Matt Smith Continues Run at No. 1 at U.S. Nationals

NHRA 57th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Lucas Oil Raceway Clermont, Ind. Sat, Sep 03, 2011 Matt Smith Continues Run at No. 1 at U.S. Nationals 056.jpgFormer NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith maintained his provisional No. 1 qualifier status Saturday at the end of Day 2 of the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. The 6.954 second ET from Friday continued to be the time to beat and the 2006 winner of this race wasn't able to come close to that mark, running ETs of 7.09 and 7.06, respectively, in the day's two rounds.

“All and all we had a good day,” said Smith. “We had something go wrong on my bike on that last pass. My other two bikes are running good. We’ve got everybody in the top 12 so I can’t complain too much.” The “other two” bikes Smith is referring to are being raced by his wife, Angie, and Michael Bay, running a Matt Smith Racing Buell for the Big Go this weekend. Angie is currently eighth after a 7.02 run and Bay is 11th with a pass of 7.066 seconds. Former class champion Andrew Hines came the closest to Smith’s .95 with a pass of 6.962 seconds in the final round of the day. On the Pro Mod side, Matt is still mired in 19th and on the outside looking in. His dad, “Tricky” Rickie Smith, piloted his 2012 Jerry Bickel-built Camaro to third. Sponsor Matt: Matt is providing a unique opportunity to be a sponsor for his Matt Smith Racing Buell for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway, his home track. Sponsoring Matt Smith for the Sept. 15-19, 2011, NHRA Full Throttle Series event at zMAX Dragway gives fans an invitation to the MSR Pit Party Sept. 15, 2011, at the track, the opportunity to sign the bike, an autograph from Matt & Angie Smith, and the opportunity to participate in a group picture with Matt, Angie, the MSR Buell, and other sponsors. If fans are unable to attend the MSR Pit Party, Matt or Angie can personally sign the bike for them. Spectator gates at the Big Go open at 7 a.m. EDT with the Pro Stock/Pro Stock Motorcycle sessions kicking off at Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. 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 Matt Smith can find updates and photos of Matt Smith Racing at MattSmithRacing.com, Facebook.com/MattSmithRacing, and Twitter.com/MattSmithRacing. Videos of Matt 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.