The first award has been
put in place to recognize outstanding achievements or accomplishment throughout the past
season.
Our first
“Outstanding Achievement” Award was the mechanical end, the second was awarded
for consistency, but the third is being given for good old wins.
Talk about a career
year- this driver had it. The numbers he put
up most drivers would take for a career.
His 6 sportsman wins
were a division-high and a career best, which more importantly gives him 28 for his career
and the predominant reason for the award. In
2003, he passed 2002 and 2003 champ Steve Young for 2nd on the all-time win
list. This past season he moved ahead of Andy
Priest’s 26 wins with victories on July 10 and August 14 putting him as the
division’s all-time winner. Throw in a
win at Tri-City and this hometown racer definitely stole the sportsman headlines in 2004.
While those wins are
certainly impressive and have rewritten history, the way he ended 2004 may be how
he’ll best remember his impressive season. The
three-week stretch from September 18 through October 2 was a magical run.
On September 18, he
raced to his first open 358 modified win in a tune-up for “The Little Guy
Nationals”. The following week he
traveled to
His 8 wins for the
season at Mercer gives him 30 for his career and moved him to 15th on the
track’s overall all-time win list. This
driver has a great start on establishing himself as the all-time open 358 modified winner
as he’s already tied atop that win list at 2.
If you ask him,
he’ll probably tell you the only thing that was a disappointment was not capturing
that elusive first title. Well that gives him
something to shoot for in 2005 as he’ll be aiming for that first title and becoming
the guy to beat in the new modified division.
Gary Smoker please come
forward to be recognized for your amazing season.