailer a twisted pile of steel your in the wrong game.