Clint Smith Racing Official Page

Upcoming Events
Date	Venue	Location	Sanction	Race Name/Broadcast
7/23/10	Volunteer Speedway	Bulls Gap, TN	SNS	Ray Cook's Southern Nationals
7/24/10	Tazwell Speedway	Tazwell, TN	SNS	Ray Cook's Southern Nationals
7/27/10	Central Pennsylvania Speedway	Clearfield, PA	WoO	World of Outlaws Speedweeks

— LATEST HEADLINES—

7/14/10: Summer Rewind, so far....The World of Outlaws has had Clint on the road heavily since May. The series headed to West Viriginia Motor Speedway ran a solid 12th, day 2 did not prove to be as good of a night as CSR only scored an 18th. However, a WoO weekend off proved beneficial and Clint headed to home track Dixie Speedway on June 5th and scored a 4th place finish, WoO fellow travel buddy, Shane Clanton took home victory. Sunday night Clint headed to one of his favorite tracks, Rome Speedway and scored is first victory of the 2010 season.

The Prelude to the Dream was on tap next for June 9th where, NASCAR star Jeff Gordon took the wheel of the #44 Rocket. While Gordon was please with the car, the overall result was not up to par for the team, coming in 22nd. Clint missed the feature of the Dream.

Back in action in Pennsylvania, things were looking up when Clint won his heat race and drew a 3rd but a bad tire choice for the feature kept us from scoring another top 10 as Clint settled for an 11th. With the Great Northern Tour underway, the team headed across the border only to get sidelined by the weather. Mother Nature won at Drummon, Que. and will be rescheduled for August. Rather than sitting still, the team then headed for Cornwall, ONT where Clint fielded 2 cars. Austin Hubbard's crew chief, Coleby Frye, fielded Clint's back up car and set fast time and went on to finish 9th while Clint won his heat and drew the outside pole. As luck would have it he suffered motor problems and finished 12th. Back in the states, Mother Nature beat everyone there too and won out at Brewerton, NY. That race will also be reschedule for the latter part of August.

Time to Celebrate our Nation and what better place than at the Firecracker 100 in Lernerville, PA. Night 1 Clint qualified 21st and gained spots in the heat to finish 2nd and scored another top 10 for the season finishing 10th. Night 2 did not prove as well as he qualified 4th overall but a bad setup for the heat race and B-Main left the team taking a provisional and finishing 23rd. On the finale...Clint started and ran 3rd in his heat race but after starting 16th in the feature, could only score an 18th for the night.

Welcome MID-SEASON around the house for a few days, if you could consider a 5 hour ride around the house, considering the upcoming Wild West Tour, Clint does. WoO too to the Great Smokey Mountains for the Independence Day races starting off at Wartburg Speedway where a return to the red clay was just the dose needed. Clint finished 4th. The next night at "The Taz" Tazwell Speedway after a poor qualifying and heat race effort, Clint got it all going in the right direction and won the BMain. However on lap 2 of the feature race from his 21st starting spot, Clint suffered a flat tire. A quick change and sent Clint moving through the field scoring a 8th for the night.

Happy Birthday America....Clint headed to Green Valley Speedway on July 4th. After starting 6th in the feature, Clint finished the day with a 4th.

5/21/10: from WoO press release...Among the WoO LMS stars who ran into trouble during the event were good buddies Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. Both drivers brought out caution flags after their cars' noses were bent under from digging into the racetrack – Smith on lap nine after he had started from the pole position and run second for laps 1-8, and Fuller on lap 48 when slid off the track in turn one while holding 11th place.

5/2/10: High Hopes dashed! Highs and lows abound for the last day of April and rolling in to prime racing season, May. The weekend for CSR started at Fayetteville Motor Speedway where after starting 16th, Clint had advanced to a 6th place spot when a series of unfortunate events sent him back several spots prior to the end of the race. However, the passing points is on Clint's side this season after Clint managed to bring in another top 10 finish. Clint wrapped up Fayetteville with 9th and made the trek back to our home state.

Swainsboro started off good with Clint clocking in at 6th to start on the outside pole for the 3rd heat. Pace setter Chris Ferguson and Clint headed in to turn 1 where Clint went high and the train on bottom went by. While scrambling to get back toward the front for a decent finish after the heat race start, Clint and Brent Robinson got tangled in turn 4 ending the heat for Clint. CSR went on and took a provisional for the main event. Starting 24th, Clint fumbled around the back of the pack for the first quarter of the race. About mid-event however, Clint's Rocket came to life and he was able to pass top grove or hugging the wall and by lap 42 had climbed to 11th. As the caution flew, Clint had suspected something amiss going on with the car. A vibration developed and while the tech didn't see anything during the caution flag, the ensuing start sure proved that there was indeed problems. Before the field even got to turn 2, Clint stopped with his right rear flying off the car. Having to come in on the hook, little time was left for Darrell and crew to get a new mount on and Clint back out before the leaders took the green. Clint managed to hold on and get back up to pace with the rest of the field for the final circut, limping in with a flat left rear.

The World of Outlaws will be back in action next weekend for a trip back to Illinois and Kentucky.

Contact: Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Director
kkovac@dirtcar.com | 704-254-7929

GA's Clint Smith Hopes To End Long World of Outlaws Late Model Series Win Drought At Swainsboro Raceway On Saturday Night (May 1)

SWAINSBORO, GA - April 28, 2010 - Maybe a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event in Clint Smith's home state will be the tonic he needs to bust out of a frustrating victory drought.

Smith, 45, of Senoia, Ga., couldn't pick a better place to snap a nearly two-year-long winless streak on the national tour than Swainsboro Raceway, which hosts the WoO LMS for the first time ever this Saturday night (May 1).

"I'd love to get it done at Swainsboro," said Smith, who is winless in his last 78 starts on a series that he has followed as a regular since 2004. "We don't get a chance to run Outlaw shows close to the house very often, so we're looking forward to it."

Of course, no one should mistake the three-eighths-mile Swainsboro oval as a hometrack for Smith. The speedway is located just over 160 miles southeast of his shop, and he hasn't entered more than a handful of races per season there since he frequented the track for a couple years in the late '80s while driving for a car owner from southern Georgia.

What's more, Smith has won features at Swainsboro, but not in more than 15 years. He also hasn't visited the track since promoter Paul Purvis completely resurfaced it two years ago with over 450 truckloads of deep red clay, so he'll effectively be experiencing new territory on Saturday night.

"I've heard it's a lot different now from when I ran there last," said Smith. "(The surface) used to be hard, but now it's more of a soft-tire (compound) type place with the new clay. It's supposed to be like Screven (Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., where the WoO LMS visited last month) and Brunswick (Georgia's Golden Isles Speedway).

"Everything I've heard about the new surface tells me (Saturday) should be a good race. I think it'll be a place we'll feel comfortable at."

Smith's confidence entering Swainsboro's 50-lap, $10,000-to-win program obviously comes not from his knowledge of the track but rather his resurgence on the WoO LMS this season. Sitting behind the wheel of Rocket Chassis cars for the first time since '04, he's much more competitive than he was during a disappointing 2009 season – he had a top finish of third and won just a single heat race en route to placing a dismal ninth in the points standings – and appears ready to score his first tour win since June 17, 2008, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.

In fact, in the last 50-lap A-Main contested by the WoO LMS, on March 27 at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, Smith recorded a solid second-place finish. It was his best outing since his triumph in '08 and provided proof that he was indeed progressing.

"I was getting to where I didn't like racing, so (a runner-up finish) helps us get back to more of an even keel," Smith said after his morale-boosting run at Lone Star. "I feel like I'm racing with these guys now."

That wasn't the case for much of Smith's last two seasons on the WoO LMS trail. His program was sterling in 2007 – he won four times and finished a career-high third in the points race after leading the standings for nearly half the season – but he hasn't been able to recapture that magic. Last year was especially difficult for Smith, who managed just four top-five finishes on the tour.

"Me and my crew chief Darrell Cooper worked tremendously hard and we threw everything we could at it," Smith said of his '09 trevails. "But when you get to chasing your tail like a dog, before long you're going in circles. That's kinda what we got into at mid-season. It was frustrating to work so hard and not get any results, but the competition level is so tough out here with these (WoO) guys, if you're not at the top of your game you're in trouble."

As the lone WoO LMS regular driving a GRT chassis, Smith found himself at a disadvantage last year. He decided to join the bigger pool of travelers in the Rocket Chassis camp late in the 2009 season – thanks to sponsorship from Ernie Davis, who fields the cars that defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., runs in many non-Outlaw events – and the results have been encouraging.

"We got teamed with Mark Richards and Rocket Chassis and now we've been getting more information than we had been getting," described Smith. "We're working with Mark and the other (Rocket) drivers, including my best buddy Tim Fuller. Our shock program with Integra has really picked up, my motor program has stepped up with RaceTek and I've got a new crew man – Brad (Baum), who used to be with Chub Frank – helping Darrell and getting all my tires done, so we're more ahead of the game this year."

Smith currently ranks only 10th in the WoO LMS points standings, 134 points behind co-leaders Richards and 2006 champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. But he thinks his points status doesn't quite tell the story of his improvement this season.

"We've been qualifying so much better this year," said Smith, who owns 11 career WoO LMS victories. "I think we really had it turned around (last month during a trip to Ocala, Fla., and Screven), but we had the motor issues that set us back and hurt us in the points. If we can get rid of the bad luck and start knocking out some top fives, we can get this points deal turned around."

Smith heads into this weekend's WoO LMS doubleheader, which begins on Friday night at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway before heading to Swainsboro, hot off a valuable Tuesday-afternoon practice session at his hometown Senoia (Ga.) Raceway. With a fresh RaceTek engine buttoned under the hood of his J.P. Drilling No. 44, he's ready to pursue an elusive Outlaw checkered flag.

There will be plenty of top-notch competition for Smith to deal with at Swainsboro, including former WoO LMS champions Richards, McCreadie, Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Smith's fellow Peach State Outlaw Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who joined Smith in the Tuesday test at Senoia. Also expected to provide a stiff challenge to Smith and the invading stars are Swainsboro's Chesley Dixon and brothers Ben and Jeremy Faircloth; Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga.; and John Henderson of Aiken, S.C.

Swainsboro Raceway's WoO LMS event on Saturday night will serve as the grand finale for three full days of activities that comprise the town of Swainsboro's annual Pine Tree Festival, which includes a Saturday-morning parade through the downtown streets. Several race cars and the track's pace truck will be part of the parade.

4/9-17/10: The World of Outlaws made a trip to Farmer City, Ill. a trip Clint would have soon forgot. He said he simply missed on the set up as he is still adjusting to the new Rockets. The World of Outlaws then made a return trip the next weekend to Virginia Motor Speedway for the Commonwealth 100. A former winner at this track, Clint was confident heading there that he has his program back on track this season. Clint tried a slick maneuver in hopes of stealing the Commonwealth 100, but his strategy didn't go quite according to plan and he settled for a 10th-place finish.

"I thought I made the call to win the race," said Smith. "When Earl (Pearson) blowed his tire (running third on lap 59), I streaked in the pit area immediately off the corner (when the caution flag came out) so I could change a tire and beat him out of the pits because I knew nobody could make it (on tires). The problem was, I put a 2400 (compound) on it instead of a white-dot. I knew they were good for 50 laps so I knew I had to take care of it, but I thought the track had rubbered enough that I'd be able to roll people on the outside."

Alas, Smith didn't have quite enough tire to overtake the cars that survived the distance without getting a flat. As his tire "got slick at the end," he watched eventual third-place finisher Jonathan Davenport drive by and knew his best laid plan wasn't going to work. (portions taken from World Of Outlaws - Kevin Kovak article)

3/26-27/10: The lovely Lonestar State! A trip to Texas for the World of Outlaws got the team back in high spirits this past weekend. On Friday night the team hit the track just outside of Houston, TX and rallied to bring home a top 10, the first in a while for the new CSR Rocket chassis. After and 11th and sidelined motor problems here in GA, Clint was excited with his results feeling confident that the program and motor issues were back on track. Saturday night would prove that to be true. After qualifying 3rd, Clint went on to top his heat race. Luck of the draw placed us 4th for the start for the 2nd night of WoO action in the Lonestar State. Clint charged toward the front but could not real in fellow WoO tour driver and eventual winner, Steve Francis. Clint stated after the event that he felt he had something for Francis but he went softer on tires and everytime he got a run going, he would back off because he felt he would blow a tire and the long green flag stretches. Sti, finishing the night 2nd, the team was happy with the weekend and came back to Georgia with plenty of notes and a weekend off from WoO to get ready to hit the road with the Illni 100.

This Easter weekend plans are tentative as of today but we will update the site as soon as a decision is made. We should be racing here in Georgia at the very least.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLINT - 3/20/10

3/20/10: This write up is from World of Outlaws News and Notes: Clint Smith hired some help for his chief mechanic (and cousin) Darrell ('Don Vito') Cooper, who spent most of the 2009 season as Smith's lone fulltime wrench. Joining the Georgia veteran's team last week was Brad Baum, the 2007 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year while working under Chub Frank.

Baum, who split with Frank midway through the 2009 season and then found a job with rookie Dustin Hapka's operation for the remainder of the campaign, dived right into the grind. After an engine problem during heat action forced Smith to run his backup car in Friday night's A-Main at Ocala, Baum was up early on Saturday morning in Screven's pit area helping Cooper pull the problematic powerplant from the primary machine and bolt in a backup.

There was no rest for Baum on Saturday night either. Smith, who celebrated his 45th birthday on Saturday, experienced a dreadful, car-swapping evening. He began the program in his primary car, but a skipping engine during hot laps prompted him to pull out the backup again – just for a moment, that is, because an oil-pump belt broke as he waited to hit the track for qualifying, forcing him to climb back in his primary machine and take one lap at the end of the time-trial session. Smith qualified through a heat and started 10th in the A-Main, but his dismal outing ended on lap five when the machine lost power and he was pushed into the pit area with a 23rd-place finish.

ANIMAL RESCUERS: Scott Gurdak, a western Pennsylvania dirt Late Model racer who accompanied Chub Frank to the Southeast to provide additional help in the pits, was walking near the dragstrip on Screven's expansive property Saturday morning when he saw a couple looking into a hole in the ground. He sidled over and discovered that a whimpering black lab-mix puppy was stuck in the eight-foot crevice, unable to escape.

Local sheriffs soon arrived and managed to free the dog, which apparently had been trapped for some time. Dirty and weak, the cute puppy was initially taken to Russell King's trailer and given food and water. It then spent the afternoon lying beneath the King, Frank, Tim Fuller and Clint Smith race cars as crews serviced the machines for the evening's action, and prior to the start of racing Smith placed the visibly exhausted dog on a blanket inside his trailer.

With no one stepping up to claim the animal, Smith decided to take it home with him. "We can make it a shop dog," said Smith, whose teenage daughter, Jenna, was seen with the sleeping dog – which she appropriately plans to give the name 'Lucky' – on her lap in the pit area after the A-Main was completed.

A quick wrap-up for the weekend, more details to follow....Clint ran 5th in the consolation race on Saturday night at Bulls Gap and went on to win his consolation race. Pretty much finishing where he started, Clint scored in at 18th for a disappointing night. The team made their way to Gaffney, SC for Sunday's March Madness event. A beter afternoon was on tap. A past winner of the event, the team continues to get used to and tweak on the new Rocket Chassis bringing home another top 10 event by finishing the night in 9th.

Updated weekend plans! Clint has made a mid week decision to make the trip to Bulls Gap, Tennessee for the Lucas Oil Spring Thaw Saturday night. Clint will then make the trek to Gaffney, South Carolina for the Lucas Oil event at Cherokee Speedway on Sunday. Plans for next weekend to Boyds Speedway in Ringgold, GA and Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland, TN.

3/1/10: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: All three were a part of Clint's weekend at some point in time. Starting with the automobiles, Clint made his way to Bardstown, KY to participate in and celebrate with good friend and fellow World of Outlaws driver, Steve Francis' marriage to Amanda Ferrell....thus the "trains". Steve and Amanda's wedding was beautiful and Clint and family were proud to participate in their happy day and wish them well for a lifetime of happiness.

On to the planes ....while the East Coast was digging out from the weekend snow storm, airports were backed up across the country. Clint's morning effort to catch a plane back to Atlanta early Sunday morning and then make the drive over to Gasden, AL for the Bama Bash then became quite the challenge. The family arrived at the Louisville airport early hoping for the first flight out, instead they sat at the airport until mid-morning when as luck would have it they caught the 2nd flight out. Clint immediately left straight from the Atlanta airport and headed for the Bash. Taking a provisional afforded to past winners, Clint started 28th. Passing throughout the well prepared track, Clint managed to make his way through the field to 6th place, however, while challenging Bub McCool for 5th place, the two tangled sending smoke flying from tires and getting Clint out of shape. There was damage to the right side of the CSR Rocket for the final laps but Clint managed to hang on to the now ill handling car to 6th place finish.

The team is however pleased with the first top 10 finish of 2010 in the new Rocket Chassis and have a continued growing confidence that the new program and racing package is moving in the right direction.

Next on the calendar is Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Cleveland Speedway, Cleveland, TN for the season opener and as a prep for the upcoming Shamrock. Please keep in mind that based on a number of factors, the schedule could change all the way up to race day. We hope to see you at the track.

2/25/10: 2010 racing is now underway. Clint Smith and team has rolled out the season in a new chassis. During the off season, Clint decided to switch to the Rocket Chassis. Clint, who ran a Rocket during a select few events at the end of 2009, says he feels good about the change and hopes to greatly improve upon a disappointing 2009. The team decided to forego the shows at Brunswick and East Bay in order to finish up the new car. However, the Clint did take some practice laps around The New Senoia Speedway before heading to Florida. Senoia has gone back to dirt this year, much to the delight of Clint, team, and family. Senoia is not only the home base of CSR but is where Clint grew up racing.

The Cat Daddy kicked off the his 2010 season last week at the popular Volusia Raceway Park. Night 1 was a bit on the frustrating side as working out the "new car blues" was the issue at hand and out off the over 60+ cars on hand, Clint only managed to put a 17th place finish in the books.

While Mother Nature won out on night 2, it was the "gremlins" that won out on night 3 as far as the CSR team was concerned. A blown engine sent the team to work to swap power plants for the kick-off WoO event. However, night 4 bad luck won...the kick-off for the 2010 season of the World of Outlaws was on tap but wrecks in the heat and b-main sent Clint in to a provisional starting position for the feature. While only a 19th was scored in the books for the opening event, Clint felt like he was getting his new car program in the right direction.

Night 5, Mother Nature was at the helm again, giving the team some extra prep time for the final night and next WoO points race. Night 6 things were looking up, Clint charged from his 7th place heat race starting place to finish 2nd, giving a solid starting spot for the feature event. However, Clint stated that he missed on the tires for the feature, finishing just out of the top 10 and scoring a 13th place for the final night. While the results were not high as hoped, Clint firmly believes his 2010 racing program is headed in the right direction with his off season changes.