Smith Continues to Face Learning Curve in Fontana

Looks to veteran crew chief for guidance

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 20, 2008) – Regan Smith heads into Sunday’s Sprint Cup event continuing to fight the learning curve that comes with being a 2008 Rookie of the Year candidate.

With just seven Cup starts in his career, the 24-year-old driver is beginning to encounter tracks where he has few, if any, miles under his belt – including California Speedway, the site of this weekend’s Auto Club 500.

“Other than running some Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series races, that’s really about all the track time that I have at Fontana,” Smith said. “That’s why the test there was so important for us. I needed to know what the current car felt like there.”

Smith does have one advantage going into the 250-lap, 500-mile event – a veteran crew chief with an excellent history at the two-mile D-shaped oval.

“Races like this are where (crew chief) Doug Richert’s experience helps me a lot,” Smith said. “He’s got a wealth of information on every track and he’s very good at giving me the feedback that I need to be a better driver.”

Richert’s record in Fontana includes a 2005 victory with driver Greg Biffle. He also has two runner-up finishes (Sept. 2005, Feb. 2006) and two top-10 results (Feb. 2007, Sept. 2007).

“I think our communication level is getting better every week,” Smith added. “It’s fun working with a guy who has been in the sport as long as he has.  I think if we can stay out of trouble and be around at the end we’ll have a pretty good finish.  If we can do that, we’ll all be happy.”

Sunday’s Auto Club 500 will be broadcast live on FOX this Sunday beginning at 3:30 pm ET, 12:30 PT.