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Stanley Smith (racing driver)
American racing driver (1949–2020) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Stanley Smith (September 29, 1949 – December 9, 2020) was an American stock car racing driver and dirt-track racer, who competed in 28 NASCAR Winston Cup Series races between 1990 and 1993.
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Racing career
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Smith started his racing career in 1972.[1] In 1989 he won the 1989 NASCAR All-American Challenge Series championship.[2] Smith qualified twelfth for his first Winston Cup Series start at the 1990 DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway;[1] during the race he was involved in a pit road mishap when he lost control of his car and hit several crew members for Tracy Leslie's team. No one was seriously injured.[3]
In 1991, Chad Knaus entered NASCAR competition as a crew member for Smith's team;[4] Smith also introduced Interstate Batteries into NASCAR as a sponsor before the company moved to Joe Gibbs Racing.[5] In addition to making limited Winston Cup Series starts, Smith also drove in the Busch Grand National Series, making four starts between 1991 and 1992; he also scored a victory at Michigan International Speedway in his lone start in the ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series in 1991.[1][6]
At the 1993 DieHard 500 at Talladega, Smith was involved in a multi-car accident that saw fellow competitor Jimmy Horton flip over the track's retaining wall and roll down the embankment outside the track.[7] The multi-car crash happened on lap 70 when Smith clipped Horton's car; Horton then hit three other cars before launching over the wall.[8] Smith hit the wall almost head-on, suffering a basilar skull fracture and massive blood loss;[9] his driver's suit, which was white before the race, was soaked in blood as he was rushed to Caraway Methodist Medical Center in critical condition.[10] Smith was unconscious for ten days following the accident;[9] during his recovery he underwent multiple surgeries,[11] and the left side of his face was left paralyzed from nerve damage.[9]
As a result of this and other wrecks, Talladega installed catch fencing along the entire track, not just where spectator stands were present;[12] in addition, following the 1993 season NASCAR mandated cars be fitted with roof flaps in an attempt to stop flips during accidents.[13]
While he would never race in the Winston Cup Series again, Smith would return to competition in regional racing in 1995.[9] In 2000 he won Five Flags Speedway's Snowflake 100;[1] in 2004, at the age of 54, he won a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series event at Kentucky Speedway.[14] Smith's final racing start came at the 2008 Snowball Derby; he would crash after 120 laps, finishing 33rd.[15]
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Personal life
Smith was born on September 29, 1949, in Birmingham, Alabama.[1] Outside of racing he worked in the drywall industry operating Stanley Smith Drywall Inc. (still in operation as of August, 2022) which helped to fund his racing career.[1] He was married and had three children.[1]
Smith died of interstitial pneumonia on December 9, 2020, at age 71. Smith had been battling the disease since September.[1]
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Motorsports career results
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NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
Daytona 500
Busch Series
ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
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References
External links
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