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Dirty Questions by "The Dirty One" with Matt Smallwood
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The dirty one has caught up with one of the hottest drivers in the area, Matt Smallwood. Matt has won 12 odified
features in 2006 and is a threat to win at every track he shows up to. In this interview Matt talks candidly about his
family, his race team and just how much the support of a great wife has helped his racing career.
Dirty One- “First off Matt, let me thank you for taking the time to sit down with me! It means a lot to that you’d
take the time out of your busy life to talk to your fans like this!”
Smallwood- “I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this. This is great for the fans and after all if it weren’t
for them this sport wouldn’t exist.”
Dirty One-“Most importantly, speaking of your busy life, how is your little girl doing?”(Matt’s wife gave birth to
their first child before the season started)..
Smallwood- “Makenna is doing great. She is growing up so fast I can’t believe it. I can’t wait until next year so
she can start coming to the races on a regular basis.”
Dirty One- “Speaking as a father of two myself, I know just how much time children take up, and having been
around racers I know how much time they like to spend in the garage, have you been able to find a happy medium?”
Smallwood- “Yes, thanks to my wife Amy, the best wife I could have ever asked for. She is very understanding
about the time spent on the racecar. Actually, she and Makenna spend quite a bit of time in the garage as well.
Another reason the whole thing works is because of my dad. He is with me every time I work on the car and many
times he works on it by himself. It is just the two of us through the week so we really have to make good use of our
time. You know as well as I do races are won in the garage.”
Dirty One- "Matt, tell us a little bit about you?
Smallwood- “I am 26 years old. I graduated from Wilmington College with my undergraduate degree and from
Xavier with my Masters. I teach mathematics at Goshen High School. I am happily married to Amy, who is also a
teacher at Goshen. We have a beautiful 5-month-old baby girl. We all love anything outdoors and spending time
with each other.”
Dirty One- “Who got you interested in racing, how long have you been at it, and how did 911 come to be your
number?”
Smallwood- “When I was five years old my dad and mom bought my two brothers and I dirt bikes. From that day
forward we were hooked on dirt motor sports. I was invited to watch my cousin DJ Smallwood race his super dirt at
Florence one Saturday night about seven years ago. After watching about 3 laps, I thought to myself, I could do
that. When I got home I started looking for a car. I was a senior at Wilmington College at the time so money was a
little short. DJ pointed me in the direction of Dave Robertson and it led me to the purchase of my first racecar. I
borrowed the 911 number idea off of my brother Tom’s rail buggy and went racing.”
Dirty One- “What classes or types of racing have you competed in so far in your short career?”
Smallwood- “I started racing Super Dirt Stocks in 2001. I raced in that division for four years, winning most
improved driver in 2002, and track champion in 2003 and 2004. I thought it would be a good idea to move up a class
and started my modified career in 2005. To date 8-27-06 I have won 39 Features in the six years I have been
racing.”
Dirty One- “Most of those feature wins came in the Super Dirts, talk a little bit about the time you spent in the
Super Dirts, maybe about some of the competitors you raced against and what you think is your favorite win in that
class.”
Smallwood- “I had a blast in the super dirt division. The early years were the best when it was full of talented
drivers like Dave Robertson, Mark Robertson, Spenser Watson, Rick Allen, Jason Jamison, Shawn Tolson, etc.
My most memorable race would be the Dave Robertson Memorial. Dave is the one who got me started in racing
as well as helped me grow in the early years. It meant so much to me to win a race that was in remembrance of
him. I know Dave would have been very proud to see me take the checkered that night.”
Dirty One- “In 2005 you made the switch to a Modified from the SDS, a class that for 2 straight years you
dominated, winning almost every race. Talk about how mentally challenging it was to go from being the dominant
car in a class to being a middle of the pack car.”
Smallwood- “I had high hopes my first year in the mod but soon had them crushed. We were absolutely horrible
and had a miserable year. I am not making excuses but we just didn’t do things the right way. We took our motor
out of our super dirt and thought that would be enough and to top it off we bought a 3-link car that didn’t work. I
believe God does everything for a reason so it must have been meant for us to struggle and learn. The only bad
part about it was I started questioning my driving skills. I was happy to be back up front at the start of this year
and my confidence is back to where it needs to be.”
Dirty One- “Matt you appear to be a quick learner, by that I mean, you started out in the SDS class at Florence
and within 2 years you were winning a lot of races, and now in your second full year in the Mods, you’re a threat to
win every time you hit the track. Other guys haven’t been as successful at changing divisions, what’s your secret?”
Smallwood- “I have been blessed with awesome support from my wife. My dad does more than I could ever ask for
and my brother Joe is at every race working to get the car faster and faster. We all take a lot of pride in our racing
program and concentrate on preparation more than anything. When we get to the track I am able to focus on
driving.”
Dirty One- “You won 2 Florence Speedway championships in the Super Dirt; do you plan on running for the
championship there in the Modified or maybe would a B.O.B. Mod series championship be more what you’re
looking for?”
Smallwood- “A lot of people have asked me why I haven’t been running Florence every week this year. The simple
reason is I am trying to get my name out there in efforts to land a late model ride. I have been trying to race some
of the bigger shows and run for more than $400 weekly. I have thought a lot about the BOB series for next year
but my main goal is to leave the mod sit in the garage and drive a late model for a well-established team.”
Dirty One- “Have you had any offers for next year, and if so where would you want to run on a weekly basis?”
Smallwood- “I have recently talked to a team about next year. If everything goes as planned I will be starting my
late model career in February at East Bay. I am willing to run anywhere the car owner wants to run. I just love to
race and can enjoy racing on any track.”
Dirty One- “I hope the Late Model thing works out for you, starting in Florida against the top competition is going
to be tough. But, I know that no matter what you choose to do you will certainly have a large cheering section that
follows you to the track every week. Speaking of that group, I believe Brad Greer has affectionately named them
the “Orange Crush” for the Orange shirts they wear. Talk about how great it is to look up in the stands and know
your friends and family are there to support you no matter how good or bad you do?”
Smallwood- “It means so much to me to see my family members and friends cheering me on. I also have to thank
all the other fans that cheer for me on a weekly basis. It is the best feeling in the world to know people believe in
me. I have to thank my mom especially on this one because she always believes that I can win no matter what
track or how stout the competition is.”
Dirty One- “Matt, take a few minutes to thank everyone that helps you week in and week out, get the 911 machine
ready to race!”
Smallwood- “Once again I thank my wife most of all for being so understanding. Her support is definitely the
reason this whole operation works. I thank her so much for understanding how much it means to me to spend
countless hours in the garage just my dad and me. You never know when the Lord will call us home and being with
my dad means the world to me. I thank my brother Joe for all the behind the scenes work and the work he puts in
on Saturday nights. I thank my mom and my uncles for their support every weekend. And I thank Jason Dunham
and Chris Ward for all the work and dedication they put into our team.”
Dirty One- “Now that we’ve thanked the crew and family, take a second to talk about some of your sponsors that
help you out.”
Smallwood- “I tell you there is one guy that I feel should be listed up in the previous question with all the family
members, because that is exactly the way I feel about him.
Richard Poe is someone very special to me and has helped me out with Valvoline so much I will never be able to
thank him enough. He does so much for us, and the whole
Sport in general. Another guy I can't go without mentioning is Aaron Burnette, from Skillsaw Designs, he has put
together a great website for us this year www.mattsmallwood.com and keeps it updated every week. I also have to
thank Goshen Car Wash for a sparkling clean car every week. I thank Bischoff for the awesome power they have
given me this year. I thank Positive Productions Inc., Lykins Oil Co., Loveland Dairy Whip, B&T Shaft and Gear,
C.M. Mockbee Inc., Don’s Lawn Service, Corena Clements, and Danny’s Rod Shop for all of there help as well.”
Dirty One- “Matt thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to the fans.”
Smallwood- “I have really enjoyed talking to you and thank you so much for caring about the local racers the way
you do. You are truly a blessing to all of the fans and drivers. Thank you.”
The dirty one also wants to thank Richard Poe for his help in hooking Matt and myself up for this interview.
Richard is one heck of a guy and someone I highly respect for his love and passion of the sport of dirt track
racing. I’d like to thank Matt also for his kind words to me in his last statement, it means a lot that he would say
those things. Remember, you can see where Matt might be headed next or just how well he did the week before by
visiting www.mattsmallwood.com.
As always if there is someone you’d be interested in hearing from, or if you’re a driver that is interested in talking
to me and the fans, simply email me @ bryant.scudder@insightbb.com and I’ll get right back with you. Also,
remember to check out www.dirtfans.com for articles from our great staff here at Dirtfans…
The dirty one!!!!!!!!
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