Jimmy Owens Plays Mr. Feel Good & Too Much Icebreaker

1. T-Mez’s full-Size tirade after USAC midget race

Nationally, midget racing has been the closest thing to NASCAR 2022 that dirt racing has going in the sense that drivers, intentionally or not, have had no qualms or fear of running over fellow competitors even at the top levels of the discipline. The latest such episode unfolded Saturday night at Tri-State Speedway during the annual Harvest Cup race, with an exchange between Thomas Meseraull and Cannon McIntosh sparking perhaps the most notable interview since Ricky Thornton Jr.’s Gateway Nationals meltdown last winer.

Well alright pic.twitter.com/c0EJTC8UDj

— Work Area (@The_Work_Area) October 9, 2022

Now unfortunately, Flo Racing’s broadcast didn’t capture a replay of the early-race incident that triggered this tirade, so it’s impossible for me to weigh on whether this was a case of T-Mez being rightfully upset or pulling a Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

But the question I will weigh in on is whether this type of interview is of any more benefit to the sport than the very over-the-top racing T-Mez is lamenting. After all, this exchange got personal in a hurry. Epic taunting, but it kind of feels like a race to the bottom denominator type exchange that would feel right at home in big-league NASCAR.

And no one should want that for dirt racing.

2. Jimmy Owens’ feel-good story

Let’s go the complete opposite direction for a feel-good story courtesy of super late model standout Jimmy Owens. Owens was MIA as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series headed south to the Talladega Short Track, a race that saw Tim McCreadie clinch his second consecutive series title (of note because it was McCreadie that dethroned Owens from that series crown in 2021). Instead, Owens was behind the wheel of a crate late model, winning the Ty Veuleman Memorial race at Sabine Speedway in Louisiana.

Congrats to @JimmyOwens_20 on capturing a prelim victory & the $5,069 Ty Veuleman Memorial win at Sabine Speedway! Jimmy has now reached victory lane 8 times following the pair of Crate LM triumphs! Read a recap & get FREE SHIPPING today at https://t.co/DEKheQFBQq. 🏆#teamdelph🏁 pic.twitter.com/ggjNXxZyNF

— Ryan Delph (@DelphComm1) October 10, 2022

I’ll credit the folks at DirtonDirt for telling this story, because I’ll admit I was unaware of it going into the weekend. The race served as a remembrance of teenage racer Veuleman, who lost his life in a roadside accident and had been mentored by Owens. Owens…