For the last three seasons Justin Robinson No. X1 and Alvie Haynes No. 18 have battled it out each week in the Late Model class at the Mt. Pleasant Speedway, with Robinson winning back-to-back track championships and Haynes finishing fourth and second, respectively, prior to this season. That competition took on a different nature when Robinson broke his motor during hot laps at the June 10 Merritt Speedway “Who 55,” and was unable to drive June 12 at the Mt. Pleasant Speedway. Leading the current points and in pursuit of his third straight Mt. Pleasant Speedway season championship, one of Robinson’s crew members picked up the phone and called Haynes to see if Robinson could drive Haynes’ car. Haynes, who had been unable to drive since May 29 because of back and hip problems, was feeling much better at this time, and because he could be going in for a surgical procedure at any time, wanted to get back in the racecar. “I was miserable not being able to race,” Haynes said. “It was so bad I didn’t even go to the track.” So to make sure Robinson would still get the track points for the night, the Robinson crew registered Haynes under the No. X1. “I was more than happy to do this because I was already out of the points race and Justin (Robinson) would do the same thing for me because he’s just that type of person,” Haynes said. For the Robinson crew getting Haynes to drive for them also provided them the chance to stay in the hunt for another track title. Just in case Haynes got to the track and was not feeling up to driving, Robinson was on standby June 12 and 19, along with several of his crew members, who helped Haynes out. “This just shows how racers are like family,” Robinson said. “We can go out and compete against each other on the track, but off the track we help each other out when we can.” Once Haynes arrived at the track on June 12, the feeling came back like he had never stepped out of the car. “It’s like getting back on a bike,” Haynes said. “It was an awesome feeling and I couldn’t wait to go racing.” Taking the car out for hot laps, Haynes said the first thing on his mind was winning and getting the most points possible for Robinson. Mission accomplished as Haynes went out and won his heat race in convincing fashion and then worked his way through the field to finish eighth in the feature on June 12. Haynes rounded that out on June 19 with a fourth place in the heat and a solid sixth place feature finish. “I was more than happy to help Justin try to win his third straight championship,” Haynes said. Haynes is expected to get the call from his doctor at any time about his surgery date, and could be out of the car for a few weeks recuperating. “Justin Robinson and X1 Racing would like to thank Alvie Haynes for driving for us and helping us out while our engine is being fixed,” Canute said. “His generosity is greatly appreciated.” That support is what racing is all about – helping each other out whenever possible.
