Ryan Smith Finishes Second In 50th Annual Tuscarora 50

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / RYAN SMITH RACING – KUNKLETOWN, PA – Putting together an impressive series of results in front of his Central Pennsylvania fans, the “Kunkletown Kid” Ryan Smith earned back-to-back top-ten finishes during the Arctic Cat All Star Tuscarora 50 weekend at Port Royal (PA) Speedway, highlighted with a runner-up performance during the $50,000-to-win, 50-lap finale on Saturday evening, September 9.

After starting from the pole position as the result of a heat race victory, Smith led the first six circuits of the 50-lap finale, ultimately losing the top spot to eventual winner, Lance Dewease. The biggest sprint car race in Port Royal Speedway history attracted 66 entries including a handful of national-level invaders.

The pilot of the Tom and Sherry Leidig/Warko Group/Specialty Rigging/Rick’s Auto Body/TGP Photography/Auto Electric of Jupiter, FL/No. 59 kicked off his Port Royal Speedway campaign with a tenth place finish on Friday evening, September 8.

“It’s hard to be unhappy about finishing second to Lance Dewease,” Ryan Smith explained. “That team is on a whole new level. It was a great weekend for me and it was a great weekend for our team. To be able to race close to home during an event of that size and record back-to-back solid finishes is exciting. We get to race pretty close to home again next weekend, so the plan is to take advantage of that and get one spot higher on the podium.”

Ryan Smith will continue his 2017 Arctic Cat All Star campaign with another pair of events in Central Pennsylvania, this time visiting Selinsgrove Speedway and Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway on Saturday and Sunday, September 16-17, respectively.

Smith, who will enter the weekend second in the Arctic Cat All Star championship chase with one victory on the season, will hunt for a grand total of $13,000 over the course of the upcoming weekend; $8,000 at Selinsgrove Speedway during the Jim Nace Memorial/National Open and $5,000 at Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway. Each event will also award full points toward the 2017 Arctic Cat All Star title chase.