RUMOR LAND WAS BUZZING
Rickie Smith’s name has probably spun a few
yarns in the rumor mill during the 2006 season and he’s ready for the attention
to move elsewhere.
Smith made a last minute decision to drive the
Humphrey Motorsports Pro Stocker at VMP and that only lasted a day. Rumors
suggested that the locked trailer all day Saturday was the result of a
confrontation with an NHRA official. The scuttlebutt was exactly that –
scuttlebutt.
“We ran our best run and we were still over .05 off the rest
of the field,” Smith said. “We just didn’t see any reason to keep beating the
stuff up. I told Humphrey it was fine because I could go run a Pro Modified
Quick Eight and that’s what I did.”
Smith did admit there was an interaction between himself and the NHRA officials
over a suspected oil leak on the car. The NHRA confirmed that Smith was
approached regarding a suspected oil leak.
Smith had his front-end pulled
on the top-end following a run and an official event paid a visit to the pit
area and conducted a thorough inspection underneath the car. He passed on all
counts.
“Well at least they’re talking about us,” Smith said with a
laugh.