Furniture Row Racing's Regan Smith can't shake Talladega finish from memory
Former Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Regan Smith (01) moves below the yellow line during last fall's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. // Jeff Robinson, NASCAR Scene
Regan Smith remains haunted by memories of his last lap at Talladega Superspeedway last fall, when he surged past Tony Stewart and crossed the finish line first, only to see NASCAR strip him of his apparent maiden Sprint Cup victory for passing below the yellow line.
As Smith, who was driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the time, prepares to return to the track this weekend in Furniture Row Racing’s entry, he admits that he still thinks about that race.
"It's hard not to think about that last lap," said Smith, who finished 18th in that race because of the penalty for driving out of bounds. "I was being blocked, and it was either passing Stewart or crashing the field. I felt I made the proper move and won the race."
This weekend, he returns to the track for the first time since that incident. He joined Furniture Row Racing this season and is running a limited schedule.
Smith, 25, has made all four races he has attempted with the team and has a top finish of 19th this season. As a part-time effort, his team is outside the top 35 in owner points, so he must qualify for the race. In his third season of Cup competition, Smith has 45 starts and the distinction of having completed every race he has started.
Smith, the 2008 Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year, says that his team is gaining ground this season and that he is looking forward to returning to Talladega for this weekend's Aaron's 499.
"Talladega brings out all of the emotions," Smith said. "I've always liked racing there - it's 500 miles of excitement and mind games - an incredible rush."
Smith is optimistic he can be in the mix this weekend.
"Furniture Row has a history of operating a strong superspeedway program," he said. "The team sat on the pole at last year's Talladega race. We also had a solid performance in this year's Daytona 500 [where Smith finished 21st]. So, right now I am feeling upbeat about this weekend. But first things first - we're still a go-or-go-home team and need to qualify."
For this weekend's race, Furniture Row is donating space on the car to National Day of Prayer, an annual observance established by Congress and held on the first Thursday in May.
