WEST ALLIS, Wis. – Brad Smith was the fourth driver called during ARCA Menards Series driver introductions at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday (Aug. 28). But the 53-year-old driver from Shelby Township, Mich., walked up with a smile on his face.
The Sprecher 150 was his 400th career ARCA start.
“Well, it seems like I’ve been doing this forever, so yeah, [it seems surreal],” Smith told Frontstretch. “When you really think about it, it is an accomplishment but nothing we ever set out to do; it just sort of worked out that way.”
After failing to qualify for the 1988 Talladega ARCA 500K at Talladega Superspeedway, the then 19-year-old Smith made his ARCA debut at Rockford Speedway. Driving a No. 67 Chrysler, Smith started 24th and finished 24th after crashing out on lap 20.
“We got in the […] way early in the race, and we crashed,” Smith said. “We learned up front to stay out of the way.”
399 ARCA starts later, Smith has competed at 49 different circuits, ranging from 0.25-mile short track Rockford to the 1-mile dirt track DuQuoin State Fairgrounds to 2.45-mile road course Watkins Glen International.
Was a Big day for the Bossman @DriverBradSmith
1988 #67 Rockford (24th)
399 starts later
2022 #48 Milwaukee (21st)Congratulations on 400 Starts!!! pic.twitter.com/M64SP329Ge
— Colby Evans-ARCA/NASCAR S&P Cars (@StartAndParkCar) August 28, 2022
Smith likes competing at all courses, but the two that immediately come to his mind as favorites are the superspeedways: Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
“I like Daytona and Talladega because of the tradition of them,” Smith said. “They’re the big tracks. Honestly, all these different tracks have different personalities. There’s a lot to like about all of them. While I say Daytona and Talladega are my favorites, I like them all.”
Smith has plenty of experience at those tracks, as he has raced 17 times at Talladega and 12 times at Daytona. However, the driver of the red No. 48 has zero top 10s on those two courses.
In fact, Smith has only two career top-10 finishes. He scored his first career top 10, and his career-best finish of ninth, at Winchester Speedway in 2020. Two years later, Smith finished 10th at Berlin Raceway.
Smith lacks the resources, sponsorship, etc., of a top ARCA team like Venturini Motorsports. So for his small hard-working team, a top-10 finish is a big deal. Ever the competitor though, Smith would love it if he won an ARCA race.
“Well, I wish they…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…