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Statesville's Crum making a name for himself on the track
Special to the R&L
Jake Crum (second from left) receives a check worth $25,000 for winning the Bailey's 300 last weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
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Published: October 11, 2009
NASCAR's next superstar might just be a hometown product, Statesville's very own Jake Crum.
Crum was born in Newport, Tennessee, but grew up in Statesville and is proud to call Iredell County home.
"I like living in Statesville," Crum said. "There's not a big crowd of people. People are down to earth. You can be yourself."
Crum, who just turned 18, attended West Iredell High School for three years before switching to Mitchell Community College to finish his schooling.
Racing is second nature to Crum, who began racing go-karts at age six and immediately enjoyed success, winning championships each of his first two years.
"Since day one when I won my first race, I knew that this was something I wanted to do," Crum said.
By age eight, Crum started racing Bandolero cars and proved his driving mettle time and again, outclassing older and more experienced drivers.
In 2002, at the tender age of 10, Crum captured the Hardee's Summer Shootout Bandolero Bandits Championship and the World Karting Association's Triple Crown.
At age 10 Crum stepped up again to compete against adults in the Legends series.
Legends race cars are five-eighths scale body style replicas of cars raced in NASCAR events from 1937 through the early 1940's. Using engines from the Yamaha FJ1200 motorcycle, the Legends race car is extremely fast and tops out at speeds of 140 mph.
At age 13 Crum, although years from getting his driver's license, drove in his first Late Model race.
His steady ascent to racing stardom continued with the Rookie of the Year in 2005 in the Allison Legacy Touring Series.
Crum, already the owner of over 350 victories and the youngest to ever win a UARA (United Auto Racing Association) event, hoisted his most important trophy to date recently.
Last Sunday Crum won the biggest race of his life.
He took the checkered flag at the Bailey's 300 at the legendary Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
When Crum crossed the finish line ahead of the pack, he pocketed the biggest payday of his young career, receiving $25,000 and the speedway's famous grandfather clock trophy.
"This was the biggest race of my life," Crum said. "Winning this race was a pretty big deal."
Racing has been a family affair for the Crums.
Jake's father, Billy Crum, began the family racing legacy years ago.
He competed in late model races in Hickory and Concord, rubbing shoulders with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. among others.
The elder Crum has been there every step of the way for his son.
"My dad told me that if I won my first race that he would buy me another go-kart," said Crum. "I won my first race and we went from there.
"He's there every race. He's actually the one who's been footing the bill for the last few years. It would help him a lot if we could find a sponsor to come along with us."
It takes a combination of factors to make it to the Big Show, a fact that's not lost on Crum.
"You got to have sponsorship, a good marketing group like MediaFit, and a good sports agent," Crum said. You've got to have talent and you need to be able to represent yourself by carrying yourself well and not acting like a fool out in public.
"You have to have all these things to make it work. But most of all, you've got to have a full-time sponsor to back you. That's what we're looking for right now."
The rapid rise to stardom of phenom Joey Logano, who this year became the youngest driver to win on NASCAR's biggest stage at 19 years, 35 days old, has given Crum hope that his journey to the big time is almost complete.
"Next year or the year after, we could be in the Sprint Cup. We just need to find a full-time sponsor."
Crum has a crew that helps him on a regular basis and is thankful for his new crew chief, D.J. Mackey, who came on board before the race last week at Martinsville.
"He's been a big help already," an appreciative Crum stated.
No matter where his racing career may lead him, Statesville, or a place like it, will always be home for Crum.
"I like to live out in the country. I like to be out in the sticks. That's where I've grown up. Even if I do make it big and make a lot of money, I'm still going to live in a place like where I grew up."
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