Chris Smith has proven himself to be a pretty good wheelman at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (ME) – winning the track’s Limited Sportsman championship in 2003 and 2004, and coming just one point shy of a third title this past season. Now, Smith is going on tour with a new PASS Modified ride.
Smith will drive a car owned by Jimmy Hoyt, who won a Limited Sportsman title as a car owner at Beech Ridge in 1999 with David Oliver behind the wheel. The team has bought the former #99 driven by Dana Grover and is ready to race.
“This is going to be a new experience, racing for someone else,” said Smith. “I’ve always owned and worked on the cars I’ve driven. Now I won’t have to worry about everything that goes on with the car anymore. I’m really looking forward to it. There’s a lot of talent in the PASS Modified with several past champions racing there. It should be a pretty competitive year.”
Although Smith has stuck primarily to Beech Ridge, he has gone on the road with his Limited Sportsman before and several of the tracks on the PASS Modified schedule won’t be foreign to him.
“I’ve raced at Beech Ridge, Canaan and Unity before. There are a few new tracks for me and I’d like to try those out…especially Riverside. I’ve never raced on a quarter-mile oval like that before.”
The PASS Modified season kicks off on April 21st at Beech Ridge.