Regan Smith
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Born: | September 23, 1983 | |
Birthplace: | Cato, New York | |
Awards: | 2006 BGNRacing.com Most Popular Driver | |
NASCAR Busch Series Statistics | ||
Car #, Team | #35 - Team Rensi Motorsports | |
2005 Busch Series Position: | 33rd | |
Best Busch Position: | 33rd - 2005 (Busch Series) | |
First Race: | 2002 Sam's Town 250 Benefiting St. Jude (Memphis) | |
First Win: | None | |
Last Win: | None | |
Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
0 | 1 | 0 |
All stats current as of May 29, 2006. |
Regan Smith (born September 23, 1983, in Cato, New York) is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #35 McDonald's Ford Fusion in the Busch Series for Team Rensi Motorsports. In the past, he has been a test driver for Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne. Recently announced that he will run a part-time schedule in the Ginn Racing #01 U. S. Army Chevrolet in 2007, while Mark Martin will run the other 20 races.
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[edit] Beginnings
Smith began is racing career at the age of four, when he began racing go-karts. Over the next several years, he won numerous regional and state championsips. In 1995, he and his family moved to Mooresville, North Carolina to allow Smith to advance his career. He joined the World Karting Association and continued to win, joining the factory supported team owned by Enzo Chiovitti in 1998. That same year, he began competing in the Allison Legacy Series.
In 2001, he began driving in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, winning four consecutive poles.
[edit] 2002-2005
Smith began his NASCAR career racing in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2002. He made his debut at the age of 18 driving the #63 Ford F-150 or MB Motorsports at South Boston Speedway. He qualified 28th and finished 295h at South Boston and finished 30th at Phoenix after starting 12th in that race. He also made his Busch Series debut at Memphis Motorsports Park for [[Ed Whitaker], starting 16th but finishing 39th after a wreck.
Smith moved to the Busch Series in 2003 for a full-time ride with Bost Motorsports. Despite a lack of major sponsorship, Smith had three top-twenty finishes. However, the underfunded team opted for other drivers halfway through the year, forcing Smith out of work. He drove one race for Innovative Motorsports at Pikes Peak International Raceway, finishing 40th after early mechanical failures forced him to exit the race on the second lap. He also drove for Mac Hill Motorsports in the Ford 300, finishing 28th.
Smith continued to drive for Mac Hill in various Busch races in 2004, his best finish coming at Nashville Superspeedway, where he finished 24th. Following his release from the team, he was hired to drive the #50 Enzyte Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Michael Holigan for three races, his best finish 26th at Chicagoland Speedway, before that team suspended operations. After a fifteenth place finish at Pikes Peak for Phoenix Racing, he posted his best NASCAR finish to date at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Truck Series, 9th in the #06 John Boy & Billy Chevy for MRD Motorsports.
Smith began the 2005 season with XPress Motorsports's #19 team, but lost the ride after sponsorship failed to materalize. He was soon hired as the driver of the #65 Glynn Motorsports Dodge Ram. In four races in the truck, he had a 20th at Texas and a pair of 22nds at Mansfield and Dover. He was then elevated to Glynn's Busch Series team. Originally unsponsored, the team soon garned sponsorship from Who's Your Daddy? and Samson Stone. Despite a streak of six races where he did not qualify worse than twelfth, including three third-place runs, he was released from the team. He ended the year in the Truck Series MRD for the closing races of the season, finishing 29th, 33rd and 32nd in three late season starts for that team.
[edit] Present
Smith finished the 2006 season 20th in points with one top 10.