After Monday Brainerd testing, all is good in Matt Smith's world

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 11 of 17 - Pro Stock Motorcycle
25th annual NHRA NATIONALS
Maple Grove Raceway
Mohnton, Pa.
Aug. 21-23, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell, 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

AFTER MONDAY BRAINERD TESTING, ALL IS GOOD IN MATT SMITH'S WORLD

KING, N.C. (Aug. 20, 2009) - Matt Smith and the Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear
Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle team spent the Monday after last Sunday's NHRA
Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway making test runs down the
quarter-mile dragstrip trying to determine the cause of their recent
mechanical issues. By Tuesday the problem was solved and they're ready to
attack the quarter-mile at Maple Grove Raceway, outside of Reading, Pa., at
this weekend's 25th annual NHRA Nationals, where he won the event last year.

Smith and the Nitro Fish team, tuned by Steve Tartaglia and racing the
quickest Suzuki on the circuit behind the dominant Harley-Davidsons,
experienced problems during qualifying and the first round of eliminations
in Brainerd, which even an engine change did not fix.

"We made six passes testing on Monday," said Smith, who is third in the
point standings and has clinched a berth in the Countdown to 1 playoffs,
which begin following the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day. "We only made one
quarter-mile pass, but we we went to at least 1000 feet every time. We were
trying to get everything right and I think we've accomplished it. We
discovered it was the clutch disc.

"Based on our eighth-mile and 1000-foot numbers, we would have been the
second quickest bike during the weekend in Brainerd. We wouldn't have outrun
Hector Arana (winner of the event in a Buell, whose quickest pass was 6.944
seconds), but we would have gone 7-flat.

"We had a disc in the clutch that went bad on us and it kept shutting the
bike off. On Monday we didn't change the motor, didn't change anything else
except we went out and stuck another cutch in the bike and it went out there
and ran well. We came back later that evening and put the same clutch back
in that gave us the problem to make sure, and it did it again.

"I'm really glad we got it fixed. I think this all started in Sonoma in E2.
The clutch was locked up pretty much there and in E3 we slowed up even more.
It just got worse from there and we just kept slowing up. It looks like it
was the clutch and nothing else.

"So, I'm looking forward to going to Reading. It's the home race for Nitro
Fish Ultimate Gear (owner Kenny Koretsky is from Richboro, Pa.), and we're
the defending event champion. I hope we can put all the stuff that we've had
happen to us this year behind us and get some good karma finally and go run
well. We need a confidence booster. We need it for Don Schumacher, we need
it for Suzuki, we need it for Nitro Fish, and we need it for me. I need a
big confidence booster for the next race."

MATT SMITH QUICK FACTS:
* No. 3 in PSM 2009 point standings, following runner-up finish in season
opening Gainesville, Fla., event, semifinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta,
Englishtown and Sonoma, and four quarterfinals
* Led the standings through two of the first three events
* Clinched a spot in the 2009 Countdown to 1 playoffs in Brainerd, Minn.
* Is 135 points out of first place
* Reading winner in 2008 (Angelle Sampey)
* Set national elapsed-time record in Houston 2009 of 6.865 seconds. It has
since been eclipsed
* One No. 1 qualifier in 2009 (Gainesville)
* Won 2007 PSM championship, winning four races in nine final rounds
* Was No. 1 seed in 2008 NHRA PSM playoffs, earning 20-point bonus
* No. 3 in 2008 PSM point standings
* Came close to claiming his second straight PSM crown in 2008 after leading
the standings for the last six of seven events in the playoffs. A mechanical
problem in the final event of the season dropped him to third
* Collected a career-high seven No. 1 qualifiers in 2008
* Debuted in the PSM class in Gainesville, Fla., in 2004
* Is the son of NHRA Pro Stock racer Rickie Smith
* Has 10 career national-event wins in 21 final rounds, and was low
qualifier 15 times since joining the class on a limited basis in 2003
* Became a full-time competitor in the class in 2005
* Career round win-loss record is 118-74 in 91 national events
* Career-best elapsed time: 6.865 seconds (Houston 2009)
* Career-best speed: 194.63 mph (Atlanta 2009)
* Lives in King, N.C. - single - engaged to fellow PSM rider Angie McBride
* Born Nov. 11, 1972
* Son Tristan (9/12/96)

SCHEDULE: 
FRIDAY, Aug. 21 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3 and 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, Aug. 22 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Aug. 23 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at
11 a.m.
 
TELEVISION:      
Sunday, Aug. 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying
coverage at 1 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will telecast NHRA Race Day at 11:30
a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final round
eliminations at 10 p.m. (ET).
            
SATELLITE (Analog feed):
Friday, Aug. 21, 8:30 - 9 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz,
horizontal)
Saturday, Aug. 22, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz,
horizontal)
Sunday, Aug. 23, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 15 / Transponder 6K (11820 MHz,
horizontal)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winnersą
interviews on Sunday.

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