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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.

Racing career

Smith started his racing career in 1972. In 1989 he won the 1989 NASCAR All-American Challenge Series championship. Smith qualified twelfth for his first Winston Cup Series start at the 1990 DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway; 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.

In 1991, Chad Knaus entered NASCAR competition as a crew member for Smith's team; Smith also introduced Interstate Batteries into NASCAR as a sponsor before the company moved to Joe Gibbs Racing. 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.

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. 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. Smith hit the wall almost head-on, suffering a basilar skull fracture and massive blood loss; 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. Smith was unconscious for ten days following the accident; during his recovery he underwent multiple surgeries, and the left side of his face was left paralyzed from nerve damage.

As a result of this and other wrecks, Talladega installed catch fencing along the entire track, not just where spectator stands were present; in addition, following the 1993 season NASCAR mandated cars be fitted with roof flaps in an attempt to stop flips during accidents.

While he would never race in the Winston Cup Series again, Smith would return to competition in regional racing in 1995. In 2000 he won Five Flags Speedway's Snowflake 100; in 2004, at the age of 54, he won a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series event at Kentucky Speedway. Smith's final racing start came at the 2008 Snowball Derby; he would crash after 120 laps, finishing 33rd.

Personal life

Smith was born on September 29, 1949, in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. He was married and had three children.

Smith died of interstitial pneumonia on December 9, 2020, at age 71. Smith had been battling the disease since September.

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.)

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.)

References

1. ^ "Stanley Smith Obituary". The Birmingham News. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
2. Desmond, Bill (April 14, 2001). "SES: Nashville race report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
3. Higgins, Tom (July 30, 1990). "4 Hurt in Pit Road Accident". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
4. Long, Dustin (March 26, 2006). "Crew chief Chad Knaus has made a career of pushing the limits until they push back". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
5. "Interstate Batteries: Celebrating 65 Years at Hometown Race". Speedway Digest. April 3, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
6. "Waltrip tops second-day qualifying". Tampa Bay Times. August 8, 1991.
7. Martin, Bruce (July 25, 1993). "NASCAR driver in very critical condition after crash". UPI. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
8. Downey, Mike (July 26, 1993). "Tragedy Returns to Track". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
9. ^ Zenor, John (June 9, 2001). "Former Winston Cup driver Smith leaves horrid accident in past". Arizona Daily Sun. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
10. Pearce, Al (July 26, 1993). "Journeyman Driver Crashes at Talladega". Daily Press. Hampton Roads, VA. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
11. "Year After Wreck, He's Still On Mend". Greensboro News & Record. July 21, 1994.
12. Ingram, Jonthan (October 31, 2009). "Time Machine: New Fences Not New At Talladega". Racin' Today. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
13. Zeller, Bob (December 27, 1994). "The Year in NASCAR, Daytona to Atlanta via Indy: A Time of Triumph, Tragedy". The Virginian-Pilot.
14. "DASH: Kentucky Speedway Fall Classic summary". Motorsport.com. September 19, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020.
15. "2008 Snowball Derby". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
16. "Stanley Smith – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
17. "Stanley Smith – 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
18. "Stanley Smith – 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
19. "Stanley Smith – 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
20. "1992 Daytona 500 By STP". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
21. "1993 Daytona 500 By STP". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
22. "Stanley Smith – 1990 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
23. "Stanley Smith – 1992 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
24. "Stanley Smith – 1991 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2017.

External links

• Stanley Smith driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Stanley Smith driver statistics at The Third Turn

• 1949 births
• 2020 deaths
• NASCAR drivers
• People from Chelsea, Alabama
• Racing drivers from Alabama
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• Deaths from pneumonia in Alabama