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James Essex
CORONA, Calif. (June 19) - After a successful 3-race Southern Swing, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series brings its wheel-to-wheel racing action into the Carolinas with a Friday Night, June 20 visit to Lennie Buff's Cherokee Super Speedway in Gaffney, SC for the 10th Annual "Grassy Smith Memorial". The next evening, Saturday Night June 21st the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series brings you the "2nd Annual Dunn-Benson-Ford 50" as the main attraction at Fayetteville Motor Speedway in Fayetteville, NC.
Cherokee Super Speedway will host the "Grassy Smith Memorial" race for the first time, on Friday Night as a $7,000 to win event. Grassy's son, legendary race car driver, Freddy Smith of Seymour, TN won the first four events with Rick Eckert of York, PA taking the victory in 2003. Dennis "Rambo" Franklin of Gaffney, SC captured the event back in 2004 and the latest LOLMDS event winner, Chris Madden of Gray Court, SC has taken the event the last three years.
Cherokee Super Speedway is proud to announce that City Chevrolet is involved with the "10th Annual Grassy Smith Memorial" event this Friday night. City Chevrolet will pay the fastest qualifier $500 for the best lap of the night during time trials as part of the Grassy Smith Memorial at Cherokee Speedway.
Grassy Smith got into racing back in 1947, he never drove a race car, but he started building motors and cars soon after his son, and future Hall of Famer, Freddy was born. He worked at Holman-Moody, which is recognized as one of the top engine builders in the history of NASCAR for approximately 15 years. While at Holman-Moody, Grassy built winning engines for drivers such as David Pearson and Cale Yarborough.
"They sure had a good time back then," said Freddy Smith reminiscing about his father's beginnings in racing. "I remember going to race tracks and there were '32 Fords or whatever and after the race they would throw a party, get on top of the race car and dance and carry-on and I couldn't believe they did that, they towed the cars home with a tow-bar and if you wrecked on the track it took you all night to get home."
The first racing machine that Freddy got was a go-cart. "We wanted a go-cart, but he didn't want to put any money in it, so he was at a flea market one time and bought a go-cart, but it wasn't very good, it would only run about 25 mile per-hour, it had knobby tires, you couldn't hold it on the race track, it was bad to drive," recalled Freddy, who later talked about getting much better equipment after a few years. He and his dad would show up to race go-carts and several of the other competitors would refuse to race against them, due to the combination of Freddy's driving ability and Grassy's mechanical knowledge; they were winning races on a regular basis and were nearly unbeatable.
Freddy Smith's path into stock car racing history began in 1966 when he raced the first car that he owned and his dad built the motor. It was also the same year that Grassy' grandson and Freddy's son, Jeff was born. The potent Grassy and Freddy combo lasted until Freddy started driving the famous LA Gear car in 1979.
Grassy would still come to the races as much as he could, even up to his death in 1999 at the age of 80 years old. His influence on an entire generation or two of racers and fans is still felt today, especially in the Carolinas. "He loved racing and he had a lots and lots of friends, you wouldn't believe the people that would come up to him at the race track looking for advice and he would go and help them with the car, motor or whatever, he was a good dad."
Following the Grassy Smith will be the Saturday night event at Fayetteville Motor Speedway, which will be the second consecutive year the LOLMDS has visited the Ed Longhany and Larry Norris promoted facility; a huge crowd was on hand for the '07 event as Jeff Smith of Kings Mountain, NC was the winner.
"Check this out Race Fans", Competitors and all ticket purchasers. Everyone who buys a pit pass, general admission or VIP ticket will be in the drawing for the chance to "WIN A CAR". Yes, it is an estimated 40 miles to the gallon car, it's a 2002 Saturn, that is valued at $3,500 and everyone who buys a ticket will get a chance to win the car. All ticket stubs will be placed in a spin barrel for a chance to win a fuel efficient car to help a lucky winner with skyrocketing fuel costs.
Larry Norris and Ed Longhany are helping some lucky Fayetteville Motor Speedway patron by putting something back in the hands of one of their valued customers. There is NO CATCH!! You do not have to purchase an additional ticket to be in the running to win the car.
Tire Rule for the 10th Annual Grassy Smith Memorial at Cherokee Speedway and the Dunn Benson Ford 50 at Fayetteville Speedway will be the standard LOLMDS tire rule. Hoosier 1300, LM20, 1350, 1600 & LM40 & American Racer SD44, SD48 & MD56
For more information on the "Cruise through the Carolinas" this weekend, check out Cherokee Super Speedway at www.cherokee-speedway.com and Fayetteville Motor Speedway at www.fayettvillemotorspeedway.net.
For more info on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series point your browser to www.lucasdirt.com or you can call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
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