2/1/2017
RacinBoys
Lucas Oil Speedway maintenance director Kent Smith has been around from the start
By Lyndal Scranton (Wheatland, MO) -- Every successful business needs someone who works, mostly behind the scenes, to solve all sorts of problems that might pop up.
Meet Kent Smith, Lucas Oil Speedway's version of "Mr. Fix-It."
"Kent is one of those guys that can do anything and fix anything and throughout the week and on race day he does just that," Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager Dan Robinson said. "He is a pleasure to work with as is his wonderful wife, Marilyn, who works with us in our pit office and scoring tower."
Smith, a Wheatland native who helped Ron Jenkins turn a bean field into the original Wheatland Raceway dirt track 16 years ago, said he never could have imagined at that time that the facility would eventually become one of America's top racing facilities.
"Nobody would have thought it," Smith said, "but it has."
Smith is Maintenance Director for the complex, which houses the dirt track, the "Lake Lucas" drag-boat facility, an under-construction off-road track and massive campground that's become a weekend home for so many race fans since Forrest Lucas bought the property in 2005.
With a staff of three who help him maintain the grounds, Smith said the most appealing thing about his job is that he never knows what's around the next corner.
"You can't hardly name a thing that I'm not at some point involved with," Smith said. "I'm kind of the guy in the background that fixes anything from the video board to changing air filters to fixing the elevator, to changing the phone lines or updating the internet lines."
On race nights, Smith usually uses the scoring tower as his home base. Marilyn helps prepare the lineups and Kent will help her as he waits for "the next spot-fire" to go and fix.
Smith and his crew clean the pit area, sweep the grandstands and pressure wash just about everything during the week. The complex is so massive that mowing is just about an eight-hour-a-day job during the racing season as well.
But it's all a labor of love for Smith, a lifelong race fan who used to hitch-hike as a teen to watch the races at Humansville. He even built and maintained race cars and sold race-car parts with his K&S Motorsports business for many years. He was helping Bill Allen run the Dallas County Speedway in Urbana when Jenkins called him in 2001.
"Ron was a friend of mine and I grew up with him," Smith said. "Ron came by one day and said, 'What do you think about building a race track in Wheatland?' I thought, 'Well, that's great, but I'm not sure you know what you're getting into.'
"We got a guy with a bulldozer and dozed out a circle and took off."
Smith said his involvement with the Wheatland Raceway and the modern-day Lucas Oil Speedway was a little on-and-off in those first few years. But he's been back with the speedway for about eight years and is happy to be there.
"It's a great job," Smith said. "It just keeps getting bigger and better every year."
Added Robinson: "Kent has been one of my closest friends and co-workers for many years but I'm not sure that I can put into words how important Kent is to the overall operation of the facility. Kent completely understands every aspect of the business of racing."
The 2017 Lucas Oil Speedway season begins with the Weekly Championship Series opener on April 8, followed by the 4th annual Lucas Oil MLRA Spring Nationals on April 14-15. Here is the complete schedule for 2017.
For complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived stories, ticket info and schedule information for the season, visit http://www.lucasoilspeedway.com.
Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With it's entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.
Click http://www.LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984.
In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at http://www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on http://www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
