C. W. "Skip" Smith (October 28, 1947 – November 4, 2017) was an American
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
driver and Pennsylvania
state trooper
State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction ...
who previously ran 7
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level NASCAR Cup Series, Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a Undercard, support ...
races and 24
ARCA Racing Series
The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nationa ...
races between 1994 and 2005.
Racing career
Smith drove in 24 ARCA Racing Series races from 1994 to 2004 in his self-owned #67 Chevrolet. Never running more than four races in one season, Smith finished as high as 66th in points (in 1996) and failed to qualify just once in his 22 attempts. He finished his ARCA career following 2004, having run on just three different tracks (
Daytona
Daytona may refer to:
Locations
* Daytona Beach, Florida
* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
* South Daytona, Florida
* The Daytona Beach metropolitan area
* Halifax area, also known as Daytona, the region around Daytona Beach
Motor racing
* Dayto ...
, Talladega, and his native Pocono), posting six top-tens (with a best finish of 6th), and nine DNFs in 21 career races.
Smith took his ARCA team up to the NASCAR Busch Series beginning in 1999. Along with Daytona and Talladega (Pocono not being on the schedule), he would also attempt races at Rockingham and
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. He would attempt 15 races between 1999 and 2005, making the field seven of those times.
Acquiring sponsorship from
Panasonic
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...
for the 2002 season, he is perhaps best known for his performance in that year's Aaron's 312 at Talladega. Making it through The Big One on lap 15 took out 27 cars, Smith was running in the top 10 for most of the race until overheating issues ended his day on lap 75 of 117. Despite the DNF, Smith would still finish the race in 13th, his best finish in the series.
Smith would retire following the 2005 season, ending his career with two top-15 finishes and six DNFs.
Selinsgrove Speedway
Selinsgrove Speedway (nicknamed The Fastest Half-Mile on The East Coast, Auto Racing's Showcase since 1946) is a high-banked Dirt track racing, clay dirt oval south of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
Smith died of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
on November 4, 2017.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
ARCA Re/Max Series
( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)