Smith first explains that he “started driving different cars,” then the first few owner’s names start rolling off his tongue — Doug Howell, Chuck Merrill, LaVerne Nance — before he tips that in one season, 1986, he drove for 21 different car owners.
“We won quite a few, especially with the All Stars,” he recalled. “That got me a full-time Outlaws ride for ’87 in the Brewer No. 3x out of Amarillo, only they ran out of money by Knoxville, so I jumped into the Gil’s Drilling car from Arizona. It was crazy, but I was still making a good living.
“In ’89, I started with Galen Fox driving his Genesee Beer Wagon, even running a little USAC like the 4-Crown Nationals, but by mid-’91 that ended,” Smith noted. “I ran the Lindsey No. 2d for half a season, then finished out the year with 30 races for Jack Elden. When you’re young and not particular, you can drive anything. Now it takes me three races to get my seat where I want it.”
Starting in 1992, Smith spent three seasons in the Beaver Drill and Tool No. 12x and, he says, “Picked and chose our races and won a bunch of them.”
By ’95, Smith was wheeling the Bodkins No. 00, winning the first of two Brad Doty Classics, which he calls “two of my favorite wins.” Others on that list include the Gold Cup Race of Champions at California’s Silver Dollar Speedway and the sprint car portion of the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway. “That WoO win at Lawrenceburg in 2004 was really sweet,” Smith added.
When asked if he also ran a midget at Eldora, Smith shakes his head. “I’ve run a midget a total of three times,” he said. “I won in Australia, ran sixth one time at Winchester and then did the Chili Bowl last year.
“I went to Australia in the winter of 1982-’83 to run sprint cars and went for 22 years straight, then four or five different times after that. They’re good people down there and they treat you great,” Smith continued. “I won their Grand Annual six times, which is one of my biggest accomplishments. They don’t have NASCAR or IndyCar down there, so sprint cars are a really big deal. If you can win the Grand Annual, you’re a hero.”
With a couple of exceptions, Smith has been on his own since he built his own chassis in 1995 and teamed with engine supplier John Baker.
“I took a little time off to run Denny Ashworth’s car for a while and in 2001 I drove for Guy Webb. That was an experience. I got a few wins but a year of him was all I could stand.
“Since then, I’ve been on my own. I’ve had fun doing it, we’ve had some good runs and won a bunch of races. I can’t afford to pay big bucks for veteran crew guys but I’ve got a great guy, Gary Andrews, with me now. He’s a retired trucker, so I don’t have to drive the hauler all the time.”
When asked to pick the best from the top Outlaws he raced against — Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell and Doug Wolfgang — Smith answers immediately.
“Steve was a grit your teeth and get the job done guy,” he explained. “Wolf was the most technical and he was great with a chassis. Sammy, I think, is the best driver/mechanic there has ever been. But overall, I think Steve was the best. When Karl (Kinser) hired him, they said it was between Steve and me but he got the ride. What a life changer.”
“Danny always made the best out of what he had,” reflected Swindell. “With a good car, he’d win. He knows his way around a race car.”
Kinser agreed, saying, “He was a good race car driver but seldom had top-notch stuff. I’ve heard the story a lot about he and I being considered for Karl’s car. One thing I know is that if he’d gotten it, life would have been a lot better for him. We grew up together and he’s been a good friend and a great racer over the years.”
Kinser speaks for the entire sprint car fraternity there!