To a casual observer, the sport of stock car racing is nothing more than the ultimate battle of man and machine. The man with the fastest machine wins, takes home the checkered flag and trophy and comes back the next week hoping to do it again. Hardcore race fans know there’s more to the picture than what everyone else sees on the surface. They’re aware of the emotional involvement each team and driver face getting their equipment ready for the trip to their favourite place to race.
Craig Graham is the man at the controls of the #98 JP Larkin Salvage/Bill Spencer Chevrolet/Sperry Contracting/C & K Fabrication/ CCS Industrials/Dan McHattie Racecars Chevrolet and prior to the start of Kawartha Speedway’s 2009 season, he and his crew had prepped their machine for its inaugural foray in the NAPA Auto Parts Late Model wars. The 37 year-old father of 2 from Orono, Ontario who earns a weekly paycheque as parts and service manager at Bill Spencer Chevrolet was moving-up from the track’s limited late model division, a class where he’d achieved a reasonable level of success with 1 win and 18 top 5 finishes. Graham says he was looking forward to continuing the strong showings that saw him record a 6th place point run in 2007 and a 5th place finish at the end of the 2008 campaign.
“We had some strong nights in the ‘limited’ and when Kawartha blended the 2 late model classes for ’09, I thought things would just continue that way,” said Graham. “The first couple weeks turned-out okay, but by the time the 3rd week rolled-around, the bottom seemed to drop out of our plan. We got collected in someone else’s mess and the car sustained some serious damage. When we first got it home, the crew and I knew there’d be some work to do to be ready for the next week. Then, as time we by, we learned that there was actually more damage than we’d first thought. A decision was made to park the car for the season and come back for a fresh start in 2010. It was a hard choice to make, but we knew it would be an uphill fight to make the car right.”
Even with a crash that brought a premature end to his 2009 season, Craig Graham’s spirits remained high. He knew there’d be a chance to regroup and make a new start in the next season. He says just climbing into the car for every show is a thrill and during the off season, Graham made a deal that should put him in a strong position for Kawartha’s 10th Anniversary season. The 12 year veteran racer traded his Dan McHattie built machine for Chris Mitchell’s ACT Tour legal Lefthander chassis. He says he hopes the swap is something that will help him run near the front of the pack for the new campaign.
“Mitchell was having his car re-built. Dan McHattie had it at his farm and had just finished putting a new clip on it,” said Graham. “I knew that if Dan had his hands on the racecar, it would be a good piece. He’s once of the best guys you’ll race with anytime, anywhere. He wants to win every time he runs, but he’ll also help you with anything he can. My guys – crew members Ian Graham, Steven Beavis, Brandt Graham, Brent Smale, Mark Routine and especially my father-in-law, Marten Routine – spent some long hours in the shop over the winter making changes to the car to make it my own, but when the green flag drops I think we’ll be strong out of the box.”
With a new ride at his disposal, a fresh attitude and a solid emotional outlook, Craig Graham looks to have what it’ll take to find success in Kawartha Speedway’s NAPA Auto Parts Late Model class.
Photo: Craig Graham (#98) battles with Cole Powell and Dan McHattie heading into the 3rd turn at Kawartha Speedway.
Photo and Release Prepared by Jim Clarke - Clarke Motorsports Communications
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