Many of you were at the Crisfield Mudbog back in May when it was announced that on June 9, Melson's Power Show/Tractor Pull would be having a "Fastest Sand Drag Event". The payout for the winner in the event would be $500!
News like that travels fast if you race mudtrucks.......
Saturday- June 9, 2012
Only a handfull of mudtrucks were on hand for the event... plenty of mudbog friends but they didn't bring their trucks. And it wasn't long before we learned that the rules had been changed for racing in the event. At some point during the evening we learned the rules had been changed to "bracket style racing". In bracket style racing there is NO guarantee that the FASTEST truck would win. Hmmm.....
So, here goes. All trucks made two passes with the "Short and Sassy" having the fastest pass. BUT, according to the new rules set the "Short and Sassy" still had to race the second fastest. Well, it just so happened that the second fastest vehicle is owned by the sponsor and owner of the property, Dave Humphreys. We had learned earlier in the evening that Dave had HIRED a "seasoned" drag strip racer to drive his car. Hmm.....
When hearing of the rule changes - and they seemed to be changing frequently by the time it grew dark- tempers began to flair, words said, etc. My view? The driver, of the "Short and Sassy", my husband Barry Wise was not getting a fair deal and everyone in the pits seemed to agree.
This was a situation that you really needed to be present for in order to believe. The nights events regarding the rules- and how they seemed to change during the course of the evening seemed to go on forever.
Probably the icing on the cake was when another participant rolled in around 10:30 that evening- right in the middle of the disagreements between Staff Member, Dave and the racers.
I questioned Dave about this- so did everyone else. The story some got was that Dave called him. The story I got from Dave was that the driver had a flat tire and called saying he would be late. Well, it wasn't until some weeks later that I would find out the driver did NOT have a flat tire and really hadn't planned on being there at all.
If there is one thing I cannot tolerate is a lie. Truth would have been a whole better! A little more respect torwards the racers, including MY husband, would have been a whole lot better! Not changing the rules to suit YOUR agenda, Dave, would have been a whole lot better and I NEVER intend to watch what I witnessed that night ever again. We all know that the so called "hired" driver practiced on Saturday. If you wanted the keep the $500 for your win why have the event at all? You should have disqualified your car.
Here's food for thought: More times than not those guys that race their mud trucks together are going to rally around each other. They may beat each other up in racing but in the pits they stick like glue. What you experienced with the "in your face attitudes" is what friendship is all about.
The "Short and Sassy" with driver Barry Wise won the $500 that evening..... at some point during midnight.
Here's the video.
A huge thank you needs to go out to Lee Serman, Chuck West, Chuck Jr. and Bart Parker. You guys are the greatest. Thank you for rallying about and trying to get your point across. Also a thank you to the others in the pits that recognized the fact that the event was not being handled fairly.
That particular evening is over.....I'm going to put it to rest. Melson's is a nice place. Barry and I always enjoyed going there. But I'm afraid that there will be no more chances....at least not for a very long time. I begged Barry to give it another try after words a few years ago. He did give it another........but after this particular race we have called it quits...at least for a while. Enough is enough.
The great sponsors for the "Short and Sassy" are:
Bowden's Racing - Donald Bowden
Odie's Garage- Roger Evans
Seaside Repair- Gerald Matthews
Vertical Services, Inc.- Jack Shockley
