CLERMONT, Ind. – Matt Smith is going to have a big Big Go.
The 2007 NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Stock Motorcycle champion is riding and tuning his own Buell, tuning the bike of his wife, Angie, and tuning a third Matt Smith Racing bike for Michael Ray, who is coming aboard for this weekend’s Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. In addition, he is driving the IDG Camaro Pro Mod in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series this weekend as a teammate to his father, “Tricky” Rickie Smith, who was recently cleared to race nearly one month earlier than expected.
Phew.
Matt knows what it takes to win rounds at Indy. Between 2005-2007, the King, N.C.-native when to the final round every year, bringing home the Wally in 2006 when he beat Angelle Sampey. He also knows what this race means on a drag racer’s resume.
“It’s the biggest race of the year,” Smith said, taking a break from working on the two Pro Mods he and his father will race this weekend. “If you can’t win a championship, Indy’s the next biggest thing you want to do. Sometimes, people will give up a championship for Indy I’ve heard. The championship is always best to have, but man, when you can win the U.S. Nationals…”
Fortunately, it’s not a decision Smith will have to make, as he has both the race win and the season title. But when it comes to the U.S. Nationals, once is never enough. Despite a .002 second red light at Brainerd in the most recent race on the schedule, Smith’s Buell was strong and he plans on displaying that strength this weekend.
“I think we’ll be pretty good,” he said. “We got our program back on track at Brainerd and tested some stuff. We showed in the first round of eliminations that we had the third-quickest bike, .006 behind the No. 1 guy. I think we’ll be good. With Angie running good and with Michael Ray coming onboard, we should have plenty of data to try to help us.”
Matt in the Media: Matt and his dad, Rickie, were the focus of a feature story at CompetitionPlus.com regarding Rickie’s return to racing after a devastating crash in Bristol in June. To read the article, click HERE.
Sponsor Matt: Matt is providing a unique opportunity to be a sponsor for his Matt Smith Racing Buell for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway, his home track. Sponsoring Matt Smith for the Sept. 15-19, 2011, NHRA Full Throttle Series event at zMAX Dragway gives fans an invitation to the MSR Pit Party Sept. 15, 2011, at the track, the opportunity to sign the bike, an autograph from Matt & Angie Smith, and the opportunity to participate in a group picture with Matt, Angie, the MSR Buell, and other sponsors. If fans are unable to attend the MSR Pit Party, Matt or Angie can personally sign the bike for them. For more information, click HERE.
Spectator gates at the Big Go open Friday morning at 7 a.m. EDT with the sole Pro Stock/Pro Stock Motorcycle session kicking off at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, PS/PSM sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., with the last two qualifying rounds of the weekend set to run Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eliminations will start Monday at 11 a.m. For more information on the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals or for tickets, visit NHRA.com.
Fans of Matt Smith can find updates and photos of Matt Smith Racing at MattSmithRacing.com, Facebook.com/MattSmithRacing, and Twitter.com/MattSmithRacing. Videos of Matt and Matt Smith Racing can be found at YouTube.com/MattSmithNHRA. For information regarding sponsorship opportunities with Matt Smith Racing, please e-mail [email protected].
The 2007 NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Stock Motorcycle champion is riding and tuning his own Buell, tuning the bike of his wife, Angie, and tuning a third Matt Smith Racing bike for Michael Ray, who is coming aboard for this weekend’s Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. In addition, he is driving the IDG Camaro Pro Mod in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series this weekend as a teammate to his father, “Tricky” Rickie Smith, who was recently cleared to race nearly one month earlier than expected.
Phew.
Matt knows what it takes to win rounds at Indy. Between 2005-2007, the King, N.C.-native when to the final round every year, bringing home the Wally in 2006 when he beat Angelle Sampey. He also knows what this race means on a drag racer’s resume.
“It’s the biggest race of the year,” Smith said, taking a break from working on the two Pro Mods he and his father will race this weekend. “If you can’t win a championship, Indy’s the next biggest thing you want to do. Sometimes, people will give up a championship for Indy I’ve heard. The championship is always best to have, but man, when you can win the U.S. Nationals…”
Fortunately, it’s not a decision Smith will have to make, as he has both the race win and the season title. But when it comes to the U.S. Nationals, once is never enough. Despite a .002 second red light at Brainerd in the most recent race on the schedule, Smith’s Buell was strong and he plans on displaying that strength this weekend.
“I think we’ll be pretty good,” he said. “We got our program back on track at Brainerd and tested some stuff. We showed in the first round of eliminations that we had the third-quickest bike, .006 behind the No. 1 guy. I think we’ll be good. With Angie running good and with Michael Ray coming onboard, we should have plenty of data to try to help us.”
Matt in the Media: Matt and his dad, Rickie, were the focus of a feature story at CompetitionPlus.com regarding Rickie’s return to racing after a devastating crash in Bristol in June. To read the article, click HERE.
Sponsor Matt: Matt is providing a unique opportunity to be a sponsor for his Matt Smith Racing Buell for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway, his home track. Sponsoring Matt Smith for the Sept. 15-19, 2011, NHRA Full Throttle Series event at zMAX Dragway gives fans an invitation to the MSR Pit Party Sept. 15, 2011, at the track, the opportunity to sign the bike, an autograph from Matt & Angie Smith, and the opportunity to participate in a group picture with Matt, Angie, the MSR Buell, and other sponsors. If fans are unable to attend the MSR Pit Party, Matt or Angie can personally sign the bike for them. For more information, click HERE.
Spectator gates at the Big Go open Friday morning at 7 a.m. EDT with the sole Pro Stock/Pro Stock Motorcycle session kicking off at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, PS/PSM sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., with the last two qualifying rounds of the weekend set to run Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eliminations will start Monday at 11 a.m. For more information on the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals or for tickets, visit NHRA.com.
Fans of Matt Smith can find updates and photos of Matt Smith Racing at MattSmithRacing.com, Facebook.com/MattSmithRacing, and Twitter.com/MattSmithRacing. Videos of Matt and Matt Smith Racing can be found at YouTube.com/MattSmithNHRA. For information regarding sponsorship opportunities with Matt Smith Racing, please e-mail [email protected].
