Angie Smith Avenges ‘10 DNQ at Indy

NHRA 57th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Lucas Oil Raceway Clermont, Ind. Sun, Sep 04, 2011 Angie Smith Avenges 10 DNQ at Indy 035.jpgAfter barely missing the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway last year, NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Angie Smith was determined to get into the show this year. Thanks to a 7.012 second ET on Sunday, her best of the weekend, Smith is qualified 12th for the Big Go on Monday.

“I’m excited!” Smith said in the Matt Smith Racing pit after the final round of qualifying. “It’s an honor to be here and it takes a lot of hard work to get here and to be here and to race on Monday. We did it. We didn’t do it last year, but we did it this year.” With Matt Smith, her husband and a former winner here, Angie was confident she had the bike necessary to race in the biggest event on the NHRA calendar. There’s still some concern about the way her Buell is reacting at the starting line, however. “My hubby did a good job tuning,” she said. “We’ve just got to get the bike to leave the starting line. We’re still struggling at the 60 foot, but hopefully we’ll have it figured out for tomorrow. I have to race Hector (Arana) Jr., so hopefully we’ll have a little something for him.” Arana qualified fifth with an ET of 6.950 seconds at 193.65 mph. Andrew Hines edged out Matt Smith for top qualifier honors during the final run on Sunday. Matt had been the provisional polesitter with the 6.954 he ran Friday night, but Hines topped that with a 6.909 Sunday afternoon. Eliminations will start Monday at 11 a.m. For more information on the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals or for tickets, visit NHRA.com. Fans of Angie Smith can find updates and photos of Matt Smith Racing at MattSmithRacing.com, Facebook.com/Matt.AngieSmith, and Twitter.com/AngieSmith77. Videos of Angie and Matt Smith Racing can be found at YouTube.com/MattSmithNHRA. For information regarding sponsorship opportunities with Matt Smith Racing, please e-mail MattSmithRacing@yahoo.com. About HighSide Media Founded in 2007, HighSide Media has represented some of the top drivers, teams, facilities, sponsors, and sanctions in American motorsports. HighSide Media provides public and media relations for racers at every level with tailor-made programs for every budget. Pass YOUR Competition on the HighSide. For more information on HighSide Media, its programs, and its clients, visit HighSideMedia.com. You can also follow HSM at Twitter.com/HighSideMedia and on its official page on Facebook.