BRUCE SMITH WILL NOT DEFEND HIS PRO STOCK TITLE AT TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY
by Brian Spaid

April 15, 2005 

   Leaving any sport on top is the ultimate achievement. Upon retirement, championships hold special meaning for all athletes. But to leave as a champion means so much more.

   Former Pro Stock racer Bruce Smith is one of those lucky few. The Franklin man walked away from racing after winning the 2004 Pro Stock title at Tri-City Speedway. Smith scored five feature wins, 15 top five finishes in 16 feature events, and four heat race wins on his way to the only track championship of his career.

   Yet, after such success, why exit the sport?

   “It was just time,” said Smith. “I felt it was time to go and it got to be too much time with my other work. I had no summertime to do anything else.”

   For Smith, 48, hard work and car preparation are ingrained in his blood. His father, Jack, was the 1955 Stock Car champion at Tri-City. He also built his son’s championship engines.

   “If you race and you want to be competitive and run up front, you have to sacrifice everything else,” said the younger Smith. “I actually made my decision midseason last year. The championship had nothing to do with my retirement. There were times I didn’t want to be there and my heart wasn’t in it 100 percent. But our entire team stayed focused and the championship was my proudest accomplishment as a racer.”

   Smith started racing in 1999. Out of the box, he was fast and competitive. He scored his first career win on August 20, 2000. With a total of 11 victories under his belt, Smith leaves the sport with the knowledge that he was at the top of his game. Yet, the connection with his family never disappeared.

   “My son, Shawn, learned a lot about setups working with Rusty Whitmore’s Late Model team. He was able to use his knowledge to make our car even better than it was. And if it wasn’t for Dad, I wouldn’t have been racing. He put hours and hours and hours in the engine and found a way to make it fast. He’s actually building engines this season for Rusty Kellogg and Tim Engles. Tim bought all my equipment for his son, Jason.”

   Smith would like to keep a hand in the sport as a mechanic. One thing he does not want to do is sit in the grandstands to watch the races.

   “To be honest, I miss racing in a big way. Time will tell if I made the right decision. I miss working on the car. I’ll really miss the adrenalin rush. It is just an awesome feeling when you strap into a race car and fire it up to go on the track. I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t think about it.”

   Heading into his first season as a retired champion and not defending his title will undoubtedly be tough on Smith.

   “If a car owner wanted me to race for him, I’d seriously consider it,” said Smith, who owns D/B&S Cabinets. “It would be the only way I could do it with my business and other work I’ve got going.”

   Even if he never returns to the track, Smith leaves an indelible mark on Tri-City’s history. He earned a reputation as a fast, tough-nosed racer.

   “My favorite win was last season when I passed Dave Ferringer on the outside coming to the finish. Dave is the toughest guy to pass on the track. He’ll protect his position well.”

   That was evident in the 2004 Applefest 100. Ferringer beat Smith is one of the best races in the history of the track. Heading into turn three, Smith made contact with Ferringer’s rear fender in a near disastrous moment. Ferringer saved his car from spinning and scored a popular win.

   “Dave ran real hard in that race. I gave it one last shot, but I didn’t want to take us out. I know that horrible feeling of losing that race.”

   In fact, Smith’s most disappointing moment occurred in the 2002 Applefest 100.

   “I was leading that race with five laps to go when I got a right front flat tire. We were fast that night and I had the race won.”

   Looking back, there were many drivers that impressed Smith, but he considers Bobby Whitling to be the best overall.

   “Bobby is just so consistent. He’s always there and seems to miss all the accidents. His car rarely breaks and he’s a very clean driver. I remember one night when we raced side-by-side for several laps and never touched. To beat him for the title last year was a huge accomplishment.”

   Smith believes the man to watch in 2005 will be Jason Engles. A former DIRT Modified driver, Engles returned to the race track last season in the Pro Stocks and scored a win the second time out.

   “Jason was good right out of the box and he’ll be tough this season. Jason and his father, Tim, intend to use my car from last year for bigger races. They built a nice truck body for his main car.”

   When talking to Smith about racing and fellow drivers, it is obvious he still wonders whether he will be able to stay out of a race car. It would not shock many pit observers to see Smith back in a race car before the end of the 2005 season.  But if he chooses to remain on the sidelines, race fans will always remember Smith’s final championship season as his finest moment.