After some moderate success in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 in recent years, R.D. Smith is now teaming up with one of Late Model Stock Car racing’s greatest drivers and looking for even more in his tenth appearance in the prestigious race on Saturday night.
The 38-year-old racing veteran from nearby Burlington, North Carolina will be racing alongside Lee Pulliam, a three-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion, also a two-time winner of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 and the two-time and defending VA Triple Crown Champion. Smith has learned much from Lee Pulliam in the time they’ve been together.
“Lee Pulliam has been a massive asset to me in my racing career over the past year and a half,” Smith said. “I can go talk to him and he’s got a wealth of knowledge on the cars, but it has also given me someone to bounce driving ideas off of and help me learn the feel of the car off of the corners. It’s a big benefit in which I think the results will soon show. It’s an awesome opportunity to be in one of his cars in the biggest Late Model Stock Car race of the year.”
“I was definitely happy with my car but me and Lee have discovered our driving styles are very similar so I think we could cover double the information by constantly trying and varying combinations on the cars to see what works best for us. I believe we will make adjustments to have all the cars better for this weekend.”
This year Smith hasn’t raced much as he scaled back his racing schedule due to as Smith admitted switching from his own team to Pulliam’s team and a hectic work schedule also contributed to a crazy summer. One huge thing that Smith didn’t get to do this season due to work and switching teams is run the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour, arguably one of the best CARS Late Model drivers have always ran up front in almost every race he’s entered in tour, but the races he did get to attend this season has been mainly at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC and a few starts among other tracks in North Carolina & Virginia. Smith claimed two wins at Caraway along with five top five’s and eight top 10’s en route to finishing second in the championship standings in his PRW Chassis.
Last year, Smith had a rather shocking qualifying run which left him 32nd out of 71 cars, he was placed in the third heat starting 10th in a race that took the top 10 to the main event. Smith transferred into the main event by a great 4th place finish in his heat race. After a collision with Garrett Bunch and former Martinsville winner Tommy Lemons Jr. his day was done. Knowing what he has to do and what it takes field, making the field hasn’t been much of a problem for Smith, it’s the close quarters racing and crashes that can plague your good season. So he knows what to expect heading into Saturday night’s race as he hopes to be in the main event for the 6th consecutive year.
“I’ve learned a lot from last year’s race,” Smith commented on his performance with Lee Pulliam helping him. “I learned that Lee and I love cars that’s rolled the center perfectly. You have to be on top of your car all of the time or you’ll fall behind and may not be able to recover. We had a pretty decent car in the test. I think we can get some more out of it and our teammates Lee (Pulliam) & Haley (Moody) cars will need some minor adjustments and tweaking and we’ll be pretty good. I think I have a good shot this year, this is perhaps my best year yet with some of the best equipment out there.”
“We’ve been fortunate,” Smith said. “I had some good seasons, but I feel like we need a Martinsville win on the resume. I have had great people around me and they have given me some great cars at Martinsville.”
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 is Late Model Stock Car racing’s richest and most prestigious race. The race pays $25,000 to the winner along with a grandfather clock made by Grand Home Furnishings in Roanoke. In 32 previous years, the race has established itself as the premiere event for the Late Models with big names winning the event. However, there is something even more electric about the 33rd running of the crown jewel event.
Saturday’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will be run in primetime! For the first time ever, the prestigious race will be held under the lights, as the first race to be held under Martinsville Speedway’s new permanent LED lighting system. The race being in primetime and the reality of Martinsville Speedway finally hosting a racing event under the lights at the oldest and most historic track in NASCAR racing has only added to it’s growing allure and prestige.
