THERE'S A THIRD-GEN IN THE SMITH-HARTMAN LEGACY

by Bobby Bennett; Photos by Roger Richards    Sat, 2021-05-01 17:15


Megan Smith didn't have much of a choice.

Both grandfathers raced at the highest levels of drag racing. Her Mom and Dad raced at one in nitro racing. As if this wasn't enough family peer pressure, two of her uncles raced nitro-burning race cars.

For Smith, one cannot pressure the willing.

Friday, the third-generation drag racer made her mark while racing an injected-nitro dragster in the Top Alcohol ranks. Ironically, she did so behind the wheel of a dragster that once served as one of her grandfather's drag racing school cars.

Her destiny was sealed the day she was born.

"I grew up in the sport with my mom and dad driving Top Fuel and I had like eight big brothers as crew guys," Smith said. "It's what I remember is going traveling around the circuit, so it's awesome."

Funny thing along the way to making her debut at the final NHRA Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta on Friday afternoon, Smith turned out to be a late bloomer in the driving department. Her focus in her youth was mainly as a stick and ball standout from T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, SC.

Smith played basketball and golf, but it was softball that stole her heart. A six-year letter for the 5A High School, her exploits as a catcher, were legendary on the diamond, even going as far as catching a high pop fly with her bare hand as coaches, teammates, and spectators looked on in awe.

Such exploits would easily gain a standout player a college scholarship.

Yes, and no.

In youth sports, the most fertile recruiting soil is found in travel sports, contested on the weekends, the same weekends as the drag races.

"I didn't do travel softball; I went to one college camp and that was their first question, 'What travel team were you on?" Smith recalled. "I'm like, 'I'm not on one. I play three sports and I just don't don't have the time to do it."

"I didn't mention drag racing, but that was really the reason."

Add in the fact, Smith's school of choice at the time, Clemson, didn't have a women's softball team, and essentially, the die was cast for her softball career to end when she graduated. And, this was just fine with her anyway.

"I went to a Frank Hawley School, did the Super Comp deal," Smith, a Clemson University graduate, said. "My grandpa, Virgil [Hartman], got a Super Comp dragster that I raced a little bit, not much. We also had a Top Dragster that we tested a few times. We finally had the time after school, after college to put the parts and pieces together to go out and get my license in the baby Gators."

It didn't take Smith long to realize Super Comp and Top Dragster weren't her thing, citing, "I'm not a big bracket racer fan, racing on an index and stuff, looking over all the time at the other guys. I just like going fast and this was the fastest thing we had."

When Smith set her sites on Top Alcohol Dragster, she did so without the slightest amount of intimidation or hesitation.

"I don't know if it was intimidating," Smith admitted. "It was just making sure I had all of the right controls and had everything where I needed it to be and making sure I did the procedure right. I've gone through it a million times in my head, so I felt pretty prepared for it."

Smith lined up against another third-gen driver with an equally impressive racing pedigree, Madison Payne.

Smith ended the day, tenth quickest with a planned shut-off 6.095 elapsed time, 231.83 mile per hour pass.

In the end, Smith was not overly excited or underwhelmed with the experience.

"In this family, it's just what we do, so I knew exactly what to expect," Smith said.

As Smith puts it, Friday was her destiny.

 

 

 

 
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