11/21/2017
RacinBoys
Cutshaw earns fourth straight Lucas Oil Speedway title
By Lyndal Scranton (Wheatland, MO) -- The term "teamwork" sometimes gets tossed around like a cliche when race drivers review championship seasons. But when Jeff Cutshaw talks about team, it's legit.
Cutshaw won as unprecedented fourth straight Pitts Homes USRA Modified track championship at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2017. When he says he couldn't have done it without the help of crew members Billy Mitchell, Andrew Miller and Michael Mitchell, he absolutely means it.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kenny Shaw
"They mean everything to my operation," said Cutshaw, who works 13-14 hour days during the week as service manager of a Chrysler dealership in Kansas City. He returns to his Bolivar home on weekends and his team always has the car ready to roll for race nights.
"They take care of it, wash it, get it ready," Cutshaw said. "If anything is broke, they fix it. Billy keeps it at his house, including the truck and trailer. He takes care of the car like it's his own.
"Those guys pick up the slack, for sure. I don't hardly even see the car until Saturday afternoons and they have it ready to go."
Team Cutshaw clearly is doing something right, displaying consistency week after week and year after year. Mechanical failures or DNFs have been few and far between, which is key when racing for championships.
He had three wins and two second-place finishes in 2017 with seven other top-fives.
"The big thing with any championship is you have to stay consistent," Cutshaw said. "You don't have to win a bunch of races, but you have to be consistent. I've always said that I would like to win more races, but the championship is important as well."
Cutshaw said each championship has had a different feel to it, with the most-recent one perhaps the most-challenging of the four. That's because he had to come from behind in the final couple of weeks to finish just 21 points clear of runner-up Jason Pursley.
It took a feature win on Aug. 19 and a second-place run on championship night a week later to nail it down. It was in contrast to 2016, when he had the points championship all but wrapped up with more than a month remaining.
Cutshaw said it was fun to rally with strong finish to win this one in a GRT by Phillips by purchased four years ago.
"I bought that car new from Terry Phillips four years ago and have four championships, so I have to give a lot of credit to Terry Phillips," Cutshaw said. "I can call and visit with him any time and throw stuff at him and he can tell me if I'm crazy or not.
"We're always trying little things. Even though the car is pretty good, we're always trying new things to make it better and faster."
Sponsors include SCP Race Engines and Electric Beach Tanning Salon. Those two, along with his key crew members, will be back next year as Cutshaw shoots to make it five championships in a row.
"I might bounce around a little bit, but I'm not gonna race too far from home because with work, I just don't have the hours to travel," Cutshaw said. "We're probably gonna stay at Lucas and try to win another one."
Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived stories, ticket info and the tentative 2018 schedule can be found by visiting http://www.LucasOilSpeedway.com.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.
Click http://www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984.
In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at http://www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on http://www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
