(Photo by Rick Rarer)
Inside Line Promotions – BEDFORD, Pa. (June 8, 2015) – Ryan Smith capped last weekend’s tripleheader by recording a podium finish with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions at Bedford Speedway on Sunday.
“We definitely needed that as a team,” he said. “A top-three finish with the All Stars is a good pick-me-up.”
The weekend began last Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., where Smith won his heat race after starting on the outside of the front row. That locked him into the 10th starting position for the main event based on the track’s handicapping system.
“The Grove was good,” he said. “With the handicap game I didn’t even bring any new tires with me because I figured we weren’t going to start any better than 10th. That hurt us a little bit. The car was good enough we could have passed some cars. We hadn’t raced the past weekend so we figured we’d go out there and try some things with this motor because she’s potent and we need to calm some things down.”
Smith scored a 10th-place result, which marked his second top 10 in three races at the track this season.
He then ventured to Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in Imperial, Pa., on Saturday for a UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions event.
Smith qualified 15th quickest, which was sixth best in his group. He then advanced from sixth to fifth place in a heat race to line up on the outside of the ninth row for the main event.
“I struggled there,” he said. “It’s a big, round, slick track. We were trying to figure out a way to hook it up. I don’t know if I had the car off or couldn’t hook the motor up. You have to be on the throttle to control it. We made it through the heat race, but it wasn’t that good so we gambled pretty hard for the feature. We went with something I’d never think about trying, but figured we’re starting in the back and the track was glazed. I was way too tight to run the bottom and that’s where you had to run. I had too much horsepower and I tightened the car up too much.”
Smith ended with a 24th-place finish.
The weekend concluded the ensuing day with a solid performance at Bedford Speedway, where Smith timed in 16th quickest in qualifying – third in his group – and won a heat race to advance into the dash. He then maneuvered from sixth to fourth place in the dash to line up on the outside of the second row for the main event.
“The track had a little more bite than Pittsburgh and it definitely showed,” he said. “We were good all night. We didn’t really change much. Four or five laps into the feature I moved up. (Greg) Hodnett got to lapped traffic and I reeled him in a little bit, then (Danny) Dietrich went by me.”
Smith finished with a third-place result, which was his sixth top five of the season. He ranks fourth in the All Stars championship standings.
“It was a good night,” he said. “I could have been snugged up a little more or if the top had a little more moisture, but the difference was experience. Those guys have been running these tracks for years and that was my second time there. Once Dietrich got by me I was in dirty air and the top went away. It was hard to get back to them.”
Smith will tackle a UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions tripleheader this Thursday at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Canandaigua, N.Y., Friday at Williams Grove Speedway and Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.
QUICK RESULTS –
June 5 – Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 10 (10).
June 6 – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in Imperial, Pa. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 5 (6); Feature: 24 (18).
June 7 – Bedford Speedway in Bedford, Pa. – Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 4 (6); Feature: 3 (4).
SEASON STATS –
23 races, 1 win, 6 top fives, 9 top 10s, 14 top 15s, 17 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Canandaigua, N.Y., Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions
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 – Fighting Angels Foundation
Children with Angelman Syndrome (AS) do not talk and many struggle to walk. They have difficulty eating and sleeping. Every year, individuals with AS die due to complications from seizures, however large pharmaceutical companies are not focused on the search for a cure. Despite the rarity of AS, a cure for this disorder is not only possible, but probable. We know what causes Angelman Syndrome. We know that, despite its devastating effects, it’s an incredibly simple disorder involving only one gene. And we know that curing AS will have a profound impact on other related and rare disorders, such as Prader-Willi, Rett and Fragile X Syndromes, as well as much more common disorders such as autism and Alzheimer’s.
Fighting Angels Foundation, Inc., is an organization dedicated to support and fund research and raise awareness of the rare neuro-genetic disorder Angelman Syndrome as well as serving and protecting the needs of the 1 in 15,000 individuals affected by this disorder. Our inspiration is Joseph (Joey) Paul Moretti Jr. FAF focuses its activities through yearly fundraising events and the support of public donations from generous individuals and companies to help fund its cause. Fighting to Talk, Fighting to Walk, Fighting for a Cure is our motto! For more information, visit http://www.FightingAngelsFoundation.com.
“We need to find a cure for kids like little Joey who have Angelman Syndrome,” Smith said. “The Fighting Angels Foundation is a great foundation that raises money to find a cure for this syndrome. Hopefully in the near future there will be a cure.”
Smith would also like to thank Warko Group, S&S Speedways, Quality Roofing Supply, G.L.T. Electrical, 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 –
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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 Jun 08, 2015
- Article Date: 6/8/2015 by Inside Line Promotions