PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Oct. 15) –– Garrett Smith unleashed the wave of emotions that had been bottled for 100 nerve-racking laps when he arrived on the winner’s stage of one of Dirt Late Model racing’s most storied events Saturday at Portsmouth Raceway Park. Tears came uncontrollably and words were understandably short.
“I’ve worked so hard to get here,” Smith said, his voice crackling. “To finally get it done feels so good.”
The Eatonton, Ga., driver, who four days earlier celebrated his 19th birthday, had solidified himself as the youngest winner in the 42-year history of the Dirt Track World Championship by virtue of unshakable poise in the throes of perhaps the most apprehensive finish Dirt Late Model racing will see this season.
Nine different drivers suffered flat tires over the final 16 laps of the $100,000-to-win crown jewel. Through the countless restarts, Smith’s feared that the biggest win of his life might vanish at his fingertips.
But Murphy’s Law never bit Smith, who polished off a performance that cements his fledging name alongside the sport’s greatest drivers with one of the DTWC's biggest upsets. Topping long-distance ace and newly minted two-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion, Tim McCreadie, by 1.084 seconds completed Smith’s clean sweep of the weekend. It wasn’t until Smith reached the back pit area that he could sufficiently describe the career-altering feat.
“Yeah, I have a little bit better (realization) … it’s sunk in now after about four minutes,” Smith said as his fuchsia Breast Cancer Awareness Month car rested outside the Lucas Oil Series trailer, fans piling around to greet the driver after an interview. “I just … I just can’t … I couldn’t ever imagine doing this. It’s so hard to run with these guys.
“As I said earlier in my interview with you, I could always qualify and heat race good, but when it comes down to being the leader on the last lap, I haven’t been able to do that until now. It feels really good to be a Lucas Oil winner now, and not just that, but a Dirt Track World champion. I’m really at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say. I’m really proud of my team with how far we’ve came this year.”
Before Smith upended Late Model racing’s heavy hitters, Brandon Sheppard held the mark of youngest Dirt Track World Championship when he won at age 20 in 2013.
Prior to Saturday, Smith only finished on the lead lap in two of his four 100-lap features this season: when he finished 15th in the Prairie Dirt Classic on July 30 as the last car on the lead lap and then 12th in the Hillbilly 100 on Sept. 29 at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. For more context on just how extraordinary Smith’s breakthrough win is that, before the weekend, he had never even finished in the top-five of a Lucas Oil Series race.
Amid the many restarts the final 20 laps, McCreadie said that Smith made only “one small mistake” when he slipped off the bottom exiting turn four with six laps left. Other than that, the Lucas Oil Series champion had nothing to overthrow the youngster.
“He did a good job,” McCreadie said. “We’ll take a second. It’s a big drop off in pay, but what are you going to do? The kid did a great job. From what I saw, I saw one small mistake, and I wasn’t there. We’ll take it and move on.”
Smith said on lap 94 he hit a bump in three that knocked him out of the groove. The Georgian affirmed that was the only instance he felt he messed up.
“Luckily it didn’t cost me the race,” Smith said.
In hindsight, McCreadie’s best chance at the win developed on the initial start. McCreadie, starting on Smith’s outside, hoped to beat the polesitter to his right-rear exiting the first corner. When that didn’t happen, McCreadie then tried using his top-side momentum to dive underneath Smith in an attempt to dislodge him from the bottom on the next corner, but “he was just a little better,” he said.
All week, and really all season, Smith has leaned on the advice of Scott Bloomquist, whose former crew chief, Cody Mallory, now serves the same role on Smith’s team.
Before Smith took the one-laned, bottom-dominant track Saturday, Bloomquist told the young driver “that later in the race, (the track would) clean up on the bottom (and) to not get off that bottom and no matter what — don’t try to pass a lap car. No one’s going by on the outside. Maintain a smooth pace. Keep your tires under you. You’ll win the race.”
“He’s the G.O.A.T.,” Smith said of Bloomquist. “I just put what he told me into play, which saved us our right-rear.”
Smith's winning pace was only seriously threatened once, when Brandon Overton pulled alongside Smith on lap 14, moments before the race’s first caution for Mason Zeigler.
Outside that, all Smith had to do was execute restarts smoothly, hold a steady wheel and be easy on the throttle.
“You just mentally focus. You just really focus,” Smith said. “It’s been a minute since I focused that hard, about just staying straight and hitting your points without sheering the car loose and what not. I was pretty focused there the last 30 laps.”
“When those last couple late cautions were coming out, I was getting really worried,” Everyone’s right-rear tire kept going out it seemed. I was getting a bit nervous on that. I just knew if I stayed straight, don’t spin them, I had a better chance of finishing the race without blowing a right rear.”
Overton tried the outside a few laps after restarts on laps 14 and 33 with the intent to sneak by Smith, but the move didn’t pay off. With 10 laps left, Overton, who had fallen to third, fell victim to the slew of flat tires down the stretch.
Smith, like McCreadie and third-place finisher Mike Marlar, managed to have no issues with Hoosier’s 40 right-rear tire compound, whereas frontrunners Overton and Chris Ferguson couldn’t make their 1425 compounds on the right-rear go the distance.
Marlar acknowledged Smith’s attentiveness at the wheel, but also noted that “being out front, not having to pass anybody, you’re just rolling around the racetrack driving real straight,” which makes tire management much easier than those racing in a pack of cars.
“That’s when you’re the easiest on them,” Marlar said of tire management. “All of us guys on restarts have to race each other, this and that. It just kind of grinds them off, wears the rubber off of them. I was fairly conservative. Where you hurt (the tires) is on restarts, if you spin and catch a rock or something. I was being really careful not to spin them on restarts. I knew (the tires) were paper thin.”
Marlar, who fell back to eighth early, said “it was a pretty frustrating race to drive” and “pretty frustrating not being able to race at all” given the track’s narrowness.
“At one point, I was like, I’d rather run 10th and try than not try,” Marlar said. “Fortunately it worked out in the end and we got on the podium.”
McCreadie, while letdown he couldn’t win his first Dirt Track World Championship, says he’s seen storylines like Smith’s emergence on the big stage before. Where Smith goes from here is yet to be determined, but if there’s anything to draw from history — particularly Sheppard’s DTWC win in 2013 as a fresh-faced 20-year-old — is that the crown jewel raises career trajectories of those who do win it.
“This race, at this track, has produced young winners, or winners you thought were never coming,” McCreadie said. “A lot of those guys have turned out to be pretty good race car drivers. So, yeah, he might be the next one in line. They do a good job. He seems like he’s a real nice kid. They have a good crew, and that’s what it’s all about, putting yourself in position to do it. He was a little bit quicker than us all weekend. I can’t do anything but say good job. I mean, he did a good job. He did a really good job.”
Smith himself isn’t sure where he now stands in the world of Dirt Late Model – “I don’t know,” he said in response to what this means for the rest of his career — but he rests assured on one truth.
“I think this shows that I belong here, you know?” Smith said. “As I said, I believe I belong here. Some people don’t. In my eyes, I feel like I belong here. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
42nd General Tire Dirt Track World Championship by Optima Batteries
Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Garrett Smith (10), Eatonton, Ga., Rocket, $100,000
2. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., Longhorn, $20,000
3. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., Longhorn, $10,000
4. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Rocket, $8,000
5. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., Longhorn, $7,500
6. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $7,000
7. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $6,000
8. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., Longhorn, $5,000
9. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., Longhorn, $4,500
10. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., Rocket, $4,000
11. Spencer Hughes (11), Meridian, Miss., Longhorn, $3,500
12. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., Black Diamond, $3,250
13. Ross Robinson (7r), Georgetown, Del., Longhorn, $3,000
14. Colten Burdette (44), Parkersburg, W.Va., Rocket, $2,750
15. Eddie Carrier Jr. (66jr), Salt Rock, W.Va., Rocket, $2,700
16. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, Rocket, $2,650
17. Devin Gilpin (1G), Columbus, Ind., Rocket, $2,600
18. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, S.C., Team Zero, $2,575
19. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., Longhorn, $2,550
20. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., Longhorn, $2,525
21. Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., Longhorn, $2,500
22. Camaron Marlar (99), Winfield, Tenn., Longhorn, $2,500
23. Ryan Gustin (19r), Marshalltown, Iowa, Rocket, $2,500
24. Brandon Fouts (81), Kite, Ky., Longhorn, $2,500
25. Mason Zeigler (9z), Chalk Hill, Pa., Barry Wright, $2,500
Lap leader: Smith 1-100
Fast qualifier (among 68 cars): Smith, 14.774 seconds
Heat race winners: Smith, Ferguson, Overton, McCreadie, M. Marlar, Pearson
Consolation winners: Wilson, Davenport
Provisional starters: Erb, Robinson, Fouts
Non-qualifiers’ race winner: R.J. Conley
Non-qualifiers' race
Jim Dunn Memorial finish: 1. R.J. Conley, 2. Devin Moran, 3. Kyle Bronson, 4. Max Blair, 5. Kevin Wagner, 6. Zach Hill, 7. Matt Cosner, 8. Doug Drown, 9. Mike Benedum, 10. Freddie Carpenter, 11. Josh Bocook, 12. Larry Bellman, 13. Jesse Wisecarver, 14. Rod Conley, 15. Clint Keenan, 16. Shannon Thornsberry, 17. Justin Cooper, 18. Cody Rogers, 19. Nick Bocook, 20. Ryan Abel, 21. Chris Nash, 22. Dustin Linville, 23. Jared Hawkins. Scratched: Jason Jameson, Josh Rice, Robby Hensley.
Feature lineup
Row 1: Garrett Smith, Tim McCreadie
Row 2: Chris Ferguson, Mike Marlar
Row 3: Brandon Overton, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 4: Shannon Babb, Spencer Hughes
Row 5: Devin Gilpin, Brandon Sheppard
Row 6: Zack Dohm, Ryan Gustin
Row 7: Ricky Thornton Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 8: Camaron Marlar, Hudson O’Neal
Row 9: Mason Zeigler, Garrett Alberson
Row 10: Daulton Wilson, Jonathan Davenport
Row 11: Jimmy Owens, Colten Burdette
Row 12: Tyler Erb, Ross Robinson
Row 13: Brandon Fouts
Saturday's consolation race results
(15 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation: Daulton Wilson, Jimmy Owens, R.J. Conley, Kyle Bronson, Jason Jameson, Matt Cosner, Kevin Wagner, Zach Hill, Mike Benedum, Freddie Carpenter, Larry Bellman, Jesse Wisecarver, Clint Keenan, Ryan Abel, Chris Nash, Robby Hensley, Lucas Crooks, Jerry Bowersock, Austin Neely, Erick Christian, Tyler Carpenter. DNS: Steve Sabo, Chase Frohnapfel, Garet McCloud, Chris Carpenter.
Second consolation: Jonathan Davenport, Colten Burdette, Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Ross Robinson, Josh Rice, Max Blair, Doug Drown, Jared Hawkins, Josh Bocook, Brandon Fouts, Cody Rogers, Nick Bocook, Rod Conley, Justin Cooper, Dustin Linville, Shannon Thornsberry, Kirk Phillips, Shane Bailey, Ronnie Whitt, Justin Carter, Fast Eddy, Charlie Mullett, Scott Bloomquist, Nathon Loney.
Saturday’s consolation lineups
(15 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Robby Hensley, Matt Cosner
Row 2: Daulton Wilson, R.J. Conley
Row 3: Kyle Bronson, Zach Hill
Row 4: Jimmy Owens, Jesse Wisecarver
Row 5: Tyler Carpenter, Freddie Carpenter
Row 6: Kevin Wagner, Larry Bellman
Row 7: Jerry Bowersock, Lucas Crooks
Row 8: Clint Keenan, Mike Benedum
Row 9: Steve Sabo, Ryan Abel
Row 10: Austin Neely, Chase Frohnapfel
Row 11: Chris Nash, Erick Christian
Row 12: Garet McCloud, Chris Carpenter
Row 13: Jason Jameson
Second consolation
Row 1: Jared Hawkins, Jonathan Davenport
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Max Blair
Row 3: Colten Burdette, Devin Moran
Row 4: Josh Rice, Ross Robinson
Row 5: Josh Bocook, Doug Drown
Row 6: Brandon Fouts, Cody Rogers
Row 7: Scott Bloomquist, Nick Bocook
Row 8: Shannon Thornsberry, Nathon Loney
Row 9: Rod Conley, Justin Cooper
Row 10: Justin Carter, Shane Bailey
Row 11: Ronnie Whitt, Dustin Linville
Row 12: Fast Eddy, Kirk Phillips
Row 13: Charlie Mullett
Heat race recap
Racing three days after celebrating his 19th birthday, Garrett Smith of Eatonton, Ga., parlayed overall fast-time honors in Friday’s 68-car qualifying into a heat-race victory that will put him on the pole position for Saturday’s 100-lap, $100,000-to-win Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries.
Smith won the first of six 12-lap heats to earn the right to lead the field to the green flag in the 42nd DTWC. He will share the front row with 2022 Lucas Oil Series champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. — the winner of the fourth heat — as he makes his first-ever appearance in the crown jewel event’s feature.
Other heat winners were Chris Ferguson, Brandon Overton, Mike Marlar and Earl Pearson Jr.
Heat results
(12 laps; top three transfer)
First heat finish: Garrett Smith, Shannon Babb, Ricky Thornton Jr., Robby Hensley, R.J. Conley, Jimmy Owens, Freddie Carpenter, Jerry Bowersock, Mike Benedum, Austin Neely, Erick Christian, Jason Jameson.
Second heat finish: Chris Ferguson, Devin Gilpin, Camaron Marlar, Matt Cosner, Kyle Bronson, Jesse Wisecarver, Kevin Wagner, Lucas Crooks, Steve Sabo, Chase Frohnapfel, Garet McCloud.
Third heat finish: Brandon Overton, Zack Dohm, Mason Zeigler, Daulton Wilson, Zach Hill, Tyler Carpenter, Larry Bellman, Clint Keenan, Ryan Abel, Chris Nash, Chris Carpenter.
Fourth heat finish: Tim McCreadie, Spencer Hughes, Eddie Carrier Jr., Jared Hawkins, Max Blair, Josh Rice, Doug Drown, Scott Bloomquist, Nathon Loney, Justin Carter, Dustin Linville, Kirk Phillips.
Fifth heat finish: Mike Marlar, Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Colten Burdette, Ross Robinson, Brandon Fouts, Nick Bocook, Rod Conley, Shane Bailey.
Sixth heat finish: Earl Pearson Jr., Ryan Gustin, Garrett Alberson, Tyler Erb, Devin Moran, Josh Bocook, Cody Rogers, Shannon Thornsberry, Justin Cooper, Ronnie Whitt, Fast Eddy, Charlie Mullett.
Time trials
First group
1. Garrett Smith (10), Eatonton, Ga., 14.774
2. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 14.822
3. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 15.126
4. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 15.136
5. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 15.160
6. Zack Dohm (17D), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 15.252
7. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 15.262
8. Camaron Marlar (99), Winfield, Tenn., 15.265
9. Zach Hill (7H), Red House, W.Va., 15.304
10. Robby Hensley (21H), Walton, Ky., 15.341
11. Matt Cosner (66C), Ridgeley, W.Va., 15.370
12. Mason Zeigler (9z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 15.392
13. R.J. Conley (71C), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.392
14. Devin Gilpin (1G), Columbus, Ind., 15.517
15. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 15.543
16. Mike Benedum (25), Salem, W.Va., 15.552
17. Jesse Wisecarver (55), Zanesville, Ohio, 15.555
18. Chris Carpenter (17C), Parkersburg, W.Va., 15.576
19. Jason Jameson (12J), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 15.630
20. Chase Frohnapfel (145), Canal Winchester, Ohio, 15.821
21. Clint Keenan (29), Pataskala, Ohio, 15.840
22. Austin Neely (3), New Tazewell, Tenn., 15.915
23. Kevin Wagner (33K), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.916
24. Larry Bellman (59), Wooster, Ohio, 15.931
25. Freddie Carpenter (0K), Parkersburg, W.Va., 15.986
26. Garet McCloud (5M), Stambaugh, Ky., 16.066
27. Tyler Carpenter (28), Parkersburg, W.Va., 16.117
28. erry Bowersock (95j), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 16.122
29. Lucas Crooks (1C), Grayson, Ky., 16.510
30. Ryan Abel (11A), Wadsworth, Ohio, 16.681
31. Erick Christian (5T), South Point, Ohio, 16.868
32. Steve Sabo (16S), Fremont, Ohio, 16.951
33. Chris Nash (354), Portage, Mich., 17.527
34. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., no time
Second group
1. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.002
2. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 15.004
3. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 15.126
4. Spencer Hughes (11H), Meridian, Miss., 15.173
5. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 15.264
6. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 15.315
7. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 15.322
8. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 15.370
9. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 15.374
10. Eddie Carrier Jr. (66Jr), Salt Rock, W.Va., 15.390
11. Brandon Fouts (81F), Kite, Ky., 15.409
12. Justin Cooper (00), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.437
13. Jared Hawkins (11H), Fairmont, W.Va., 15.445
14. Colten Burdette (44), Parkersburg, W.Va., 15.473
15. Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio, 15.489
16. Max Blair (111v), Centerville, Pa., 15.534
17. Ross Robinson (7R), Georgetown, Del., 15.535
18. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 15.603
19. Doug Drown (12d), Wooster, Ohio, 15.647
20. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 15.651
21. Josh Bocook (B1), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.686
22. Josh Rice (11), Verona, Ky., 15.736
23. Nick Bocock (1B), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.752
24. Shannon Thornsberry (17ST), Martin, Ky., 15.796
25. Kirk Phillips (21K), Ashland, Ky., 15.802
26. Shane Bailey (1B), Grayson, Ky., 15.822
27. Cody Rogers (22), Spelter, W.Va., 15.866
28. Dustin Linville (D8), Lancaster, Ky., 15.876
29. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.093
30. Charlie Mullett (73), Louisa, Ky., 16.538
31. Justin Carter (2), Huntington, W.Va., 16.657
32. Ronnie Whitt (11W), Grayson, Ky., 16.719
33. Fast Eddy (316), Portsmouth, Ohio, 16.756
34. Nathon Loney (10), Danville, Ohio, 18.806
Friday’s schedule
9 a.m.-6 p.m.: Camping registration open
11 a.m.: Ticket will-call open
Noon: Grounds cleared and secured
1 p.m.: All gates open
5:30 p.m.: Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m.: Hot laps
- Limited Late Models
- Late Models
- Legends
Opening ceremonies
- Limited Late Model time trials
- Late Model time trials
- Legends heats (8 laps)
- Late Model heats (12 laps)
- Modified hot laps
- Limited Late Model heats (10 laps)
- Modified feature (30 laps)
- Legends feature (20 laps)
- Limited Late Model consolations (12 laps)
