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Best 9 of '09: Best Crashes
9th - Lancaster Launches Holman
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10/4/09(Martinsville Speedway) - Caleb Holman has had a drivers license for years and likewise he's been driving race cars for years, but in this years Bailey's 300 he needed another kind of license. As he worked to race his way into the Bailey's race through one of the always entertaining heat races, he became part of the entertainment and he needed a pilots license with all the air his car got as he went overtop of the hood of Derrick Lancaster's car. This crash ended both drivers chance of making the big race.
8th - Bobo Brown Airborne
9/27/09(Martinsville Speedway) - Speaking of a pilots license, someone should check and see if Bowman Gray Stadium regular, Bobo Brown had one after his car went sailing in a wild crash during the Limited Late Model 50-lap race. Brown got airborne during the mid stages of the inaugural Limited race on the 1/2 mile track as he, Tony Rogers and Justin Snow got together. It was one of many crazy wrecks in what was a crazy, but all together entertaining race for lesser experienced drivers.(Corey Latham Photo)
7th - Swaim/Curry Crash Hard
8/7/09(Tri-County Motor Speedway) - Travis Swaim had come to Tri-County looking to gain additional points on Andy Mercer in the chase for the NASCAR North Carolina State Championship. He never expected the outcome as he crashed hard with Brian Curry in one of the best crashes of the season and destroyed his car all the while chasing points in the NASCAR NC State Title run. Swaim however battled back and took home the NC State Title when in Tri-County's final race, Mercer was the one who ended crashing out.(Russ Calabrese Photo)
6th - Boswell/Puryear UARA Smash
6/6/09(Orange County Speedway) - Richard Boswell was on track to have the best season of his Late Model Stock Car career, but a problem under caution that forced him a lap down that destructed his season. Boswell was rallying from the rear of the pack and as he caught Stacy Puryear late in the race, Puryear wasn't about to let him go easy, but when the two made contact fireworks followed. It was a hard crash for both as well as collecting Garrett Campbell and Boswell's run at the UARA championship went down hill from this race on.
5th - Newton's Post Race Tantrum
8/29/09(Concord Speedway) - How can you have a Best Crashes list without Roger Lee Newton??? After all he is the most entertaining driver in this region by a wide margin. In past seasons it's been his rivalries with Jake Crum and an incident with Jamey Caudill that's kept Newton's name out there, but now competing in the straight rail Late Model cars, he's just as entertaining. As Concord fans were reminded after he was wrecked by Trent Snyder in the ASA Late Model race. Snyder then was slammed into after the race(see photo) by Newton as the young driver showed his displeasure.(Russ Calabrese Photo)
4th - Kurth's Fiery Crash at Ace
6/5/09(Ace Speedway) - Brad Kurth's 2009 season got off to a rocky start as he was caught up in wreck after wreck as he raced at Ace Speedway this season. After being involved in several wrecks early in the season, it was a June 5th crash that put his car up in flames and added him to the "Best 9 of '09" list. After qualifying fourth, Kurth took what he called the hardest hit of his career. "I don't know what happened, the hub Isn't broke, I just went in there, it laid down and never turned," said Kurth. "It felt like I gained 50mph after it broke. I think I broke my dagum jaw (smiling). I've hit very hard at Concord before, but I think that one is the worst I've ever taken".(Corey Latham Photo)
3rd - Triplett & Field Crashes SoBo
10/17/09(South Boston Speedway) - David Triplett, Jr. started from the pole in SoBo's biggest race, the Mason Dixon 500, but it didn't take long for him to be the races first victim. Triplett spun and as several cars passed him, he thought he might get away without major damage, but then several other cars toward the back of the back piled into him and began stacking the rest of the field up. It turned into a nearly completely blocked track at the beginning of the race and one of th biggest wrecks of the year.(Corey Latham Photo)
2nd - Multi-car Bang Up at Bristol
3/21/09(Bristol Motor Speedway) - Scott Turlington's engine troubles spiraled out of control for several UARA-STARS Series competitors on the high banks of the 1/2 mile Bristol Motor Speedway. Turlington qucikly backed out of the throttle and Rob Fuller with no time to react clipped him in the left rear sending Turlington sideways and then up the track and causing Coleman Pressley and Andy Loden to pile into the wreck. The wreck looked worse than it was as Pressley's cars body twisted up and it appeared it was destoyed. However it was just the body for him but a lot of damage for Loden and Turlington.
1st - Donley's Explosion in Bailey's
10/4/09(Martinsville Speedway) - Attention: Jerame Donley ... Please excuse this next comment, but your wreck at Martinsville was AWESOME ... Watch the video at the left, the wreck as he and Clay Rogers tangled off turn four and sent Donley's car violently up the track into the path of several other cars. The crash took out a ton of cars in the seasons biggest race and while we're glad that Donley wasn't injured and we hate that his car was trashed, it was a big crash. In fact it was the biggest and most spectacular crash of the 2009 season and is easily the "Best Crash" of the season.
There may have been other crashes this season, but if we didn't have photos or videos of them we chose not to use them ... Hope you enjoyed our 2009 list of the "Best 9 Crashes"!
