Four Generations Strong. 💪🏆
1996 IHRA Stock Eliminator World Champion
1973 NHRA World Finals Qualifier
2012 NC Drag Racing HOF
2014 East Coast Drag Racing HOF
2014 Sampson County Sports HOF Curtis Smith Racing, founded in 1957 as Earl Smith Chevrolet Engineering, is one of the oldest active teams in the NHRA. Family owned and Family operated, our tradition at Curtis Smith Racing runs three generations deep and has over 60 years of Chevrolet heritage. Our patriarch, Earl Smith, raced in his first NHRA national event in February of 1957 at Flagler Beach Airport in Daytona Beach, Florida. Racing his brand new 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, Earl won a few rounds during the race, beginning our winning racing heritage. Known for always having a cigar in his mouth, Earl earned the nickname “Cigar Earl.” Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Earl quickly became known as one of the best and most successful Chevy 348 and 409 engine builders and racers, going undefeated in North Carolina Junior Stock competition with his 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air Station wagon in the E/Stock classification. Earl went on to win countless Junior Stock, Stock, and Super Stock races in his 50 year career, before retiring in the mid-2000s. Second Generation driver Curtis Smith, Earl’s son, started racing when he was 16. Curtis was runner-up in his first ever IHRA National Event that he competed in and quickly became successful on the national tour. Curtis won 17 IHRA and NHRA National Events in his career, making him the All Time Winningest IHRA Stock Eliminator driver in history. Curtis won the second most prestigious race in the country in 1984, winning the NHRA Summer Nationals in Stock Eliminator. In 1985, Curtis made history becoming the first IHRA Sportsman driver to win 3 national events in a row. In 1996, Curtis brought home the IHRA Stock Eliminator World Championship. In 2012, Curtis was recognized for his outstanding achievements in drag racing by being inducted into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame. In 2014, Curtis was also inducted into the East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame. Curtis currently runs on a limited schedule in NHRA Stock Eliminator. Third Generation driver Curt Smith Jr., Curtis’ son, started racing in 2010. Driving his father’s Stock Eliminator 1967 Chevy Camaro, Curt Jr. finished in the top 10 Carolina Class Racers Association (CCRA) season points championship in 2013. is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and works with the Deacon Jones Automotive Group. currently campaigns a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro in NHRA Stock Eliminator. In 2018, the Smith family will celebrate their 61st year of NHRA racing.
