Former Peachtree City resident Garrett Smithley in only his second ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) race made a strong showing at Pocono International Raceway, coming from the back of the pack to finish in an impressive 14th place. In a case of déjà vu from his first ARCA race at Pocono in June, the entire day of practice was completely rained-out. The following morning the track was not dry enough for practice so qualifying was cancelled to allow practice to be rescheduled for only one hour in the early afternoon prior to Sprint Cup qualifying.
Smithley was once again relegated to a start from the back of the pack exactly the same as the June race.
Practice did not go well for the No.74 Peachtree City Golf Cars Chevy Impala SS due to major handling problems with a lackluster 27th on the speed charts. However, the Creation-Cope Racing (CCR) team went to work in the remaining three hours to race time, making wholesale changes to the suspension and set-ups. Smithley summed-up the team effort stating, “We had to overcome some adversity, not having a full practice, qualifying being cancelled, starting 35th, and not having any cautions in the race.”
“The whole Creation Cope Racing team did a fantastic job giving me a good car for the race and the opportunity to show what I can do on a premier NASCAR track. Huge thanks to my primary sponsors, Peachtree City Golf Cars and Herobox.org for making it possible.”
CCR Team Manager Andy Woolgar had high praise for the effort noting that in only his second ARCA race Smithley passed 21 cars to finish 14th.
“Garrett is going a long way to making a name for himself stepping up to the high level ARCA Racing Series by Menard’s this year and taming the ‘Tricky Triangle’ at Pocono. This is a tough track and the young man is very mature for his years and it shows in his driving. Patience and picking the right moments to pass are key factors in the sport of NASCAR and we at CCR think that Garrett is a natural!”
Garrett added, “I have to thank my other sponsors for this opportunity; Curtsinger Trailer & Truck Sales, William Dickson Industries, Driven Steering, Simpson Racing Products, Focus Eyewear, Xelk Visual Communication and Racerboost.com. Without them I couldn’t be here.”
Garrett Smithley Racing is currently working to obtain quality sponsors to partner with the team to run the September 20, ARCA Zloop 150 at Kentucky Speedway, which is a night race that will be broadcast live on FoxSports Speed TV. Garrett is an instructor for the Richard Petty Driving Experience based at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He will be at the Atlanta Motor Speedway today with Petty for anyone interested in taking a high speed ride in a race car with the former McIntosh High School graduate.
