The legendary Smiley Sitton, 85, passed away on January 16. He is best remembered for started Smiley’s Racing Products in 1968 to supply local racers with parts to keep them on track.
In addition to his business, he also fielded midgets and sprint cars since 1965. An incredible list of drivers drove for Sitton. Among them, midget hall of famer and Indy 500 racer Johnny Parsons. Sprint car hall of famer Ron Shuman. And NASCAR winner Ken Schrader.
“Smiley was a lot of fun,” Schrader said. “I had a lot of good times with him, and he was even more fun when we won a race.”
He also promoted racetracks, including Buffalo Park Speedway (which closed in 1986) and Big H Speedway (now called Houston Motorsports Park). In the early 2000s, he founded the Sprint Car Series of Texas, which would run what would become IMCA RaceSaver sprint cars.
In 1992, Sitton started the Smiley Sitton’s Outlaw Driving School.
“If you wanted to go to a school where you would actually learn something about racing and being a good driver, Smiley’s school was all about that,” Schrader said. “Smiley was probably the best racer I ever drove for. He was all about the ‘win the damn race no matter what it takes’ attitude.”
Schrader competed in midgets and sprints for Sitton. He drove the midgets indoors at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit. And raced them outdoors at places like the Big H Speedway, where Schrader won.
How did Charles Sitton Jr. earn the nickname of “Smiley.”
“I don’t know why he got the name ‘Smiley,’” Schrader said. “Maybe because he didn’t smile a lot? He was just serious about winning — that was it.”
Smiley Sitton sold his namesake business to Tom Lorenz in 1985 and later returned to work for them. Smiley Racing Products remembered its founder in a message released on Facebook. “Our hearts have been heavy here at Smiley’s, and we know many of your hearts are heavy, too…. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We find comfort in coming together to honor a life that meant so much to so many.”
Rusted Rail Golf Course in Crandall, Texas, will host a celebration of life for Smiley Sitton. It will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2-4 p.m.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
