July 8, 2013 - A Love of Sports Shifts One NASCAR Tech Graduate’s Career Options

Before attending NASCAR Tech Daniel Smith didn’t know anything about cars. Now, he’s changing tires for Tony Stewart.

Daniel Smith was born and raised in the heart of motorsports country - Charlotte, N.C. But unlike most in the racing-enthused hotbed, Smith wasn’t interested in anything automotive, especially working on cars.

Before attending the NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech) in Mooresville, N.C., at the age of 19, he couldn’t read a tape measure, didn’t know what a 9/16-inch wrench was and never could have imagined he’d be changing tires for Tony Stewart, the driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and 12-time championship winner.

Like a lot of young men and women coming out of high school, the future can be a vague thought. Smith thought he would follow the traditional education and career path by attending a four-year college before entering the workforce. He was accepted to East Carolina University and planned to attend classes in the fall of 2002. A glitch with class scheduling derailed his plans and sent him on path that would eventually lead him to NASCAR Tech.

“I was lost with what I wanted to do with my life,” said Smith. “A buddy I grew up with mentioned that he was going to attend the school and I didn’t think it sounded like a bad deal.” He decided to make the daily 30-mile drive to Mooresville, and never looked back. 

“NASCAR Tech was great. You learn just about everything,” said Smith. “The whole experience was awesome, especially for me. I knew absolutely nothing about cars before attending, and now I’m the rear tire changer for Tony Stewart.”

Smith’s success came with hours of hard work and sacrifice, though. During his first year at NASCAR Tech, he was invited to a tryout for what was then called Haas Racing.

With his natural athletic ability and expanding knowledge of automobiles, Haas Racing took a chance on the inexperienced Smith and offered him a part-time spot on the team. While he’s in the spotlight now, Smith remembers where he started.

“I didn’t have much experience, so I spent a lot of time in the shop,” said Smith. “I would start my day practicing tire changing, but the majority of the time I was washing and tearing down cars. It was basically the grunt work that nobody wants to do.”

When Smith graduated from NASCAR Tech in 2004, he had a full-time job lined up with Stewart-Haas Racing and his career in racing began to take off. Smith felt he and his fellow rookie pit crew members were lucky in the sense they had an opportunity to hone their skills outside of the spotlight.  He began pitting in the Busch and Sprint Cup Series, but the pressure was on after the arrival on Stewart.

“We didn’t have any big name drivers at first and we weren’t running that well, so nobody outside our camp cared,” said Smith. “Once Tony Stewart came over to Haas, I felt like we had something to prove. Some people didn’t think we would be able to maintain our change times.”  The critics were silenced when in 2011, Tony Stewart, the pit crew and Stewart-Haas Racing captured the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.

“That year especially, but even a couple before that, were the best years of my life,” said Smith. “We won five of the last ten chase races on our way to the championship. That has never been done before and will probably never be duplicated.”

Even after achieving great success on the track, Smith doesn’t believe pitting cars is the end of the road for him.

“I love changing tires and I’m going to do it for as long as I can, but I really want to be a farmer during the week and a pit crew guy on the weekend,” said Smith. “My wife and I want to start a family and I want to be there for them.”

For Smith, NASCAR Tech was a vital part of his career path. Nearly 10 years ago he knew nothing about cars, now he spends his Sundays at the world’s most famous tracks.

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