Kurt Smith

Contact Kurt

After losing his beloved Baltimore Orioles to Peter Angelos (or as he fondly refers to him, “Slimeball”), Kurt needed to fill a sports void, and found himself increasingly interested in his participation in his brother’s NASCAR fantasy league. By 2002 Kurt was hooked, tuning in every week to see how his drivers were performing.

After nearly taking the league title in 2003, losing to his father by just a scant 72 points out of over 10,000 (even with a late season surge fueled by Tony Stewart), Kurt decided to keep stats and take notes to better learn who to activate each Sunday. The failure to activate Michael Waltrip for the 2003 Daytona 500 had been the difference, and Kurt did not want to make that mistake again.

In 2004 Kurt began sending short summaries of races to other members of the league, using his notes to describe the action and make fun of Darrell Waltrip. Response to his diatribes was favorable and gradually he spent more and more time composing columns each week. Then, in August of 2006, he sent a column to That’s Racin’, and Kurt became a member of the Infield blog. And finally, after years of heartbreak, near misses, and frustration, in 2006 Kurt’s fantasy team (“Vapor Trails Racing”) won its first Fairgrounds Racing League championship. Only buying his 2002 Mustang gave Kurt more joy.

After a year and a half of contributing to the Infield, Kurt auditioned for the Frontstretch in January 2008, and the rest is history. Now Kurt offers his take on all things Sprint Cup racing in the “Happy Hour” column on Fridays, and hopefully the world is better for it.

Kurt has never been a racecar driver, nor has he been a crew chief, mechanic, or even a sports editor. He is just a regular guy from New Jersey. In fact, he treasures few things more than being regular. His full-time gig is as a software analyst for Lockheed Martin Corporation, and he lives in Turnersville (exit 3 of the NJ Turnpike), not far from the new track being built in Millville. As this is being written he is about to enter into a marriage with his lovely fiancée Suzanne, who is not the slightest bit of a NASCAR fan. But Kurt tolerates it because she’s so daggone cute. And not to diminish its importance, but he also has a fine collection of music and can cook a little bit too.

When You Can See Kurt’s Frontstretch Columns:
Happy Hour : Fridays (Website)
In Case You Missed It : Fridays (Newsletter)

Q & A With Kurt Smith:
What Is Your New Favorite Technological Gizmo? : Cruise control

Who Is Your Favorite Musical Artist(s)?: Rush, Jeff Beck, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stevie Wonder, The Police and many many others

Do You Have Any Pre-race Rituals? : Nachos/salsa/guacamole/etc. preparation. Opening a beer is also essential to the process.

Who Is Your Favorite Cartoon Character? : Foghorn Leghorn (“I’m wide, I say I’m wiiiiiide open! Shoot me a lateral!”)

Where Is Your Favorite Vacation Spot? : Wildwood NJ is pretty cool…not really a spot but I’ve done a couple of ballpark tours and that’s a blast.

Kurt’s Favorite Non-Racing Sites He Recommends

Roadfood" – a great resource for finding great and inexpensive places to eat on the road
Hotwire" – the best place for finding hotel rooms, trust me
Ballparks of Baseball – haven’t given up on seeing all of them
How Stuff Works – believe it or not, it helped me get through college

Recent Articles by Kurt Smith

November 2008

11/21: The Best 2008 NASCAR Stories That You Will Soon Forget [6]

11/14: A Meaningful Finale [3]

11/07: More Excitement? The Chase Hasn’t Even Done That [11]

October 2008

10/31: NASCAR's Opportunity In A Troubled Economy [2]

10/24: Is Johnson's Three Year Run As Good As Yarborough's Was? [8]

10/17: Please NASCAR, Not Martinsville Too [9]

10/10: Goodyear Mounting An Increasingly Poor Reputation [14]

10/03: What Should Be Done About Multi-Car Teams? [11]

September 2008

09/26: Should The Fans Stick Around? [18]

09/19: From 207 Points Up To 74 Points Down; What's Wrong With This Picture? [28]

09/12: Hey Race Fans, It's Time For NASCAR's Annual Big Points Giveaway! [8]

09/05: If Locked In The Chase, Why Race at Richmond? [6]

August 2008

08/29: The Top 35 Rule Is The Symptom, Not The Problem [10]

08/22: Stewart And Newman Should Enjoy The Honeymoon While It Lasts [10]

08/20: Top Ten Ways Carl Edwards Can Psych Out Kyle Busch [9]

08/15: A NASCAR Writer's Midlife Crisis [1]

08/08: No Mas in Ciudad de Mexico: NASCAR Gets One Right [7]

08/01: It's Time For Brian France To Step Down [24]

July 2008

07/30: NASCAR's Top Ten Excuses For The Indianapolis Race [3]

07/25: Networks Prop Up The Chase; Real Fans Reject It [21]

07/18: What is Ryan (or Roger) Thinking? [10]

07/11: The End of a Classic NASCAR Era [4]

07/04: Jimmy Spencer and NASCAR's 'Young Punks' [11]

June 2008

06/27: Mauricia Grant's Lawyer Smells Blood [16]

06/20: NASCAR And The Drivers: Who Needs Who More? [11]

06/12: A New Kind Of Schedule Proposal For NASCAR [8]

06/06: Where's The Love for Pocono? [13]

May 2008

05/30: NASCAR's Rule Enforcement Problem [12]

05/23: Happy Hour : Kyle Busch Really Burns Our BUTs [3]

05/16: An Open Letter To Dale Jr.: Don’t Worry About The Wins [19]

05/09: It May Be Time to Panic for Michael Waltrip [22]

05/02: Is Finishing Under Green That Important? [4]

April 2008

04/25: Welcome To Talladega – May The Best Aero Package Win [1]

04/23: Top Ten Bumper Stickers Found On NASCAR Driver's Personal Cars [1]

04/18: The Unluckiest Driver In Auto Racing? [6]

04/11: "Our" NASCAR? Nice Try, Brian [21]

04/04: Nationwide Whackers Are Hurting The Sprint Cup Series [21]

March 2008

03/28: Hendrick's Recent Performance At Martinsville Inspirational

03/21: Happy Hour : Tony Stewart Still Paying For WWE Comments [12]

03/14: The Best Ad Campaign in NASCAR History [12]

03/07: Do Hard Hits Make Drivers Consider Retirement? [3]

03/05: Top Ten Victory Celebrations Other Drivers Can Do [1]

February 2008

02/29: Fontana Won't Be The Last [8]

02/27: Top Ten Ways California Speedway Is No Darlington [13]

02/22: Giving Kurt His Due and Other Thoughts [8]

02/16: Call it the Kyle Busch Rule [6]

02/08: The Official Columnist of NASCAR [6]