“This is definitely the most fun track I’ve ever been to,” Smith said after the race. “You have to run hard. It’s an aggressive place for sure, and at the same time you have to save your tires for the end. Our car didn’t like new tires for some reason. I just had to be patient and wait for them to come to me while hoping we had a long run near the end of the race.”
Smith started 16th and quickly worked his way into the top 10. “We knew we were going to make several stops in this race, and that would wind up hurting us a little on track position. My guys all did a great job, but we just don’t have the experienced crew people that some of these teams do. We got a lug nut hung up in the wheel on one of the stops and went from 5th to the last car on the lead lap,” he explained. “Luckily the car was good enough on long runs and I made my way back to 8th with 12 laps to go. Everyone was racing their guts out there near the end and I dropped back to 12th then back up to 10th before the green-white-checkered came out. On the restart, I was able to jump up on the outside and make it back to 5th in the last two laps. It was a good run to finish the season on and all-in-all I think it was the best effort for the entire team.”
“I want to thank everyone that was part of this deal this year. Everyone involved worked hard and we accomplished a lot with what we had to work with all year,” he said. “Obviously, my family has made this financially possible this season, and I hope they all know how much I appreciate their love, help, and support. We have also enjoyed supporting Kids Charity of Tampa Bay and look forward to continuing that relationship.”
For all the latest news, race recaps, and schedule information on Andrew Smith, visit his official website at www.andrewsmithracing.com
- Andrew Smith Racing Press Release
