Smith Amped to Take on the World of Outlaws on His Turf This Weekend
Story By: SHAWN MILLER / INSIDELINE MEDIA
Photos By: DAN DEMARCO / RACERSGUIDE.COM
FULTON, N.Y. -October 14, 2016 – Ryan Smith has a ton of confidence as he gets set to take on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series in Central Pennsylvania this weekend.
“Our old Maxim is working well,” he said. “We have great support and great team chemistry. We have a strong bullet under the hood, our best engine. The World of Outlaws program puts all the emphasis on qualifying and we have been saving this motor for a weekend like this. It’s pretty fresh; we’ve only run it about four or five times.”
Smith will compete on Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg for the single-day National Open. He will then travel to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal on Saturday.
“We’ve been good all year at Port Royal, finishing in the top 10 just about every time,” he said. “We got our first-ever win at Williams Grove a few weeks ago so I have a lot of confidence going there as well. We’ve had speed all year, but just couldn’t get over the hump. The last month we’ve found some things and now we can contend for wins.
“The whole key to the weekend is qualifying. So much emphasis is put on those two laps with the Outlaws format. If you don’t time in the top eight your chances of winning a heat and getting into the dash are pretty slim. So you have to have your motor on kill when you hit the track for qualifying. It’s really tough on the low budget teams that don’t have that killer motor. I’m confident in the bullet we have.”
Smith is coming off a good performance against the Outlaws at Fulton Speedway last Saturday.
“We laid down a good qualifying lap, won our heat and made it into the dash,” he said. “They drew the worst number you could get for the dash invert – an eight. So I started sixth and finished six, but that gave us a great feature starting spot.”
Smith, who qualified seventh quickest before winning a heat race and ending sixth in the dash, lined up on the outside of the third row for the main event.
“I was a bit too tight early in the feature, but once I started to get rolling … well then the caution came out,” he said. “Sometime after the restart we picked up a shock problem. It pulled the thread out of the eye that screws into the shaft. I’ve never seen that happen. The track was rough entering turn three and that’s where it probably happened. I just hung on from there to finish 11th. We probably could have run fifth or sixth. But all and all it was a good night and I know I can run with these guys.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 8 – Fulton Speedway in Fulton, N.Y. – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 6 (6); Feature: 11 (6).
SEASON STATS –
63 races, 1 win, 16 top fives, 32 top 10s, 47 top 15s, 53 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., for the National Open and Saturday at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa., with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series
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 – The Warko Group
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“Despite our struggles and bad luck this season, Rob Warko has kept encouraging us and keeping me pumped up,” Smith said. “That has given me a ton of confidence. We have turned things around and because of the Warko Group we have the tools we need to compete for wins.”
Smith would also like to thank 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.
