Smith Ready for Faster Speeds at Darlington
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 7, 2008) – As Regan Smith prepares for Saturday’s Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway, the Cato, N.Y. native is looking forward to trying out the historic speedway’s recently repaved surface.
“Everyone’s been talking about how fast the track is now, and I can’t wait,” said Smith, driver of the No. 01 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. “It’ll be interesting to see how the guys adjust to the increase in speeds. I’m not sure who will have more fun – the drivers or the fans. Of course, it doesn’t matter how fast they make the place, it’s still going to be hard to pass in those tight corners.”
The history of the famous 1.366-mile track is not lost on the rookie-of-the-year candidate.
“Darlington is an old school type of track,” Smith explained. “I love watching the old films of guys like Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough driving there. They would sling those big old cars into the corners and almost hit the wall every time. Those guys were fearless. To me, that was NASCAR racing in its purest form.
“This is my first time racing at Darlington in a Cup car, so that will make it even more challenging for me personally but I love the direction my team is heading. I can see we’re getting a little better every week. (Crew chief) Doug (Richert) and I are learning how to communicate with each other better, our race strategies have gotten better, everything. I really think we’ll be competing for top-15 and top-10 finishes soon.”
Regan Smith’s Nationwide Series Statistics at Darlington Raceway:
4 starts, 584 of 588 laps completed (99.3%), 24 laps led
Wins: 0 (0.0%) Average start: 30.2 Total Winnings: $63,731
Top 5s: 0 (0.0%) Average finish: 20.0
Top 10s: 0 (0.0%) DNFs: 0
Car Facts: #055, finished 35th at Phoenix International Raceway
Race Facts: 367 laps / 501.3 miles
Qualifying: Friday, 5:00 p.m. ET (Speed), MRN Radio
Race: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET (FOX), Sirius Satellite Radio, MRN Radio
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