Curtis Smith (drag racer)

Curtis Smith is a second-generation American semi-retired drag racer and one of the most accomplished sportsman competitors in the history of the sport. He is recognized as the all-time winningest IHRA Stock Eliminator driver and was crowned the 1996 IHRA Stock World Champion.^[1] Over a career spanning multiple decades, Smith won 17 IHRA and NHRA national events and 31 class victories, earning a reputation for consistent performance, technical skill, and innovation in car building and race preparation.

Curtis Smith
Born	Clinton, NC
NHRA IHRA career
Debut season	1970
Current team	Curtis Smith Racing
Engine	Chevrolet
Crew chief	Eugene "Pop" Carlsward
Championships	1
Wins	17
Best finish	1 in 1996
Championship titles
1996	IHRA Stock Eliminator
Awards
2012 2014 2014	North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame

Smith began his national racing career in the early 1970s, driving a 1969 "Rag Top" Chevrolet Camaro J/Stocker. Early success came quickly, as he finished second in his first IHRA national event at Rockingham Dragway. He is best known for piloting his iconic “Hot Stuff” 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, which became synonymous with his racing career. In 1985, Smith made history as the first IHRA Sportsman driver to win three consecutive national events, a milestone that highlighted his dominance in Stock Eliminator racing.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Smith continued to rack up victories at major drag racing venues, including multiple wins at Bristol Dragway, Darlington Dragway, and Rockingham Dragway. His success in these events culminated in capturing the 1996 IHRA Stock Eliminator World Championship, further cementing his legacy in the sport.

In recognition of his achievements, Smith has been inducted into several halls of fame, including the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame (2012), the East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame (2014, alongside Rick Hendrick), and the Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame (2014). Beyond his racing accomplishments, Smith has contributed to the sport through his expertise in building race cars and engines, passing on his knowledge to the next generation of racers, including his son, Curt Smith Jr.

Early life

Curtis Smith was born and raised in Clinton, North Carolina. He grew up immersed in the world of drag racing through his father, Earl Smith, a respected and accomplished drag racer who campaigned with Chevrolet from 1957 until his retirement in 2003. Earl Smith’s racing career spanned several decades and multiple classes, making him one of the region’s most recognizable Chevrolet competitors.

From an early age, Curtis developed a fascination with cars and racing. He spent much of his childhood at drag strips across the southeastern United States, accompanying his father to races and learning the mechanical and competitive aspects of the sport firsthand. By his early teens, he was trusted to assist in the family’s racing operations, including preparing cars between rounds and occasionally warming up engines in the pits. These early experiences fostered both his technical knowledge and passion for competition.^[2]

The first race car Curtis ever drove down a drag strip was his father’s and Junior Lundy’s 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air “Bubble Top” 409 4-Speed NHRA Stocker—a car that held special significance in the Smith family’s racing history. The experience marked the beginning of Curtis’s lifelong involvement in motorsports and solidified his interest in following in his father’s footsteps.^[3]

Smith would later build upon this foundation to create his own legacy in both the trucking and racing industries, maintaining the same commitment to craftsmanship, performance, and family tradition that characterized his father’s career.

Racing career

1970s–1980s

Following in his father’s footsteps, Curtis Smith began building his own race cars and engines from an early age. Like his father, he competed under the Chevrolet banner, developing a reputation for meticulous preparation and consistent performance. Smith made his first appearance at an IHRA national event early in his career, finishing with runner-up honors. He captured his first national event victory in 1982, marking the start of a remarkable streak in which he would win at least one national race every year from 1982 through 1987.

In 1984, Smith claimed one of the most prestigious victories of his early career—the NHRA Summer Nationals held at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The win placed him among the top sportsman racers in the country and helped solidify his growing reputation in both NHRA and IHRA competition.

Curtis Smith at Rockingham Dragway, early 1980s

Smith made history the following year, 1985, when he became the first IHRA Sportsman driver to win the first three national events of the season, an unprecedented accomplishment at the time. His performance that year positioned him as one of the most dominant competitors in IHRA Stock Eliminator racing.

Continuing his momentum, Smith won back-to-back IHRA U.S. Open Nationals titles in 1986 and 1987, further establishing his consistency and competitiveness across multiple venues.

1990s

Smith entered the 1990s with sustained momentum, achieving two IHRA national event victories and one NHRA win during the 1990 season. One of the defining moments of his career occurred that year at the IHRA Winter Nationals in Darlington, South Carolina, where he faced his father, Earl Smith, in the final round of competition. The all-Smith final marked the first of three occasions in which the father and son would meet in the final round of an IHRA national event.

From 1990 through 1995, Smith experienced consistent success at Bristol Dragway, where he claimed victory at the IHRA Fall Nationals four times, making him one of the most successful competitors in the event’s history.

3 Generations picture taken of the Smith family in 1996

In 1996, Smith added another chapter to his racing résumé by winning the IHRA Winter Nationals for the fourth time, earning him the nickname “Mr. Winter Nationals.” That victory at Darlington, along with another win later in the season at Maryland International Dragway, propelled Smith to the 1996 IHRA Stock Eliminator World Championship.

The following year, in 1997, Smith captured the Snap-On Finals at Darlington Dragway, marking his sixth career win at the historic track and further solidifying his status as one of the venue’s most successful drivers.

Over the course of his career, Smith also achieved significant success at Rockingham Dragway, where he ranks among the track’s all-time leaders with five career victories, tied for third most in its history.^[4]

Personal life

A native of Clinton, North Carolina, Smith is a graduate of Clinton High School. He is married to Ingrid Smith, with whom he has two children, Curt Smith Jr. and Catherine Smith.^[5] In addition to his racing activities, Smith operates Curtis Smith Trucking, LLC, a transportation business headquartered in Clinton, and Curtis Smith Racing, the family's operated drag racing team in IHRA and NHRA. Curtis Smith Racing is one of the oldest active teams in the NHRA and IHRA.

Awards and honors

• 1996 IHRA Stock Eliminator World Champion^[6]
• All Time Winningest IHRA Stock Eliminator driver
• Top 10 All Time Winningest IHRA Sportsman driver
• Third All Time Winningest at Rockingham Dragway
• First IHRA Sportsman driver to win 3 national races in a row
• 1984 NHRA Summer Nationals Champion
• 1990 NHRA Winston Invitational Champion
• 1987 & 1988 & 1996 Car Craft All Star
• 17 Time IHRA/NHRA National Event Winner
• 31 Time IHRA/NHRA Class Winner
• 2012 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame^[7]
• 2014 East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame
• 2014 Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame