SMITHLEY DOGFIGHTS WAY TO TOP FIVE FINISH AT HICKORY
KANNAPOLIS, NC – Georgia INEX driver Garrett Smithley and his Mr.E Performance team traveled to the historic Hickory Motor Speedway to race on the night of the annual Easter Bunny 150. However, the mood was anything but festive as Smithley soon found himself in a dogfight in the middle of a blistering Legends race that saw him bring home another top-5 finish.
Smithley and his team were forced to overcome a major parts failure before qualifying a respectable 5th out of 18 cars. As the green flag flew, it became clear that the race leaders were setting a blistering pace. "I had my hands full today. Not only is Hickory a unique track with turns 1 and 2 being slightly different from 3 and 4, we also had to contend with lap after lap of Late Model rubber that had been laid down on the track," exclaimed Smithley. "It became pretty clear early on that the front runners were setting a blistering pace. So I was fighting hard to keep up with them. At the same time, I was running in a pack of cars that saw numerous passes back and forth."
Alluding to the battle around him, Smithley lost one position to Pro driver CJ Hulsey but held off Pros Cody Humphries and teammate Dennis Kiser to maintain his 5th place spot. At the checkered flag, Smithley retained his 5th overall position and secured a 2nd place finish in semi-pro.
"Anytime you can come to a historic track like Hickory, it's special. But to go out there and get another top-5 finish and a 2nd place in my class with all the obstacles that we had to overcome is a true testimony to how good this Mr.E Performance team is."
Garrett would like to thank the Mr.E Performance crew for all of their hard work. Smithley would also like to thanks Advanced Auto Parts of Hickory, James Edwards, Dwayne Mash, and all of his supporters.
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