TodayZemco gives Stevie Smith a chance
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Article RatingThe future wasn’t looking too good for sprint car driver Stevie Smith.
With the outlook for 2009 bleak, Smith received good news Monday when he and car owner John Zemaitis came to an agreement for Smith to take over the wheel of Zemaitis’ famous Zemco Speed Equipment sprint car next season.
Smith, who has driven a family-owned car sponsored by the RAACE Foundation for the past few seasons, will replace Jeff Shepard in the Zemco No. 1 sprinter. Shepard retired this season after suffering critical head injuries during the Knoxville Nationals.
“With the type of racing program that we’ve gone to, our selection really required a driver that’s an extremely good time trialer and somebody that’s adaptable at a lot of different race track and a good racer of course,” said Zemaitis, who owns the team along with his wife PeeWee. “Stevie was our first choice from the get-go and I’m extremely happy to have Stevie on board with our team. He will be a good fit and we’re looking forward to next season.”
Smith is equally excited about his new endeavor, which will be the first time away from his father, Steve Smith, for some time.
“The Zemco guys have always had a fast car and a good operation that can run with anyone in the country and I’m absolutely thrilled to be their driver,” said Smith, who now calls Broken Arrow, Oklahoma home. “It was a little hard to put together at first but then everything seemed to fall in place and I’m very excited about it.”
Smith won two races on the local scene this past season but won seven last year aboard the RAACE Foundation No. 19. Shepard had five wins this year prior to his injury and three last year.
The team will wait for tracks and organizations to release 2009 schedules before making a schedule commitment next year.
“We’re very flexible with our plans and we will be that way with Stevie, just like we were with Jeff,” Zemaitis added. “If you take the history of our team and compare money earned per race, the way we did it last year was far better than going at it every week. Plus you have a fatigued crew and you use a lot more equipment racing every week. We’ll see what the track schedules look like and go from there. We might even race more and we‘re not against traveling more either, we just don’t know right now.”
The team will start the season racing in Florida at Volusia Raceway Park. They might also compete in the All Star Sprint events at Ocala Speedway in late January.
Smith will fly in from his Oklahoma home to race in Pennsylvania for most of the 2009 schedule and says his father will take some time off from racing next year.
“He knows we weren’t in any position to be able to compete next year and we couldn’t find any funding, so he’s fine with this deal,” Smith said of his legendary father. “Right now I’m only worried about doing the best I can for the Zemco team. They are putting a lot of work into it and I’ve gotta hold up my end of the deal.”
Smith will bring GLR Investments, RAACE Foundation (a scaled down sponsorship), BMRS (Brown & Miller Racing Solutions) and Butlerbuilt Seats along to his new team. The car will remain the familiar Zemco colors on the Maxim chassis powered by Rider Racing Engines.
WESTBROOK READY TO COME HOME
Injured sprint car driver John Westbrook is ready to return to his Dillsburg home.
Westbrook remains in Magee Rehab Center in Philadelphia for his spinal cord injury but is ready to come home according to his father Jim Westbrook.
“If he has anything to do with it, it will be sooner than later,” Jim said on Monday. There is a good chance Westbrook will be released in mid December.
“He had a set back last week,” Jim said. “We think he had a touch of bronchitis and I don’t really think it was spinal cord related to be honest. But I can see some improvements now. He scratched his head and nose last week and that’s really the first he’s been able to get some good use from his arm.”
When Westbrook returns home, he will get settled into the house and then will begin outpatient rehabilitation.
“We know the injury is a very, very devasting injury but the doctor thinks John will improve over time,” Jim said. “We just gotta get him home and get a way for him to be able to use a steering wheel so he can race on the computer.”
Please remember John during the holiday season by sending a card to 15 W. Greenhouse Rd, Dillsburg, PA 17019.
PIT STOPS
Lincoln Speedway honored its champions and top drivers this past weekend at the Holiday Inn in York. Brian Montieth and car owner Jerry Parrish were honored as first time 410 Sprint car champions with special awards going to Scott Zellers (Crew Chief), Adam Lawrence (Rookie), Cris Eash (Sportsmanship) and Cody Darrah (Most Improved).
Jeff Rohrbaugh was honored as a first time 358 Sprint car champion with special awards going to Mt. Holly’s Ricky Stonebraker (Rookie) and Chad Criswell (Sportsmanship and Most Improved). Sam Gallagher was the thundercar champion and Gene Knaub won the 358 late model title.
