ONTARIO, California - NHRA racer Kevin Smith has decided to give up the wheelie bars and burnout boxes to broaden his horizons in the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series. Smith has been competing on the West Coast with his 9-second, NHRA Super Stocker for the past 4 years. He has won on both a national and divisional level and in 2005 finished in the top 10 nationally out of more than 700 Super Stock racers. Although his wheel-standing Camaro is his latest quarter-mile venture, Kevin cut his drag racing teeth on two wheels. In 2000, he ran a 7-second/180 mph NHRA Pro Stock motorcycle in competition and you can still find him out playing occasionally on his 430 hp, turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa Outlaw street bike. Although his roots run deep in the drag racing arena, the move to ASA Speed Trucks was an easy decision for him.
“Being a small business owner and the father of two young children, time is the lost commodity in my life right now. Racing with the NHRA means I am gone 4-5 days, sometimes weeks at a time depending on how the schedule lays out. With the Speed Trucks, I can be in and out in a day or two and with nearly the same events; this new schedule makes a ton of sense.” Smith also adds... “As a kid growing up I loved to watch NASCAR and circle track racing... heck, Dale Sr. was my icon. So, after just one weekend watching these trucks from the stands at Irwindale... I took the bait hook, line and sinker.”
Being a motorsports veteran, Smith knew the only way to be competitive with this new series early in 2008 was to surround himself with the right people and the right equipment immediately. During the off-season, Kevin got together with the folks at Circle Track Fabrication to help get his program up to speed. “Over the winter, I acquired one of the nicest trucks in Speed Truck history and hired the absolute best shop and personnel to maintain and crew my program. I’ve gone out and tested with some success, made a few updates to an already top notch truck... I guess there will be no excuses now. If the driver can do his job, the groundwork has been laid for a phenomenal season.” Smith continues... “My goals are lofty for this year... that’s the only way I know how to operate. I’ve been successful in the past and I see no reason we can’t show success here. I want to win Rookie of the Year and put myself in a position late in the year to finish Top 5 in the points. I’m looking forward to this weekend and am eager to get it all started.”
The ASA Speed Truck Challenge opens its 2008 season this weekend, Saturday, March 8, in the desert at Havasu 95 Speedway. Kevin wishes to thank Pacific Coast Creations (pcc909.com), JEGS.com, Scott and Dallas at Circle Track Fabrication, Randel King Racing and Bennett Transportation for their continued support.
