Ryan Smith Scores 2 Wins And A Top 10 In Fort Wayne 'Rumble'

[PressRoom-GFN]

KUNKLETOWN, Pa. – Ryan Smith added a pair of victories to his resume in the final week of December in the Rumble at Fort Wayne, Ind., scoring a pair of Slingshot feature wins and a top 10 in the Midget feature.

Taking the No. 55 S&S Speedways Slingshot to the fourth starting position in the first night’s feature, the 2007 ARDC Rookie of the Year had his sister, Shannon, sitting beside him on the grid in third. The brother and sister duo went on to finish one-two, using his preference for the outside line to sweep into the lead.

“That was special, finishing one-two with my sister,” Smith said.

The Dec. 29 Slingshot race was a near mirror image of the Dec. 28 event, with Smith claiming the victory by again using the outside line to his advantage.

The Friday night 600cc Micro Sprint Consi race ended early when the No. 2rs Tresch Motorsports car, racing in Smith’s debut on the track in the class, suffered a blown engine. The sudden end to the evening was disappointing after Smith qualified ninth out of 55 cars. He advanced through the field in the Micro Sprint heat to finish third, thus earning the third spot on the Consi starting grid. The team swapped engines before leaving the track that night in preparation for Saturday's event.

With only five laps in practice, Smith qualified eighth in the only PMP chassis at the event. An attempt to get the chassis adjusted better for the indoor track conditions went awry, leaving “The Kunkletown Kid” with a badly oversteering car. In spite of the handicap, Smith finished fourth in the heat. His qualifying time put the No. 2rs car on the pole for the third Consi, a position he held to the finish, spanking the field and ensuring a slot in the feature. Battling from a 13th starting position, he fought with some of the best racers in the country to a 10th-place finish in the Tresch Motorsports’ inaugural race.

Next up for the Pennsylvania teen racer is the famed Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at Tulsa, Okla.

“We’re leaving for Tulsa for the Chili Bowl Sunday (Jan. 6),” Smith said. “Our goal is to qualify for the A-Main.”

With 275 cars entered in the event, this is a tall order.

“Hopefully, we’ll finish in the top four (in my heat race) and get locked in. If not, we’ll work through the alphabet soup,” Smith said with a grin. “We’re in the same heat with Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne, but they’re just another car on the track.”

Following the Chili Bowl, Smith returns to the East Coast for the Atlantic City indoor Slingshot races. He has swept the class in both the last two years and looks forward to attempting the hat trick with his third consecutive win.

After the early-season races, “it’s just waiting for the season to start,” Smith said. “We’re hoping that USAC will bring the old Silver Crown cars back,” as the team has a car waiting in the wings for that
possibility.

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