"Circlin the Dirt” with J.D. Porter
USAC Wingless Sprints Oklahoma Spotlight Driver: Danny Smith
I really learned a lot about Danny Smith who is the driver of the #5$ orange taxi sprinter.
Danny and his wife Tina Smith both just enjoy racing together.
Q/A
Breakfast of choice? Danny gets his day going with a Coca Cola and a Donut.
Favorite tracks? He likes those ¼ mile ovals but his favorite track is Outlaw Motor Speedway.
Sports other than sprint car racing? Danny drag raced professionally for 5 years with a Super Comp Dragster, after that he got into fishing professionally around with local tournaments.
How did you get into racing? Danny helped out a high school friend Billy Frazier at his body shop and in that time around 1990’s Billy happened to be racing. At some point Danny ended up buying the shop from Billy and then he started racing himself in his early 30’s.
Favorite sport other than racing? Fishing
Favorite race car driver? A.J. Foyt.
Why the #5$? Danny’s #5$ came from how much money Tina and himself had left in their pockets after buying their first race car. They wanted to go eat and Danny had $5.00 and so the number was born.
Why wingless racing? Danny said that wingless racing has reinvigorated him while racing over the past few years. He said it’s slower in wingless and there is more respect and more give and take. He feels that in winged racing its all take.
Car owner: Tina Smith - Danny says he would not race without her. He says she loves wingless racing as well.
Crew: D.J. Burgess and Justin Dobson - Danny says both are learning and both are much appreciated for their help with the #5$ as well as the #9$.
Sponsors: Same Day Auto, Tire Pros, David Stephenson with D & E Supply and DSO Racing Engines.
I can say that Danny Smith is very enjoyable to speak with and he and his wife Tina just enjoy racing. Danny does not race for points so he has missed at least 1 race each year. This way he says that he can keep from getting into points battle and then he can just race for fun.
Danny Smith does a lot for racing and helps out many in this area. Racing could use more Danny Smith’s in the sport.
Make sure to catch Danny in action on Sunday, September 2nd in Meeker, Oklahoma at Red Dirt Raceway’s Meeker 50.0
Photo Credit: Jeff Taylor