ST. JOHN’S, Pa. – Oxford’s Rusty Smith, coming off a track championship at Mountain Speedway and a career year for victories in 2008, won his first race of the season last weekend at Mountain Speedway.
Smith took the $3,500-to-win, 100-lap race in what was billed as the first leg of the Vacation Speedway Triple Crown. On a re-draw, Smith started in the fourth position, and he worked his way to second-place before pitting at the midway point of the race.
He resumed action in 10th-place, and again picked off drivers. At least half of the field pitted around the 70th lap, and Smith took the lead for keeps on lap 82. “I stayed out of harm’s way the first half of the race,’’ Smith said. “It was probably the best competition they have had there in a couple of years, and some of the drivers there race for a living full-time. It was good to race against those type of guys and beat them.”
Smith moves on to the first event of the 2009 Race of Champions series this weekend at Oswego Speedway. “We’ve ran well there the last couple of times and had a chance to win,” Smith said. “We’re excited about the car we have, and it’s ready to go.”