by John Rittenoure (Park City, KS) -- There is nothing like experience and Delbert Smith has plenty of it.
The veteran of 47 years behind the wheel grabbed the lead from Eddie Tidwell on lap four then pulled away to win over fellow Kansas racer Dusty Leonard and Kip Hughes to win the Complete Well Testing Sooner Late Model Series feature Saturday at 81 Speedway.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Milam
“We were on a softer tire and I know there at the end Kip (Hughes) was a half a second faster as he was getting heat in the harder tires,” Smith said of his victory using a crate motor. “We were just trying to save the softer tires and get through lapped traffic as fast as quick can.”
The Sooner Series allows for crate engines and open motors to run together by having different tire compound and weight rules for the two cars.
“You can’t tell a lot of different,” Smith said. “They have the rules pretty equal. That is the way it should be.”
It took Smith longer then expected to race into the lead from his outside front row starting position, but once he did the race became one for second place.
“I thought I was going to get out front right off since I was on the outside,” Smith said of his start. “But the race before me they all got down low and threw the dirt up on the top and they ruined it for me. But I got to rolling there and got close to the outside.
“Once I got out I just tried to take it easy.”
Tidwell held on to second and Hughes stayed in third till Leonard got by him on lap 14. On lap 17 Leonard passed Tidwell for second but could not close on Smith’s straight lead. Hughes held on to third followed by Chris Kratzer in fourth and Kaleb Roach rounding out the top five.
Smith has enjoyed a long and successful career and is not ready to hang up the helmet anytime soon.
“If I can get my leg in the car,” Smith said. “My back is not what is was, I had some surgery on it. We will keep going as long as I am competitive.”
Complete Well Testing Sooner Late Model Results
81 Speedway, Park City, Kans.
May 8, 2021
O’Reilly Auto Parts Heat 1 (10 laps) - 1. 1-Eddie Tidwell; 2. 11-Dustin Allen; 3. 66-Hayden Ross; 4. B1-Dustin Bolster; 5. 81-Troy Bynum; 6. 4C-Cole McDaniel; 7. 03-Jeremy Bishop.
Complete Well Testing Heat 2 (10 laps) - 1. 4-Kip Hughes; 2. 92S-Daniel Smith; 3. 15-Brad Fortney; 4. 10-4-Adam Popp; 5. 55-Zach Nickell; 6. 84-Gary Kilbourn; 7. Clint McFadden (DNS).
Design One Racewear Heat 3 (10 laps) - 1. 92-Delbert Smith; 2. 55X-Chris Kratzer; 3. 7D-Dusty Leonard; 4. 5R-Kaleb Roach; 5. 00-Clay Julian; 6. 65-Lee Allen; 7. Ted Tolan (DNS).
Complete Well Testing A Feature (25 laps) - 1. 92-Delbert Smith; 2. 7D-Dusty Leonard; 3. 4-Kip Hughes; 4. 55X-Chris Kratzer; 5. 5R-Kaleb Roach; 6. 1-Eddie Tidwell; 7. 66-Hayden Ross; 8. 11-Dustin Allen; 9, 10-4-Adam Popp; 10. 92S-Daniel Smith; 11. 00-Clay Julian; 12. 55-Zach Nickell; 13. B1-Dustin Bolster; 14. 81-Troy Bynum; 15. 03-Jeremy Bishop; 16. 4C-Cole McDaniel; 17. 84-Gary Kilbourn; 18. 65-Lee Allen; 19. 15-Brad Fortney; 20. Mc2-Clint McFadden. 21-99T-Ted Tolan (DNS).