CONCORD, NC - Dec. 2, 2009 - Clint Smith might not be Santa Claus, but he helped spread some holiday cheer over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The veteran World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular stepped out of the cockpit to serve as the grand marshal of an annual Christmas parade last Saturday night in Haralson, Ga., a quiet hamlet about 40 miles south of Atlanta.
As a local hero from the nearby town of Senoia, Smith was asked by parade organizer Eric Spencer to fill the grand marshal role. The 44-year-old fulltime professional driver proudly accepted the opportunity.
“That was a first for me,” Smith said of his unique turn in the spotlight. “I've shown my cars at elementary schools and stuff like that, but I've never been in a parade.”
Smith waved to spectators watching the parade along Haralson's streets while standing in the back of a pickup truck. The racer known as ‘Cat Daddy' was joined for the ride by his 16-year-old daughter, Jenna, and two of her friends.
Immediately after the parade, Smith participated in the town's Christmas tree lighting ceremony and a reception at the Haralson City Hall, where he met young and old residents and signed autographs. He was given an opportunity to speak to the parade attendees but kept his remarks brief, saying only, “Merry Christmas.”
Smith enjoyed playing grand marshal for a night, but don't ask him if he felt like a celebrity. This was a down-home affair, after all.
“It's a small town – a real small town,” Smith quipped with a smile, alluding to Haralson's tiny population (144 as of the last census).
Smith would have liked to brought along one of his JP Drilling No. 44 dirt Late Models to the parade, but he simply didn't have a machine ready for display. He's hard at work preparing for 2010 after making a major change in his racing program late in the 2009 season.
After spending four years exclusively running GRT cars, Smith debuted a Rocket Chassis mount in October and will focus his '10 efforts on campaigning cars built by the Shinnston, W.Va.-based manufacturer. He returned to the Rocket fold with assistance from West Virginia's Ernie Davis, who owns the No. 25 cars that 2009 WoO LMS champion Josh Richards drives in most of his non-Outlaws starts.
“When we were down at East Bay (Raceway in Gibsonton, Fla.) racing (in February) I got to know Ernie and his family pretty well,” said Smith. “Ernie's wife and daughter set up their Wii (video game) in my truck, and after the races when we had the barbeque out Ernie got to eating shrimp with us and we talked a lot.
“At the end of the year at Eldora, Ernie said to me, ‘You know, if you want to do something with Rocket, I'll help you.' I thought about it, and then we talked again and decided to do something.”
Being part of the Rocket Chassis ‘team' while on the road appeals to Smith, who is coming off one of the most frustrating seasons of his career. The chassis switch allows him to share technical and setup information with the army of traveling drivers in Rocket cars.
“I've worked with Joe Garrison and GRT for a long time and they've been real good to me,” said Smith, who will continue to field his own operation in 2010 with Ernie D's Enterprises prominently displayed on the bodywork of his cars. “But it's time to try something different. It can be tough being the only GRT out there at a lot of shows. If I learn something better, I'm better than everybody – but if I don't, I can be a 15th-place car.
“I'm looking forward to working with Mark (Richards) and the Rocket bunch. They're competitive, but they're a good bunch of people. They've already helped me a lot while I've been running a GRT, so I know what they're like.”
Smith wants to erase memories of 2009, which saw him win six features but none in WoO LMS action. A regular on the national tour since its rebirth under the World Racing Group banner in 2004, Smith went without a WoO LMS triumph for the first time since that inaugural season.
Just two years removed from a 2007 season that saw him win four times and finish a career-high third in the WoO LMS points standings (after leading the points race for almost half the campaign), Smith struggled mightily in 2009. He managed just four top-five finishes (his best: a third on Aug. 13 at Pennsylvania's Grandview Speedway) and had 18 top-10 runs in 40 A-Main starts en route to placing ninth in the points standings.
In addition, Smith won just a single heat race on the 2009 WoO LMS. But that victory came behind the wheel of his new Rocket car in the season finale on Nov. 7 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. – a prelude to his solid sixth-place finish in the evening's World Finals 50-lapper – and thus gave him a much-needed boost of confidence heading into his busy off-season.
The 2010 WoO LMS campaign kicks off on Feb. 11 and 13 with a pair of events as part of the 39th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser) and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors Champ Pans, Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tires, Integra Shocks, Jake's Custom Golf Carts, Ohlins Shocks, Racing Electronics, Quarter Master, Wrisco Aluminum and Bill Pink Carburetors; Crane Cams Engine Builder's Challenge participants Cornett Racing Engines, Custom Race Engines and Pro Power Racing Engines; and Chassis Builder Challenge participants Rocket Chassis and Team Zero by Bloomquist.
The veteran World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular stepped out of the cockpit to serve as the grand marshal of an annual Christmas parade last Saturday night in Haralson, Ga., a quiet hamlet about 40 miles south of Atlanta.
As a local hero from the nearby town of Senoia, Smith was asked by parade organizer Eric Spencer to fill the grand marshal role. The 44-year-old fulltime professional driver proudly accepted the opportunity.
“That was a first for me,” Smith said of his unique turn in the spotlight. “I've shown my cars at elementary schools and stuff like that, but I've never been in a parade.”
Smith waved to spectators watching the parade along Haralson's streets while standing in the back of a pickup truck. The racer known as ‘Cat Daddy' was joined for the ride by his 16-year-old daughter, Jenna, and two of her friends.
Immediately after the parade, Smith participated in the town's Christmas tree lighting ceremony and a reception at the Haralson City Hall, where he met young and old residents and signed autographs. He was given an opportunity to speak to the parade attendees but kept his remarks brief, saying only, “Merry Christmas.”
Smith enjoyed playing grand marshal for a night, but don't ask him if he felt like a celebrity. This was a down-home affair, after all.
“It's a small town – a real small town,” Smith quipped with a smile, alluding to Haralson's tiny population (144 as of the last census).
Smith would have liked to brought along one of his JP Drilling No. 44 dirt Late Models to the parade, but he simply didn't have a machine ready for display. He's hard at work preparing for 2010 after making a major change in his racing program late in the 2009 season.
After spending four years exclusively running GRT cars, Smith debuted a Rocket Chassis mount in October and will focus his '10 efforts on campaigning cars built by the Shinnston, W.Va.-based manufacturer. He returned to the Rocket fold with assistance from West Virginia's Ernie Davis, who owns the No. 25 cars that 2009 WoO LMS champion Josh Richards drives in most of his non-Outlaws starts.
“When we were down at East Bay (Raceway in Gibsonton, Fla.) racing (in February) I got to know Ernie and his family pretty well,” said Smith. “Ernie's wife and daughter set up their Wii (video game) in my truck, and after the races when we had the barbeque out Ernie got to eating shrimp with us and we talked a lot.
“At the end of the year at Eldora, Ernie said to me, ‘You know, if you want to do something with Rocket, I'll help you.' I thought about it, and then we talked again and decided to do something.”
Being part of the Rocket Chassis ‘team' while on the road appeals to Smith, who is coming off one of the most frustrating seasons of his career. The chassis switch allows him to share technical and setup information with the army of traveling drivers in Rocket cars.
“I've worked with Joe Garrison and GRT for a long time and they've been real good to me,” said Smith, who will continue to field his own operation in 2010 with Ernie D's Enterprises prominently displayed on the bodywork of his cars. “But it's time to try something different. It can be tough being the only GRT out there at a lot of shows. If I learn something better, I'm better than everybody – but if I don't, I can be a 15th-place car.
“I'm looking forward to working with Mark (Richards) and the Rocket bunch. They're competitive, but they're a good bunch of people. They've already helped me a lot while I've been running a GRT, so I know what they're like.”
Smith wants to erase memories of 2009, which saw him win six features but none in WoO LMS action. A regular on the national tour since its rebirth under the World Racing Group banner in 2004, Smith went without a WoO LMS triumph for the first time since that inaugural season.
Just two years removed from a 2007 season that saw him win four times and finish a career-high third in the WoO LMS points standings (after leading the points race for almost half the campaign), Smith struggled mightily in 2009. He managed just four top-five finishes (his best: a third on Aug. 13 at Pennsylvania's Grandview Speedway) and had 18 top-10 runs in 40 A-Main starts en route to placing ninth in the points standings.
In addition, Smith won just a single heat race on the 2009 WoO LMS. But that victory came behind the wheel of his new Rocket car in the season finale on Nov. 7 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. – a prelude to his solid sixth-place finish in the evening's World Finals 50-lapper – and thus gave him a much-needed boost of confidence heading into his busy off-season.
The 2010 WoO LMS campaign kicks off on Feb. 11 and 13 with a pair of events as part of the 39th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser) and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors Champ Pans, Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tires, Integra Shocks, Jake's Custom Golf Carts, Ohlins Shocks, Racing Electronics, Quarter Master, Wrisco Aluminum and Bill Pink Carburetors; Crane Cams Engine Builder's Challenge participants Cornett Racing Engines, Custom Race Engines and Pro Power Racing Engines; and Chassis Builder Challenge participants Rocket Chassis and Team Zero by Bloomquist.
