The Frontstretch: Driver Review : Regan Smith by Kim DeHaven -- Tuesday January 13, 2009

Go to site navigation Go to article

Driver Review : Regan Smith

Kim DeHaven · Tuesday January 13, 2009

 

2008 Ride: No. 01 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Primary Sponsor: The Principal Financial Group
2008 Owner: Teresa Earnhardt
2008 Crew Chiefs: Doug Richert (Feb. – May)
Kevin Buskirk (Coca-Cola 600)
Dan Stillman (June – Nov.)

Stats: 34 Races, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 34th in points.
Best Finish: 14th – twice (Martinsville – March and Bristol – August).

High Point: Regan Smith won the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega in October after making a daring last-lap pass on Tony Stewart…

Low Point: …only to have NASCAR penalize him for going “out of bounds” below the yellow line, placing him back in 18th, the last car on the lead lap.

Summary: After a slow start to the season, Regan Smith finished 14th at Martinsville in the Spring to kickstart his rookie campaign. He followed that with six Top 25 finishes over the next 15 events, and capped it off with another 14th place finish in the summer race at Bristol, tying his best finish of ’08. Smith had five more Top 25s in the last third of the season, including the controversial 18th place run at Talladega, as he gained valuable experience in his transition into the Sprint Cup Series. Although he had no Top 5 or Top 10s, Smith was running at the end of every race, becoming the first rookie in history running a full schedule to accomplish the feat. His performance was good enough to earn the honor of being awarded the 2008 Rookie of The Year.

Off-Track News: Smith won the 2008 CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour IWK 250 at Riverside International Speedway back in July.

Team Ranking: Smith’s car was the lowest ranked among the four full-time DEI teams.

2009 Outlook: Smith will join Furniture Row Racing in 2009, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet for a limited schedule of about 10-12 events. Considering the team’s lack of sponsorship, don’t look for him to set the world on fire. But given the economy’s effect on racing and his late release from DEI, driving for Furniture Row is better than not racing at all.

Quote Of The Year: On the last lap pass at Talladega – “I had a nose inside [Tony Stewart] and my only alternative was to wreck ‘em, so next time that’s what I’ll do [laughs]. And that’s not a knock against Tony. I like Tony a lot. He’s a great guy, but I wanted to win pretty damn bad there.”

2008 Frontstretch.com Grade: B-.

Do you want the chance to win a free Frontstretch T-Shirt, and are you really good at talking about NASCAR? Well, we have the perfect opportunity for you. Our staff will be giving away a free T-Shirt to the reader who makes the best post in our Frontstretch Forum between now and the end of the season. So, what makes a good post? It’s pretty hard to impress us, but here are some things we are looking for:

Does your post spark passionate reactions from other readers? Are you commenting on meaningful NASCAR-related events? Do your posts have substance? In other words, “Dale Jr. is the best driver ever” or “Danica Patrick is hot” will not cut it.

So go to the Frontstretch Forums, post early, post often, and post well! We’ll announce the winner following the final race of the season at Homestead.

 

©2000 - 2008 Kim DeHaven and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!