Tom Smith hoping he stays ‘lucky’
long enough to win $1,500 Figure 8 Shootout at Orange Show
SAN BERNARDINO (July 24, 2007) –
Ask Tom Smith the secret to his success at Orange Show Speedway this
season and he laughs and says “just lucky, I guess.”
Then Smith is asked what he expects this Saturday
(July 28), when the Lucas Oil Outlaw Figure 8 drivers expect to be joined
by several visiting racers to contend for the $1,500 that will go to
the winner of the Summer Shootout, and he sounds more serious when he
replies, “I just hope my luck doesn’t run out.”
The BSR West Late Models, ASA Stock Ponys, Leno’s
Rico Taco Legends Cars and Street Stocks will join the loud, fast Figure
8 cars on a program that offers both variety and excitement.
It will be Family Night at the speedway and all children
12 and under will be admitted free with a paid adult.
Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. and racing gets under
way at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors (62
and over), handicapped and juniors (13-16). Active military personnel
and veterans with valid military identification are admitted free of
charge. Parking is $4 per car with entry through Gate 3 off Mill Street
.
Those unable to make it to the speedway still can
follow the action with “Orange Show Speedway Live,” the
radio broadcast on KTTD (AM 1350) that begins at 8 p.m. and is simulcast
on the Internet at www.nixacountry.com.
The Shootout will be the 10th Outlaw Figure 8 race
of the year on the ASA-sanctioned track at the National Orange Show
Events center, and so far Smith has been the only driver to visit Victory
Circle after a main event. The Lakewood resident also has won six heat
races and set fast time on six occasions.
That domination has given Smith a seemingly-insurmountable
40-point lead with six of the season’s 15 races remaining. But
it also has made him a target for the Orange Show Speedway regulars
like Rusty Stewart, Jay Henson, Harry Kuenniger and “Barefoot”
Billy Ziemann, who’ll be joined this weekend by several visiting
drivers.
Riverside ’s Rod Proctor, who was instrumental
in bringing the class back to the Orange Show, is trying to get his
new car finished. So is Johnny “Big Dawg” Betzer, a former
Street Stock regular. Part-time speedway racers Steve Stewart, Tony
Curtis and Roby Stutzel also are expected for the event, which in addition
to the $1,500 to win pats $900 for second, $650 for third and $150 to
start.
Smith said throughout California there probably are
only two dozen or so Figure 8 cars and he’s hoping 15 or 20 of
them will show up for Saturday’s show, even if it makes it harder
for him to continue his winning streak at the track where he got his
start in racing.
Smith, 32, said in his mind the keys to success are
maintenance – “keeping up on the car and trying to keep
on top of everything” – and patience. “You’ve
got to have some patience and try not to be over-aggressive to where
you tear stuff up. You’ve got to have patience.”
The way the course for Figure 8 racing is laid out,
the drivers start on the back straightaway and negotiate Turns 3 and
4 in norman fashion, then turn left and cross the infield, turn right
and run Turns 2 and 1 in the opposite direction from oval racing, then
make another right turn and recross the infield to Turn 3.
Proctor called it a form of racing that demands “speed,
good judgment calls and a lot of guts,” and Smith said it also
takes faith in your fellow competitors.
“You learn who you can trust and who
you can’t, who’ll cut you some slack and who won’t,
and you see how it goes,” said Smith, who fabricated and maintains
his Chevrolet-based car while father Steve Smith prepares the small-block
Chevrolet engines.
“Everybody kind of sticks together. We
do our best to get along and try to help each other so the cars can
get out there.”
Racing at Orange Show Speedway is sponsored by Lucas
Oil, Blackhawk Protection, Hype Manufacturing, Del Taco, Aflac Insurance,
KTTD radio (AM 1350), Leno’s Rico Taco, Soboba Casino, Budweiser,
Hoosier Racing Tires, Frank’s Radio Service, Torco Racing Fuels,
Parker Pumper/BSR West, Eibach Springs, JP Striping, Center Chevrolet,
Pepsi, Matich Coporation, L. Curti Truck and Equipment, One Stop Landscape
Supply, Extreme Exhibits & Logistics, Little Green Onions and the
San Bernardino County Sun.
For further information, contact Jim Short at 951-203-2649
or jimshort65@sbcglobal.net, call Orange Show Speedway at 909-888-6788,
X438, or visit the web site at www.nosevents.com.
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