(Photo by Rick Rarer)
Inside Line Promotions – MERCER, Pa. (May 4, 2015) – Last weekend got off to a rough start for Ryan Smith, whose team broke down Friday on the way to the first race of a UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions doubleheader in Western Pennsylvania.
“That was a show in itself just trying to get there,” he said. “We lost an injector. We were on the side of the road in a construction zone in an emergency pulloff. We sat there for two hours and luckily an All Star guy was willing to come pick us up. I want to thank Ernie with Stewart-Haas as well as Don Grabey, who got that deal going. They got us there.”
Smith arrived to make his debut at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., after missing hot laps, qualifying and heat races. That relegated him to start last in the B Main, which transferred the top four to the main event.
“We rolled out of the trailer good,” he said. “I had no clue what to expect going into turn one in the B Main. We got a hold of it pretty quick. It was a fun track to run on.”
Smith rallied from 12th to finish fifth in the consolation, narrowly missing a transfer. That forced him to use a provisional to tag the back of the field for the main event. He then advanced from 25th to a 14th-place finish to salvage the night.
“We were pretty good,” he said. “I really wish we could have been there the whole night to see how we stacked up in the main event, but overall it could have been a lot worse.”
Smith used a borrowed truck to haul to Mercer Raceway Park for Saturday’s event, which began with him qualifying ninth quickest overall and second fastest in his group. That started him on the inside of the second row of a heat race during his first sprint car race at the track.
“It was tough passing and I caught the invert the wrong way,” he said. “I timed too good for my group. It was really tough to pass. It was just real dirty and rough. It was pretty much a one-lane deal.”
Smith finished fourth in a heat race to lock himself into the feature, where he advanced from 12th to 10th on the narrow track. It marked his fourth top 10 in six All Star races this season.
Smith, who currently ranks third in the championship standings and is only 48 points out of the lead, is slated to race this Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 1 – Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. – Qualifying: DNQ; Heat race: DNS (-); B Main: 5 (12); Feature: 14 (25).
May 2 – Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pa. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 4 (3); Feature: 10 (12).
SEASON STATS –
13 races, 1 win, 4 top fives, 6 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 10 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.RyanSmithRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanSmithRacing
Twitter Race Updates: https://twitter.com/DeniseS_SS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanSmith.TheKunkletownKid
Instagram: https://instagram.com/denises_ss
VIDEO –
Here is a link to Smith’s first career All Star Circuit of Champions victory on April 4 at Attica Raceway Park: https://youtu.be/nBIxI_tNFyc
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – G.L.T. Electrical
G.L.T. Electrical is an electrical contracting business based in the Reading, Pa., area.
“Jerry and everyone at G.L.T. Electrical have been a big support for our race team,” Smith said. “We appreciate all of their help and look forward to future success together.”
Smith would also like to thank Warko Group, S&S Speedways, Quality Roofing Supply, CnB Chubby, Armbruster Racing Photos, Thunder on the Hill Racing Series, HP Engines, Pancho’s Racing Products, GME Steering and Vahlco Racing Wheels for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on May 04, 2015
- Article Date: 5/4/2015 by Inside Line Promotions