Factory stock driver Trey Smitherman carries on his family’s legacy by jumping on his roof after every feature win. However, this victory at the 1/4-mile Kennedale Speedway Park in Texas felt extra special.
“It’s a four-generation family tradition,” said Trey, 26, of Mansfield, Texas. “Us Smithermans jump as high as we can from the roof of the car when we are in victory lane. I’ve jumped many times before, but never this high.”
His father, Larry Smitherman, of Mansfield, Texas, had won many features over the years, but none within the past two seasons. He struggled with his latest factory stock.
“My dad was so frustrated with the car,” Trey said. “I took it out for the first time two weeks ago. Something wasn’t right. So, I brought it back to the shop and changed a bunch of stuff on the suspension and chassis.”
Trey’s changes seemed to work. He found the path to victory lane. The win was one of more than 100 victories for Trey Smitherman. He’s won at tracks in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, since he started racing full-size cars at age 10.
“My dad and I dominated the division at the [now-defunct] Cowtown Speedway [once located in Kennedale, Texas,] in 2011,” Trey said. “Dad won 16 races, I won 11. There were only three nights where one of us did not win the feature. I won the championship; Dad was second.”
This year, Trey Smitherman has embarked on a new endeavor. His new company, Limitless Performance Fabrication, builds factory stocks and sport compacts.
“We are fresh out of the gate this season, and we’re already jumping higher than ever before,” said Trey. “My little, 12-year-old nephew, Brody Tarrant, is a junior mini-stock champion. He stands on top of the car when he wins. He hasn’t jumped yet, but we’ll get him jumping.”
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.
