(Photo by Trent Gower)
Inside Line Promotions – HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 30, 2016) – A new car has Ryan Smith feeling confident and poised to win races during the remainder of Pennsylvania Speedweek.
The Warko Group team put a new chassis together last week and the results throughout the first four Speedweek races have been encouraging.
“We were consistent with the old car, but it was for fifth,” Smith said. “Now we’re in the hunt for wins and that feels great.”
Speedweek didn’t start too well. Friday’s opening round rained out at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., last Friday and the team struggled with the new car at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., on Saturday.
“We had some issues with the car and by the time we figured it out we missed the show,” Smith said. “I was in a transfer spot in the heat and got passed on the last turn of the last lap. But once we got the car figured out we had great speed.”
The following night at Path Valley Speedway in Spring Run, Pa., Smith battled the entire feature in the top five.
“We qualified well, got second in our heat and battled up front and finished fifth,” he said. “That really got my confidence up. After that feature I knew I had something I could win with.”
Smith took that momentum to Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa., on Tuesday when he was poised to put the Warko car in Victory Lane.
“I got out front and knew I had to go,” he said. “When you see that 27 car (Greg Hodnett) coming you can’t hesitate and wait. I got behind this lapped car and followed him and he stayed on the bottom. I went to the outside and he came up and we got together and it wiped the front end off and I spun into the infield.”
There were 15 laps scored when the incident happened and then the skies opened up and the remaining laps were postponed until later in July.
“We were very good,” Smith said. “We just needed three more laps to be halfway to be considered a complete race. I didn’t know rain was coming. I was just going as hard as I could. I knew we were going to be hard to beat. It was just one of those racing deals. We’ll be back to finish the race and probably start 11th or 12th.”
Wednesday night found Smith at Hagerstown Speedway, where he set fast time during qualifying and finished third in his heat race. That lined him up on the outside of the second row for the main event.
“I settled in behind Stevie (Smith) and Lance (Dewease),” he said. “Once he got into the lead Lance was gone. With about three laps to go I got by Stevie and finished second. I needed longer runs. But, again, we were there challenging.
“I’m very happy with this car. We have a piece we can win races with and that gives me a lot more confidence. Tonight (Thursday) will be the tell-tale of how good we are. We’re at a track we’re very familiar with and where I run very well at.”
Speedweek continues Thursday at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa., before heading to another track Smith excels at – Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. – on Friday. Port Royal Speedway will be the site of another Speedweek race on Saturday before the weekend wraps up on Sunday at Selinsgrove Speedway in Selinsgrove, Pa.
QUICK RESULTS –
June 26 – Path Valley Speedway in Sprint Run, Pa. – Qualifying: 4; Heat: 2 (4); Feature: 5 (4).
June 28 – Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa. – Qualifying: 9; Heat: 1 (2); Feature: Rain delayed.
June 29 – Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Md. – Qualifying: 1; Heat: 3 (4); Feature: 2 (4).
SEASON STATS –
31 races, 0 wins, 7 top fives, 17 top 10s, 24 top 15s, 26 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa.; Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Saturday at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa.; and Sunday at Selinsgrove Speedway in Selinsgrove, 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
APPAREL –
Visit http://www.RyanSmithRacing.com to view the latest apparel options, which include t-shirts and hoodies.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – S&S Speedway
S&S Speedways is owned by Ryan Smith’s parents. It is a family fun center located in Stroudsburg, Pa. For the novice to the racing enthusiast, S&S Speedways showcases an indoor track that assimilates dirt racing with side-by-side action generating lots of smiles. S&S is open 7 days a week offering public racing and private parties by reservation. The lobby offers full track viewing to watch the racing plus video games, a snack bar, pool table and S&S merchandise is available. For more information, visit http://www.SSSpeedways.com.
“My mom and dad have been my biggest fans and have worked very hard to help my career and I can’t thank them enough,” Smith said.
Smith would also like to thank Warko Group, G.L.T. Electrical, CnB Chubby, Fighting Angels Foundation, S&S Speedways, Quality Roofing Supply, East Coast Helicopter Tours, 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 Jun 30, 2016
- Article Date: 6/30/2016 by Inside Line Promotions