Event Preview: This one is for Darty!

August 9th and 10th Sabine Speedway in Many, Louisiana will be hosting the Darty Smith Memorial Race. This Memorial race features big money and big bragging rights for multiple divisions, the USRA Limited Modifieds will be fighting for $1,577 each night, likewise the USRA B-Mods will also compete for $1,577 in top prize money each night. The USRA Factory Winner will receive $777 on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday night only the Southern States Modified Series will conquer the speedway for $1200 to win, it’ll be the 3rd Annual Doc Dillard Memorial Race for the series, with Caleb Dillard and Jason Ingalls being the former winners of that particular race of remembrance. Tuners and Sportsters will also join the show on Friday and Saturday. Cortland Smith the son of Darty will be a guest Announcer for the weekend and he has this to say about the Darty smith memorial. 

Why Sabine Speedway?

“After Thunder Valley announced that they were not gonna operate this year, I wanted to continue the race. Me and my dad spent alot of nights at Sabine. He raced and won there several times back in the gap, and was really a track that I personally cut my teeth at in my racing career. It’s cool it’s at a track that me and him have both won a race at. So that’s a cool nugget that many people may not know. Shane welcomed the idea with open arms and said he would do it and I can’t thank them enough for that”. 

How did the Smith family get started in racing?

“Dad raced since he was 18. He started at forest hill and raced all over the state really. Picking up wins at Calhoun speedway, Super Bee, Thunder Valley, Baton Rouge, Pike County in (MS) Thunder Valley, and Sabine just to name a few. The day I was born I was in NICU and hadn’t really been cleared yet. He walked in to my moms room not even held me yet and ended up going to the races that night. He actually Had his buddy Curtis walk in and ask my mom if they could go racing that night. Lol (I was born on may 26th so it was a big Memorial Day weekend special somehwere). My mom wasn’t the happiest about it but said get out of there and go. Lol So I guess you can say since I was a youngin I had no choice but to be in racing. Once I got about 15-16 age he really started letting me race and we raced pretty heavy with a limited then factory stock from 2017-2020 til his passing”. 

Lastly Cortland was asked, What can the casual fan expect? “A great show with hopefully a great field of cars. I know a lot of guys that wanna pay respect to Darty. He was loved and appreciated by many. As Bubba Jones told me last year “imma come win me a Darty next year”. Not that guys don’t race with a lot of passion already but many of the drivers in the pit area are gonna race with a little more heart that normal I believe. If the track was half as good as it was this past weekend, then we are in for a whale of a show for the Limiteds, Bmods, and Factory. Heck all classes honeslty racing is racing and when the racing is good there is nothing better in the world”. 

Sabine Speedway will be on display once again with the Darty Smith Memorial and there are only two ways to watch it, in the stands at Sabine Speedway or LIVE all weekend here on RaceON.com

Author: Collin Bell