Simpson cruising in Corn Belt Clash

It started out as a joke, but has morphed into an actual spot-on prediction.

Chad Simpson and his crew chief, Andy Campion, told the car owners, Bud and Denise Brinkman, they would win every Corn Belt Clash Series race they entered in jest. Now, they seem like prognosticators instead of pranksters.

"We were joking about it," Simpson said of the preseason claim. "Everything's kind of been coming true."

The comment doesn't seem so funny, now. Simpson has won each of the first five Corn Belt Clash Series races this season, heading into tonight's race at Fayette County Speedway in West Union.

The team has picked up where they left off at the end of last season, which ended in Simpson winning his second straight World Dirt Racing League national points championship. The 31-year-old driver from Mount Vernon has his 2006 late model running smooth.

"I guess we kind of found that sweet spot with the car at the end of last year," Simpson said. "This year we've tried a few more things. It seems like every time we try something the car seems to get better and better."

It's hard to argue with him. He's won series races Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., and Tipton's Cedar County Speedway. Simpson raced to wins in consecutive nights at Cresco Speedway (June 3) and Farley Speedway (June 4).

"It's a pretty big accomplishment for us," said Simpson, who has raced for 17 years, including go-karts and pro stocks before his first full season in late models in 2004. "It's a huge success to win five races in a row like that."

Things have fallen into place for Simpson. The machine and driver are key components, but to place so strong routinely a little luck is involved as well.

"You could have the perfect car, perfect engine, perfect set-up and the best driver in the world, but you could have some bad luck and everything goes the wrong way," Simpson said. "Everything has gone in our direction this year."

He has eight total top-five finishes and has placed in the top-10 10 times in his 12 overall starts this season. The five victories are each a highlight and an example of the crew's efforts.

"Every time we get a win it stands out to me," Simpson said. "All the hard work and dedication that everybody has put into it, it's the reward."

Simpson, who is a purchaser for his family's Five-Star Shop Service in Swisher and runs his own sign and decal business, and his crew commit a lot f hours during the week preparing his car and making adjustments.

The crew spends about three to four hours a night and even devote weekends to working on the car when they're not racing. It's a necessary evil to stay on top.

"It's definitely darn near a second full-time job," said Simpson, noting the work of Campion and Brinkman. "If you want to keep winning and stay on top of the game you've got to put your heart in it. You have to keep striving and keep everything up to date."

The WDRL didn't release a schedule for the 2010 season, preventing Simpson from a third straight points title. He was going to travel to various events across the country. He became involved in the Corn Belt Clash and as the wins mount up the more the team will continue to race in them, in addition to traveling to bigger events.

"We caught ourselves in this Corn Belt (Clash)," Simpson said, "and now winning the first five we're probably going to try to stick with it for the most part of the year and try to win all those."