Driver Jay Crabill finds home at Hawkeye Downs Speedway

CEDAR RAPIDS — One of the most valuable assets Jay Crabill has is his ability to survive and adapt.

A Cedar Rapids resident since 2017, Crabill has lived in California and Korea with several stops in between.

“I don’t even have anywhere I call home anymore,” Crabill said. “Since I was 16, I’ve lived everywhere.”

Now the 33-year-old is settling into his Midwestern surroundings as he begins his second season of live racing after spending years competing in the online world.

“I spent so much time on my computer with no goals and not really going anywhere,” Crabill said. “I was just kind of living each day. I just recently realized that I haven’t spent any time on my computer in the last two months because I feel so free now.”

One thing that has increased Crabill’s sense of freedom is a new truck and trailer his grandfather in Arkansas helped purchase.

“I don’t want to stay home,” Crabill said. “If there is a car show or the street drags, I’m going to go do it.”

That has Crabill showing up at Hawkeye Downs a lot after initially planning to run solely on dirt in 2021.

“I didn’t have Hawkeye Downs on my radar,” Crabill said. “We decided to race Hawkeye Downs on Fridays and Independence on Saturdays and take Sundays off.”

Since the season has started, Crabill has focused even more on asphalt after seeing several cars going home from dirt tracks “junked.” That’s something Crabill struggled to avoid late last season and even into the start of this season.

“With more people on dirt you have a wider skill gap between the best guy and the people making their first start,” said Crabill, who still plans on making spontaneous appearances at various tracks.

“What works on dirt is not going to work on asphalt, so it’s finding the in-between to be able to run on both.”

The biggest goal in 2021 for the driver of the 87c sport compact is bringing joy back to his favorite sport.

“Going into the season I had all of these aspirations,” Crabill said. “That stressed me out so much during the first three weeks that it started to almost not be fun. I just want to take a step back and breathe.”

Now, Crabill and his wife, Thet, are taking things easy and relearning things as they make the rounds a second time.

“There aren’t a line of volunteers there to come pit and help,” Crabill said. “So, to have her there every week even though most of the time she doesn’t have any idea what’s going on, she’s willing to help and learn and is there to have fun, too.”

She’s also been there to soften the blows of disappointment.

“The night that I blew my motor I was not in a good spot,” Crabill said. “It was a big bummer and I didn’t know how I was going to replace it. She kept me calm and assured me that we’d be going racing the next week, no matter what.”

After competing in the Hawkeye Downs double feature Friday night, Crabill will work the road course enduro Sunday at HD as a corner flagman.

Gates open at 11 a.m. and the race begins at noon.

Comments: justin.webster@thegazette.com