Southern Tour Frustrating for Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith’s Southern Tour Goes Topsy-Turvy
Kunkletown, Penn. – Dixieland Speedway stop gives Ryan Smith a new  
outlook on the track – upside down!

Ryan Smith, before he heads back to school to finish his Mechanical  
Engineering degree in a couple of years, has been running the ARDC  
Midget season, firmly in the rookie point lead. He followed the tour  
south, racing at Dixieland Speedway and at County Line Speedway. At  
Dixieland, in Elizabeth City, N.C., on Friday night, he ended the  
race after flipping, the first time he has ever experienced that in a  
race car before. With the flip, caused when he was running in fourth  
place and challenging for third, he wound up the evening back in 17th  
place.

“Last night was good – it ended bad,” said Smith the next day in Elm  
City, N.C. at County Line. Smith and his team worked through much of  
the night, replacing the front axle and a few other pieces, then  
suffering a stuck throttle in early practice. The team tore into the  
No. 54 Burke Trucking/55 Speedway midget and fixed the problem before  
the heat race.

A single-groove track and the wrong tire choice left Smith struggling  
to keep his ninth-place starting position in the feature race, with  
heavy traffic dropping him back one place at the finish of the 25-lap  
feature to tenth. “Tonight, at least we finished on all four wheels,”  
he said after the race. “Nothing’s fallen off, nothing broke.” The  
weekend may not have been the most rewarding, but he retained the  
rookie point lead.

When Smith returns home, he plans to race Tuesday night at hometown  
Kutztown Speedway, then Saturday at Hamlin Speedway, in a Micro  
Slinger at Kutztown and his Micro Sprint car at Hamlin.

Smith is being helped in his career by training from Future Stars in  
Racing Academy. The Academy helps prepare young drivers for success  
outside the car in public speaking; sponsor presentations; working  
with the media and behavior on and off the track. Future Stars in  
Racing is the exclusive driver development partner with the ASA Late  
Model Series. Marketing partners include Safety-Kleen, Awesome  
Racewear and Sunbelt Web Solutions. The Academy features a staff with  
decades of experience in all aspects of motorsports. To learn more  
about Ryan Smith and the Academy, go to www.futurestarsinracing.com.

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John Davison, VP Media Relations, Future Stars in Racing
jdavison1@carolina.rr.com
PO Box 1435
Harrisburg, NC 28075
704.784.4630
919.271.8796 cell