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Smith Pressing For Late Model Title

Photo courtesy of RICK WARREN

Dade City's Shan Smith has quickly established his name in the local late model racing ranks.

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Bill Green/Tribune Correspondent

Published: November 12, 2008

Shan Smith joined the local late model ranks just more than four years ago, but already is a championship contender.

Smith, 32 of Dade City, finished third in the recently completed United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series, and is competing for the title at Ocala Speedway entering the final night of racing on Nov. 21.

Smith is in second place, 43 point behind leader Shane Williams.

Though Smith seems a late-model natural, his journey has been difficult. A sprint car racer, Smith was a close friend of Ronald Laney, who died during a sprint-car race at East Bay Raceway Park in 2002.

Laney, from Texas, was a surprise winner of King of the 360s event during Winternationals at East Bay in 2000. Now, that premiere event in the sprint-car division is called the Ronald Laney Memorial.

"I first bought a sprint car," said Smith, who grew up racing at Golden Gate Speedway in Tampa and in Zephyrhills. "I became great friends with Ronald Laney and when we lost him at East Bay, I sold it all and just got out of racing for a year or so."

Eventually, Smith returned to racing, but not to sprints.

"I tried mini-stocks for about five races at the end of 2003," Smith said. "Then I went out and bought a late model and won Rookie of the Year at East Bay in 2004."

That rookie of the year honor sent a message to Smith. He figured he could compete in the top dirt division, so he began traveling to all the active dirt tracks in Florida, and several outside the state. He battled in the higher-paying races in the beginning and now a points championship is within reach.

"I started traveling in 2005, visiting Putnam County, Okeechobee, Volusia and of course Ocala this year," Smith said. "My learning curve seemed to catch up to me about mid-summer and I'm very confident I can run with the best of them."

Shan, somehow, finds time to balance his racing with his work and family – wife Kimberly and sons Brenden and Brody. He credits his uncle, Tommy Gant, and cousin, Taylor Gant, for helping his racing career.

"I hope to get an opportunity to run the super late model Winternationals or an All Star or World of Outlaws late model car sometime soon," Smith said. "But the late model racing has been fun so far, and looks to be fun for a while to come."

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