Smith more concerned about finishes than rumors

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Saturday, June 07, 2008

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LONG POND, Pa. – Regan Smith isn’t listening to rumors about his team’s future. He’s just focusing on getting better.

The Sprint Cup rookie will start fourth in his Dale Earnhardt Inc. car for the Pocono 500 on Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

Smith’s team doesn’t have full sponsorship and is running a DEI logo on the hood this weekend. He has an average finish of 27th this year but had finishes of 19th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and 21st at Dover.

Sunday's race will be Smith's 21st career start. He started seven races last year splitting a ride with Mark Martin until Ginn Racing was absorbed by DEI.

Smith is 32nd in driver points and the team is 32nd in owner points. The team changed crew chiefs in mid-May and Dan Stillman is entering his second week as the full-time crew chief.

“The past five weeks, [we] have really started getting some good consistency down and especially the past couple of weeks here, we’ve actually run better than where we’ve finished,” Smith said Friday. “For a team coming from where we came from at the beginning of the year to now that’s a good thing.

“And for me as a driver that’s a good thing because I was beating myself up, and you question if you can do it or if everything you’re doing is wrong or what’s going on. It’s good for all of us.”

After his experience last year, Smith is used to the uncertainty that accompanies cars and teams without full primary sponsorship.

“It’s just rumors,” Smith said about talk that DEI might shut down the 01 team. “They’ve been out there all year long and I’m sure they’ll
be out there to the end of the season and all that stuff.

“That’s fine. We know what the situation is and I’ve talked to Teresa [Earnhardt] and management numerous times and I know the situation. The race car is going to be on the race track and that’s all that matters.”