VOL. 53 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 20, 2016 P113
(Above) Smith (42) and his rival, three-time GNC champ
Jared Mees (1) battled all year long. (Below) This year's GNC
title came down to the last round, the last race and the last
turn. Smith didn't crack under pressure.
"THIS YEAR,
GOING INTO SANTA
ROSA, I WAS STILL
THINKING, 'IT'S
MINE TO LOSE,'
AND JUST WAITING
FOR THE BAD LUCK
TO SHOW UP LIKE
IT ALWAYS DOES."
This cannot go the wrong way. I've got to do it!'"
Racing from the outside looks like an individual
sport, but that is far from the truth. It's also a
sport that requires teamwork. The Crosley-Radio
Howerton Motorsports team is a tightly knit group
of people, all working hard together for one
goal—the AMA Grand National Championship.
Adding to that appreciation is that Smith's crew
is essentially a bunch of weekend warriors with
day jobs; after all, being on the payroll would take
away from the race budget.
"They've all worked so hard and they want to
win it," he said. "Ricky in particular wanted to win
it, probably more than I did. For him to work as
hard as he has and everything he has done, it
just drove me that much more."
So the Nicky Hayden 2006 Valencia sticker—a
stack of chips with a blend of the Detroit skyline
with the words "All In"—on Smith's helmet was not
just for show. Smith was using it as inspiration,
refusing to let another title slip out of his grasp.
"A lot of racers can say 'that was as hard as I
