Dustin Smith Preparing for Big Year of Late Model Racing

Dustin Smith is kicking off his 2023 season at the Alabama 200 at Montgomery Motor Speedway.

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Dustin Smith has big plans for the 2023 season, with sights set on more Super Late Model racing in the new season. First, he’ll look for a big win in his home state in the Alabama 200 at Montgomery Motor Speedway in his Pro Late Model.

Smith hasn’t been on track since the Snowball Derby in December, but it has been a busy winter for him and his team to prepare for the new year.

“We’ve been really busy in this offseason,” said Smith. “We’ve made some changes with our program. We’re going to try to run some more Super races this year.

“I’m definitely excited. We haven’t raced since December on Sunday at the [Snowball] Derby. I’m excited to get back behind the wheel.”

Following the Alabama 200, which currently boasts 26 drivers on the entry list, Smith will compete in both the Sunshine State 200 for the ASA STARS National Tour at Five Flags Speedway and the Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway for the SRL National Tour.

Smith understands this season will be about learning and acclimating to the Super Late Model racing world. He hopes to take those lessons and improve throughout the season.

“Our main goal is to make headway, make good adjustments to the car and finish the races. I’m new in the Super deal. There are a lot of good drivers out there, and I hope to compete side-by-side with them."

One of the highlights of the 2022 season for Smith was a third-place finish with the SRL National Series at Mobile International Speedway. However, even that race proved to be a learning experience.

“I run the Pro car all the time there and hadn’t run the Super car. I was trying to drive it like the Pro car and realized I can’t. We’ve got some setups we’re going to try this year that we should have tried last year for long-run races.”

While Smith hasn't committed to any particular series full-time for 2023, he will have plenty of opportunities to race and learn this year. He hopes to make the most of every opportunity.

“It’s a big deal. It’s a lot of races, with a lot of people coming on board and a lot of people coming to race. I’m hoping we can go out there, get a top-five, top-10 finish.”

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