Jack Smith Race Car Driver - The Legend That Nascar Forgot

HPP: What did Jack say was his biggest career win in a Pontiac?
LS: The '60 Firecracker 250 at Daytona. I wasn't there to see it, but my mom was. She said that toward the end of the race NASCAR tried to get Dad to pit so Cotton Owens could win the race. Dad realized what was happening, chose not to pit, and won.

HPP: What did he do with the prize money?
LS: Mom said the money from the win helped us build our house in Spartanburg.

HPP: What made the '60 No. 47 Catalina different from the Catalinas prepared by Cotton Owens, Ray Fox, or Smokey Yunick?
LS: Each racer had his own machine shops and mechanics to make special parts, and nobody shared secrets. Dad hired Pop Eargle and Bud Moore, two of the big names in early NASCAR, to machine parts for his '60 Catalina, and perform top-secret work on his engine to give his Pontiac an advantage over the other racers.

HPP: How did Jack become the first driver in NASCAR history to have a two-way radio installed in his race car to communicate with his pit crew?
LS: Tom "T.O." Moore of Spartanburg owned Harty & Moore Radio. Dad asked him to make a two-way radio system to work in his race car, in the pits, and around the track. He used it at the first World 600 in Charlotte in 1960. The communication edge helped him obtain a huge lead, but fuel tank problems with the race car caused him to finish Twelfth.

HPP: Who did your dad consider fierce competition in the early days of Pontiac in NASCAR?
LS: Fireball Roberts.

HPP: What's the most important thing Jack ever said about Pontiacs?
LS: They were both fast and reliable.

HPP: What year Pontiac was his favorite?
LS: The '60 race car was absolutely his favorite. Mom said they both thought it was the prettiest car that had ever been made. Dad loved '60 Pontiacs so much that he and I restored a Coronado Red '60 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe with 42,000 original miles to street legal-all original but with the same lettering as his race car. And we started to build a replica of his '60 race car before his death. (See sidebar.)

HPP: Did Jack have a Pontiac-only household?
LS: Dad owned three or four Pontiacs when he died. Although it wasn't a Pontiac-only household, he thought Pontiacs were wonderful cars and he was proud to race them.

HPP: How do you want to see your dad's legacy continued?
LS: I would like to see him in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. I think he deserves it. I would also like to have the '60 No. 47 Catalina race car replica on display in a sports museum. People can learn more about Jack Smith's career at our Web site, www.smithenized.com.

Jack Smith And The '62 Pontiac Catalina Super-Duty 421 NASCAR Race Car

Through an arrangement with Pontiac racing representative Ray Nichels, Pontiac produced a 421 SD Catalina sports coupe for Jack on January 4, 1962. Thanks to the assistance of Jim Mattison of PHS-Automotive Services Inc. we determined that this Super-Duty was ordered with the code 13B, 421/405 hp Super-Duty engine with dual four-barrel carburetors (later removed and replaced with a single four-barrel per NASCAR rules). It included the following:

* 4-bolt main caps
* Super-Duty forged-steel connecting rods
* Mickey Thompson forged aluminum pistons
* Super-Duty cylinder heads (No. 540306, 68cc, 11.0:1 CR)
* 1.65-ratio rocker arms
* Heavy-duty valvesprings
* 1.92/1.66-in valves
* Special solid lifter camshaft (No. 541596 McKellar No. 10 camshaft; 308/320-deg duration, 0.445/0.447-in lift)
* Dual-point distributor
* 44S spark plugs
* Super-Duty fuel pump, flywheel, and harmonic balancer
* Super-Duty air cleaner
* Aluminum intake manifold
* Super-Duty exhaust manifolds (iron)
* Dual exhaust
* Special oil pan and pump
* High-speed propeller shaft
* Heavy-duty starter
* Super-Duty clutch
* Heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission
* Special HD frame
* Standard radiator