WS: Moses Smith season preview

HASA DRIVER SMITH RETURNS TO BMR FOR SOPHOMORE SEASON IN NASCAR CAMPING WORLD SERIES

ANTELOPE, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2008) -- Moses Smith has a point to make.

Smith, a 31-year-old resident of Tempe, Ariz., has made the transition from road racer to stock car driver and he plans to punctuate that point by winning a race this year.

Smith returns to Bill McAnally Racing's NASCAR Camping World Series West effort as the driver of the Hasa Pool Products car. A road racer by training, Smith finished 12th in the standings last season, his first full season racing stock cars, and was fifth in the Rookie of the Year chase.

"I'm pretty excited about this season, for a lot of reasons," Smith said. "We have the best team and equipment in the series. I'm glad to have my crew chief, Duane Knorr, working on my car again this year. He was a big part of my improvement last year and that gives me a baseline to start with this year."

All three cars in the BMR stable will contend for the Camping World Series West title and team owner Bill McAnally expects great things from Smith.

"Moses returns for his sophomore season after paying his dues in 2007," said McAnally. "He really grew as a stock car racer last year and I expect him to have a breakout season in 2008. I look for him to win a race this year."

The 2008 NCWSW schedule includes two road courses -- Miller Motorsports Park in Utah and Infineon Raceway in California -- and Smith said he is especially optimistic about returning to those tracks.

"Those were our strongest tracks last year," Smith said. "I have a year under my belt with these Camping World Series West cars now and I'm coming back to tracks where I raced for the first time last year, both ovals and road courses. I have a better understanding of these cars now."

Hasa Pool Products has sponsored Smith's racing for seven years, dating to the time the California native raced in various road racing programs.

"The crews, drivers and equipment that we have in place are all of championship caliber," McAnally said.

-credit: bmr