In the age of instant video and social media, it seems only natural that video of the tail end of a postrace altercation between members of Jake Crum’s team and members of Matt Craig’s at South Boston Speedway surfaced almost immediately after it took place.
The video shows Annabeth Crum, wife of Jake Crum, throwing punches at one of Matt Craig’s family members. The altercation took place after Matt Craig and Jake Crum got together on the last lap of a CARS Super Late Model Tour race at South Boston Speedway, paving the way for Stephen Nasse to pick up the victory.
Frustrated with some of the commentary that’s been thrown at her and her husband, Annabeth Crum offered up her take on what happened after Craig’s team, according to Crum, came to Crum’s pit box.
“Craig’s Dad was standing in our pits when Jake got out of the car, laughing,” Crum told Race22.com. “Jake had already gotten into with them at Tri County earlier in the year and told them then that if they run over him again that there was going to be a problem. Well, obviously, the 54 ran him over, then came into our pit. So, Jake hit his dad, then his brother jumped on Jake’s back. Jake threw him on the ground and he ran to go back after Jake, that’s when the video starts.”
The video then shows some jawing and then shows Annabeth throwing a series of punches before CARS Tour officials were able to break up the camps and diffuse the situation.
“No, I wasn’t the first one to throw hands,” Annabeth Crum reiterated. “Also, Jake got out to the back for ‘rough driving’ but the 54 puts Jake in the wall and still gets second? CARS Tour definitely made some seriously bad calls on Saturday night.”
When the altercation broke out, Matt Craig was going through postrace technical inspection and did not see everything that transpired in the pits after the race.
“I’m not sure,” Craig told Race22.com. “I was in tech. Didn’t see the fighting. She attacked my brother that’s 16-years-old.”
In the eventful final lap of the race, contact from Craig sent Jake Crum up the track and into the wall.
“He moved me early in the race for like seventh, so I returned the favor,” Craig remarked.
Stephen Nasse went on to win the race while Cole Rouse, who was swept up in an accident earlier in the event, was able to clinch the CARS Super Late Model Tour championship.
Video highlights of the entire night of racing and another video of the fight can be found here.
