Casey Smith ready for Five Flags and Mobile this weekend

[NickHolt]

Casey Smith Event Preview: Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series Round #3

 

Austin, Texas (6/21/10) - The last time the Casey Smith Racing team left the race track they left with a disappointing eleventh place finish and a mangled race car and were going to be forced to miss a race at Mobile Int’l Speedway something; that hasn’t happened in years. Luckily enough the rains came washing out the Mobile event and leaving the team in the points chase and an extra few days of fixing a wrecked race car.

 

Since that time, Casey has completely rebuilt the right side of his #99 Rapid Disposal Chevy Impala as well as fitting in a trip to Charlotte, NC to prep for the U.S. Legends Million Dollar race on July 15-17 where Smith will be wheeling a car for NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson. With round three of the Gulf Coast Championship series just around the corner, Smith says now is the time to just win races.

 

NOTES

 

Team Notes:

 

Car: #99 Chevy Impala SS

Engine: Hamner Super Late Model Spec Engine

Sponsor(s): Rapid Disposal/Smith Excavating

 

Event/Series Notes:

Event/Date(s): USA Digital 100 – June 25th, 2010/Miller Lite 100 – June 26th, 2010

Venue(s): Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola , FL / Mobile Int’l Speedway – Irvington , AL

Track Size(s): 1/2 mile (.500)/1/2 mile (.500)

Series: Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series

Standings: 6th (FFS), 3rd (MIS), 5th (GCS)

 

Media Coverage Notes

 

-Visit www.fiveflagsspeedway.com for Five Flags Speedway race results

-Visit www.mobilespeedway.net for Mobile Int’l Speedway race results

-Speed 51 (www.speed51.com) will provide live “Trackside Now” coverage for both events

 

QUOTES

 

-Last time out at Pensacola was a rough one for your Casey Smith Racing team, forcing you to possibly miss a race at Mobile for the first time in years had the rains not came; did you get enough time to get your car back to the way you had it and how bad was it?

 

“The car was bad but it’s back to the way it was so we should have the same fast car that we’ve been having once we unload on Friday. It was like building a complete new car on the whole right side; it got everything from suspension to body work and even a little bit of the interior sheet metal. A lot of people thought I was just making a big deal of it and that we could have worked through the night to fix it and show up at Mobile but it was bad and I knew it was. It’s not like me to miss a race just because and in the end it was the right decision.”

 

-The car counts are down this season at both Pensacola and Mobile and you, among many, have been vocal about the fact you need a full pit crew to do a live two tire pit stop at both events for 100 lap races; do you feel that maybe that has been a reason you have never broke through for a win at Five Flags Speedway?

 

“There’s no question that the car counts are down at what many considered some of the toughest races to compete in at one time. I know it, the track knows it, and the fans obviously know it but nothing is being done to fix it. Without a doubt, I think we could have won races if it wasn’t for the fact you have to have a pit crew to change tires. It’s frustrating when you work your butt off on the track passing cars and gaining positions then you lose all of them, all because some big money team has ten guys with them and they go from struggling to stay in the top ten to the lead. At this level it should be all about who has the better handling race car not the better team all together. I think if they would eliminate these pit stops you would see car counts go up immediately.”

 

-You are sixth in points at Pensacola, third in points at Mobile, and fifth in the Gulf Coast Championship standings; being that this is just a five round, ten race championship do you feel that based on where you sit in any of the points battles you have a shot to win?

 

“To be honest with you, I think the only place we really have a shot at winning a championship is at Mobile , thanks to the rainout last race. If Jeff (Fultz) has a little bit of bad luck and we can capitalize on it we should be right in the mix for the top spot. As far as Pensacola and the overall championship between the two tracks, I think we are in too big of a hole already. If we can just win some races, the points will take care of themselves and then maybe going into the last round we can talk a bit about points racing; right now we just need to win races.”

 

For all the latest news on Texas native Casey Smith visit his all new website at www.caseysmithracing.com.