Craig Barham was out after the second roll.
The Columbus native was running in the top 10 midway through the NeSmith Late Model race May 13 at Magnolia Motor Speedway when he entered turn one and didn’t make it out of turn two. Barham’s GRT car hit a rut and flipped three times. His car was totaled. He had two cracked ribs, a bruised back, and swollen knee. He was knocked out.
Barham was immediately taken to the hospital, where he received a CT scan. He didn’t have a concussion, but he had a small crack in his helmet.
“It was on the 13th lap on the 13th (of May),” Barham said. “I remember the first two rollovers, but the third, I don’t remember it. I’m surprised it wasn’t worse.
“It didn’t scare me until after the fact. When the adrenaline came down, that’s when I looked back and said, ‘Wow, look at my car.’ ”
Barham salvaged what he could from the Late Model car, which he’d acquired a year earlier after selling both of his Street Stock cars. At the time, Barham said racing NeSmith Late Models was a “dream come true.” But he had to put that dream on hold and start from scratch.
“Three days after it happened, I was back in shop, tearing down the old car,” Barham said. “I was on crutches, sitting in a chair because my knee was swollen. Some of the lowers were salvaged. But the rear end was broke in half. I saved some of the spindles on the car. Jessie Barnett, who used to run Street Stocks, told me to come get a rear end to put underneath the car.”
Barham eventually bought a car from the Rickmans and begin preparing for a return to the track. He had help from his son-in-law, Matthew Aaron and his father, Ronald. His friend, Scott Stripling, helped him put the body back on.
It took two months to get the car race ready. On Saturday, Barham competed at Magnolia Motor Speedway in his first action behind the wheel since the wreck.
“I wanted to get back out there two weeks after it happened, but my wife and kids wanted me to quit,” Barham said. “It was scary for them. But I’m not a quitter. It was a rush to get back on the track. It felt good.”
Barham finished 19th in the 20-car field. The car needed more adjustments, particularly in handling in the corners, he said.
“There was no need to push the issue,” Barham said. “It needs a good bit of tweaking. I need some more front-end parts. We’ll take some time off to get it right.”
Super Late Models return to the Bullring
After two-straight weeks of rainouts, racing will return to Columbus Speedway.
The Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series will headline feature races at 8 tonight. The lineup also includes NeSmith Late Models, Street Stocks, Factory Stocks, 602 Sportsman, and Mini Stocks.
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