The
105 winningest drivers MY EYES have seen
- By Bobby
Gerould - Last updated July 20, 2006. Rocklin, CA. …Here is a fun project
that anyone can do. Try to re-trace all the races that you have been to
in your lifetime, and list the winners of each feature your eyes have seen.
It takes time; I've been working on my list literally for about six years.
About once a month I take a few hours and dig through old programs, do Google
searches, read journals, and use Kevin
Eckert's website to try to find the race winners I saw. For the sake
of clarity - I am including any race where I was on the grounds - even the
ones I may have slept through as a three year old. My Dad was an announcer
of super-modified, and sprint car events on the West Coast. From birth I
went to West Capital Raceway (W. Sacramento, CA.) on Saturdays. Later, as
Dad did more writing, and announcing we included Friday nights at Chico
CA. and special events at Dixon CA. into the mix. As a teenager and college
student I worked for NARC and hit all the major Northern California dirt
tracks. Adult work for USAC, the World of Outlaws, and others has blessed
us with the opportunity to see many tracks across the USA, and into Canada.
The results of all this logging and work will be a historical log that I
can always go back to for reflection. My list will obviously reflect my
environment. It will not be a list of who I consider to be the greatest
drivers ever. That would be subjective, and impossible. But I can scientifically
list the best drivers I have seen. This list is a fun project for me and
I hope you will enjoy the journey to naming number one.
...#105 Perry
James Jr. - Elverta, CA. - 2 wins. #104 - Peter
Murphy - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia / Oakhurst, CA. 2 wins.
#103 Johnny Tiner - Rio Linda, California.
2 wins. # 102 Ed
Organ, Napa CA. - 2 wins. #101 Lee
Brewer Jr. - Memphis, TN. - 2 wins. #100 Johnny
Pearson, Stockton, CA. two wins. #99 Dave
Bradway SR - Fair Oaks, CA. - Two wins. #98 Mike
Kirby. Torrance, CA. - two wins. #92 Joe
Hill - Sacramento, CA. - Two wins. #97 Blake
Robertson - Visalia, CA. - two wins. #96 Andy
Forsberg - Auburn, CA. - two wins. #95
Brian Crockett - Sacramento, CA. - two wins. #94
Rick Horton - Concord, CA. Two wins.
#93 Jason Statler - Los Gatos,
CA. two wins. #92 Larry Burton
- Roseville, CA. two wins. #91 Rip Williams
- Yorba Linda, CA. two wins. #90 Tyler
Walker - Santa Clarita, CA. two wins. #89 Danny
Smith - Danville, IN. two wins. #78 Mitch
Sue - Live Oak, CA. - 3 wins.
#89 Danny Smith -
Danville, IN. two wins.
...Danny Smith was among the early 'outlaws'
who came West in the late 70's to contend for Gold Cup glory. Always a nice
guy - Smith earned many California fans for his professional demeanor and
competitiveness. One of the most famous moments in the history of the Gold
Cup Race of Champions is Smith's 1985 'upset' win. He was driving the Trigueiro
Bros. sprinter. Smith was overcome with emotion in the winner's interview
- making it a memorable night for all who witnessed it. He also won the
Friday night preliminary - meaning that I saw both of his wins on back-to-back-
nights over twenty years ago. …Danny Smith has twice finished in the top-five
at the Knoxville Nationals. He was fifth in 1978, and fourth in 1981. Smith
won the GLOSS sprint car title in 2003 to match earlier championships at
Champaign, IL. (1977), and Lawrenceburg, IN. (1976). He was 6th in the 1981
World of Outlaws year-end points. …I recall Smith suffering a wicked 2000
flip at Terre Haute in Non Wing World Championship action. The turn one
incident saw Smith 'leave the yard'. That same season, Smith won a $10,000
first prize in a special race at Lawrenceburg. He also scored a ten grand
victory to close Ohio All-Star Sprint Speedweek in 2002. …Sadly, Smith lost
his wife Jan to brain cancer on April 15, 2006. He just returned to racing
last weekend after taking some time off from February through April. …I
respect Danny for many reasons but mostly for his lifelong dedication to
sprint car racing. He's been doing it at least since 1975. That's 31 years!
Smith offers further proof that perseverance, enthusiasm, integrity, and
skill are a nice combination to possess.
Smith battle won by Danny - Haulmark
All Star Sprint Results - Attica Raceway Park- Sat. 4/16/05 By Brian Liskai
- ATTICA, Ohio - Stevie Smith looked headed to a clean sweep of the
Coors Light Attica Spring Nationals with the All Star Circuit of Champions
Saturday, but a tangle with a lapped car with five laps to go cost the New
Oxford, Pa. driver, as veteran Danny Smith was there to take advantage and
the 40-lap feature victory. The battle for the lead began in heavy lapped
traffic on lap 27 of the non-stop 40-lap affair, with D. Smith hanging on
to the lead he held since passing Mike Brecht on lap 3. S. Smith tried a
slide job on D. Smith on lap 31 coming out of turn two, but couldn't make
it stick, but managed to make the move work coming out of turn four to take
the lead. S. Smith, who won Friday's All Star feature at Attica, took the
five-lap to go signal and sailed into turn one, only to run into the lapped
machine of Dean Jacobs and bouncing off the high side of the track, allowing
Danny Smith to regain the lead and three-time All Star champ Chad Kemenah
to move into second. (More)
Danny Smith Steals Lawrenceburg Loot from
Outlaws - HD Staff, Lawrenceburg, IN. 05/06/04 ...47 year-old
Danny Smith used his hometrack experience to defeat the visiting World of
Outlaws Sprint Series drivers Thursday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway. The
1976 Lawrenceburg Track Champion from Danville, IN. held off a late charge
by fellow Hoosier, Joey Saldana to capture $10,000 and 70 Racer's
Racing Series points. “That was better than winning my first race here
back in 1975", said the winner. "We ran the first World of Outlaws
race in 1978, and we’ve run here forever, and I can’t believe this is my
first World of Outlaws race here. We’ve got some great people helping us
out. Doug Williams came on board this year and is helping with the motor
program, and that really takes the strain off of me. I just want to say
that Lawrenceburg Speedway has the greatest sprint car fans in the country!"
(more)
Tom Schmeh, the mastermind
behind the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa dropped us
a note about the power of the internet. It seems Jim Knight of Australia
read the press release about USA great, Danny Smith still looking
for a ride for the BIG races coming up 'down-under'. Knight, an Aussie car-owner,
offered Smith a top-notch ride for Parramatta and Warrnambool. Cool.
7 Winners in 7 Nights, Smith Closes All-Star
Speedweek - Portsmouth Raceway Park - Sat. 7/06/02 By Scott Hall PORTSMOUTH,
OH - Danny Smith made it seven winners in seven races Saturday night at
Portsmouth Raceway Park in the Arizona Sport Shirts All Star sprint Ohio
Sprint Speedweek 40-lap feature. The non-stop finale of the week-long series
paid Smith $10,000 to win and after the race Chad Kemenah was crowned the
2002 Ohio Speedweek champion, worth $5,000. Kemenah beat out Byron Reed
by a mere seven points in the final standings. The event was run non-stop
in a time of 11 minutes flat in front of a huge crowd. (more)
