Randy SMITH

SMITH

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 6/14/2010 at 01:38:56

RANDY SMITH

Randy SMITH was always at the racetrack with his father Franklin "Hank" SMITH. He started racing motorcycles but his parents wouldn't let him race cars. Randy attended college at Maryville, Missouri, for a year, but his heart was in racing. In 1976, Hank built a race car for Randy.

Randy won his first feature race at Knoxville Speedway in 1979, and at the end of the year was Knoxville's points champion. He also came in 2nd in the National Sprint Car Races that year. During his racing career, Randy won the points championship six times [1979, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, and 1991] before retiring from racing in 1997. Randy holds the 7th fastest all-time speed for eight laps driven in cars with wings at 2:31.93 in 1983. In non-wing cars, he ranks 14th all-time at 2:49.61 in 1979. That year he also finished 2nd in the National Sprint Car Races. Randy is tied with three other drivers for 12th all-time for most times [12] as Nationals "A" Main line-up qualifiers.

Gaining popularity with the crowd, Randy was often hired to show up at events. Randy was inducted into the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame in 1998. Randy and his wife Connie enjoy a quieter life-style enjoying company with their seven grandchildren.

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Knoxville Raceway
Knoxville, Iowa
May 30, 2008

RANDY SMITH CLAIMS 16th MASTERS CLASSIC

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Randy Smith, a six-time Knoxville Raceway track champion returned to his home track to capture the 16th annual Masters Classic at this central Iowa raceway Friday night. The Classic is an event presented by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in conjunction with its weekend of hall of fame induction ceremonies and features drivers who have reached age 50 or more. Smith, driving a car owned by Dwight SNODGRASS and normally entered in the weekly 360 division at this track, started in the sixth spot. The race however was controlled in the beginning by the defending Masters Classic champion, A.J. WEAVER. WEAVER, who had the pole, shot to the lead at the outset with Judy BATES chasing the Texan on the big Knoxville half mile. On lap five the center broke out of WEAVER'S right rear wheel and he smacked the third turn fence and rolled several times. He exited the car complaining of shoulder pain but no report was available at press time concerning his condition. The restart saw BATES in the lead followed by Kramer WILLIAMSON. Mike PETERS grabbed third from Tony MORO on that restart as SMITH filled in behind. BATES found the bottom to her liking and let the field of twenty-one 360 sprinters through the six laps as SMITH began to make a run at the field. Lap ten of the 22-lap feature saw BATES enter into lap traffic and SMITH edge closer to her. Finally after a nose to tail run, SMITH made a dive low in turn one of the 13th lap and took the lead as he began to pull away as he took his Maxim/Wesmar to the cushion and checked out.

Only a yellow on lap 16 could slow the SMITH assault on the Knoxville oval after the Iowa native had been away from competition for eleven years. Once the race went green again it was all SMITH the rest of the way to take the $3,000 to win check. BATES, who had lost her brakes on lap two, claimed $2,000 for the runner-up position. Third went to PETERS, fourth to WILLIAMSON and fifth went to Bobby BECKER, Jr., who started tenth. Completing the top ten were Ron ROSENBOOM (from 16th), MORO, Joe McCARTHY, Greg RILAT (from 14th) and Shane CARSON. The companion program of 305 winged sprints found Justin GIANNETTO in the winner’s circle at the end of the 12-lap feature event. The win was the first time GIANNETTO had scratched Knoxville soil. He took the lead half-way through the event and won going away. Tom LENZ, Johnny AANDERSON, Matt STEVENSON and Mitch ALEXANDER formed the top five finishers.

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Dirt Track Digest, April 30, 2010

Eight-Time Track Champion to be a Rookie Again...in Knoxville Masters Classic

KNOXVILLE, IOWA (April 30, 2010) - Eight-time Knoxville Raceway track champion Danny "the Dude" LASOSKI will be a 'rookie' again at the legendary half-mile fairgrounds oval on Friday, June 4, as he has entered his first-ever Knoxville Masters Classic winged 360-cubic-inch sprint car race for drivers age 50 and over. In the seventeen-year history of the event, only six drivers have won it in their first year of trying: Rick FERKEL (1993), Roger RAGER (1999), Terry PLETCH (2000), Jimmy SILLS (2003), Randy SMITH (2008) and Sammy SWINDELL (2009). LASOSKI, who won Knoxville's '410' season point championships in 1986, '89, '90, '92, '93, '94, '96 and 2008, will wheel Mark BURCH'S potent number 1m Wolfweld machine. Interestingly, '08 Masters Classic winner Randy SMITH of Mount Ayr, Iowa, is a six-time Knoxville Raceway '410' track champion (1979, '83, '85, '87, '88, and '91).

According to Knoxville director of racing Ralph 'Cappy' CAPITANI, "Well, I say it every year, but this year's Masters Classic could be one for the ages as it is being held in conjunction our three-day World of Outlaws (WoO) show. Anytime you have guys like Danny LASOSKI, Steve KINSER, Jac HAUDENSCHILD and Sammy SWINDELL in the pit area on a given night, you are guaranteed to see a real fight for the final three podium positions. My hope is that car owners will step-up and put great wheels under these eligible champions, like Mark BURCH has done for Danny. Last year's mid-race battle between Gary WRIGHT and Sammy SWINDELL will be tough to top, though. Finally, we want to thank Brian CARTER and everyone at the World Racing Group for their support of this event, too."

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The Dirt Track Website, April 30, 2010

RACE DOCTOR REVIEWS EVENT

Brooke TATNELL, Randy SMITH, Jac HAUDENSCHILD, and Sammy SWINDELL took home the money at the the Knoxville Raceway Thursday and Friday nights, and a few newly minted Hall of Fame inductees took home some historic hardware and racing immortality on Saturday afternoon. A drenching rain that evening sent us all home with damp clothes, squeaky shoes and a little disappointed as the races were cancelled. But as always, the fans were the big winners at the Knoxville Raceway when the World of Outlaws came to town. . . .

In the 305’s Randy SMITH from Mt. Ayr (IA) out-raced a tenacious Tasker PHILLIPS from Pleasantville (IA). While SMITH got the win, most of the cheers coming from where I was sitting were for young TASKER. We sure do like our local racers. Especially those that are still in high school and made the state wrestling tournament this past year. Finishing out the top five were Tim St. ARNOLD (Des Moines, IA), Steve BREAZEALE (Trenton MO), and Mathew STELZER (Omaha, NE). . . .

SOURCE: FETTY, Jack. Rings of Gold Pp. 130-130. Palindrome Pub. Co. Iowa. 2007.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2010