Lisa Smokstad

Last updated
Lisa Smokstad
Born
Lisa Jones Smokstad

(1969-09-06) 6 September 1969 (age 55)
Shakopee, Minnesota
Alma mater University of Minnesota
OccupationTire specialist
Years active1996–present
Spouse
Craig Smokstad
​
(m. 1993)​

Lisa Jones Smokstad (born September 6, 1969) is an American tire specialist. She has been employed by multiple-champion NASCAR race car team Hendrick Motorsports since 1999, and has worked for various drivers.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Smokstad was born on September 6, 1969, in Shakopee, Minnesota. [1] She is the daughter of Ellis and Pat Jones. [2] Smokstad began participating in gymnastics and competed in the sport until her early teenage years. [1] She worked as a child advocate in Minnesota's courtrooms. [3] While enrolled at the University of Minnesota on a psychology course, [4] Smokstad found work doing concessions at Raceway Park in 1990 which she did during the weekends. [1] [5] The job was secured by one of her friends with whom she attended gymnastic class with. [6] Smokstad said in 2006 that she had not originally intended for an auto racing career: "When I went to college I didn't think I'd be dirty four days a week." [7] It was where she met her husband Craig, whom she married in 1993. [1] [5] She obtained the job as she was the only member of her family who could understand tire fractions. [3] In 1992, Smokstad graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in psychology. [1]

Career

In 1996, Smokstad began working as a tireperson for her brother-in-law who was competing in American Speed Association-sanctioned races. [8] She later overheard that race car driver Ken Schrader was planning to start a new short-track team and required a tire specialist. [5] [9] Smokstad and her husband accepted the position and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1996. When two race teams merged in 1999, she was required to look for a new job because Schrader wanted a tire specialist with more experience. He advised her not to send a résumé to Hendrick Motorsports because of her gender. [5] However, she was asked by Jack Sprague and his crew chief Dennis Conner to join Hendrick Motorsports as their tire specialist. [1] She began in the position in 1999. [4] That same year, he won the Craftsman Truck Series; the experience strengthened Smokstad's loyalty to team and garnered her admiration for its founder Rick Hendrick. [9]

She later worked with various drivers who raced for Hendrick Motorsports. [1] Smokstad coached a gymnastics team while not working in auto racing. [10] She gave birth to her daughter, RaElla, on August 30, 2007. [2] She and fellow crew member Zach Miller were awarded the Cup Series "Consistently Smooth" Tire Specialist Award in 2009. [11] Smokstad was promoted by Hendrick Motorsports in 2010 to focus on strategizing and tire testing. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hyde</span> NASCAR crew chief

Harry Hyde was a leading crew chief in NASCAR stock car racing in the 1960s through the 1980s, winning 56 races and 88 pole positions. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Bobby Isaac. He inspired the Harry Hogge character in the movie Days of Thunder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendrick Motorsports</span> American racecar team

Hendrick Motorsports is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All-Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 310 Cup Series races and 14 Cup Series owners and drivers championships to go with three Truck Series owners and drivers titles and one Xfinity Series drivers crown. Additionally, the team has 28 Xfinity Series race wins, 26 Truck Series race wins, and seven ARCA Menards Series race wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Evernham</span> NASCAR team owner

Raymond Donald Evernham Jr. is an American consultant for Hendrick Companies, formerly an auto racing crew chief for Bill Davis Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, owner of his own team Evernham Motorsports from 2001 to 2010, and analyst for ESPN's NASCAR coverage. A three time Winston Cup Series Champion with driver Jeff Gordon, in 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated "Person of the Year". Evernham was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Class of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Knaus</span> American NASCAR crew chief (born 1971)

Chad Anthony Knaus is an American former NASCAR crew chief. He is currently employed at Hendrick Motorsports as the Vice President of Competition. Knaus has 81 victories as Jimmie Johnson's crew chief and is the only NASCAR crew chief to win five consecutive championships. He has worked in NASCAR since 1991. Over this time, he has worked for four teams: Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Melling Racing, Tyler Jet Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports. He has been a crew chief in NASCAR for 19 years and is considered to be one of the greatest NASCAR crew chiefs of all-time. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 19, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Eury Jr.</span> NASCAR crew chief

Anthony Eury Jr. is an American professional stock car racing crew chief who works for The Money Team Racing as the crew chief of their No. 50 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series, driven by Conor Daly. He is also the co-owner of Fury Race Cars, a prominent chassis builder in late model racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Tums QuikPak 500</span> Motor car race

The 2008 Tums QuikPak 500 was the thirty-second stock car race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and started off the second half of the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup. The 500-lap, 263-mile (423 km) event, the only race on the Chase that was held on a short track, was held on October 19 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. ABC carried the race beginning at 1 pm US EDT and MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage starting at 12:45 pm US EDT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Start and park</span> Term used to describe the practice of starting races but parking after a few laps

Start and park is a term used in auto racing, particularly in NASCAR-sanctioned races, to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear and tear, and hiring a pit crew. The practice has existed due to the relatively high purse for even a back-of-the-pack finish, as well as the high costs of fielding a car for an entire race. While start-and-park entries occasionally act as "field fillers", the practice is criticized in instances when they take spots away from teams intending to run the full race.

The NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge is an event held by NASCAR during All-Star race weekend. The event was an exhibition pit stop contest featuring the top teams from the Sprint Cup Series. The event was cancelled for 2013 due to lack of sponsorship. The event is due to be revived during the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Gustafson</span> NASCAR crew chief

Alan Arthur Gustafson is an American NASCAR Cup Series crew chief who works for Hendrick Motorsports as the crew chief of their No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Cup Series. He and Elliott won the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Bowman</span> American racing driver (born 1993)

Alexander Michael Warren Bowman is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro for the same team. He owns a Dirt Midget and Sprint car racing team Alex Bowman Racing. He is known for a record six consecutive front-row starts in the Daytona 500, from 2018 to 2023, winning the pole in 2018, 2021, and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venturini Motorsports</span> American stock car racing team

Venturini Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West. Founded in 1982 by Bill Venturini Sr., Venturini Motorsports is the longest continually operated ARCA racing team in the United States. The team is based in Concord, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 67th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 67th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 44th modern-era Cup season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race, the Budweiser Duels, and the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Busch won the championship, despite missing the first third of the season due to severe leg injuries suffered in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona. Busch also became the first Toyota driver to win a Cup championship. Despite not running the full season, Brett Moffitt was named Rookie of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaitlyn Vincie</span> American sports presenter and journalist (born 1987)

Kaitlyn Anne Vincie is an American sports presenter and journalist. She works for the Fox NASCAR team as a reporter and presents in their daily news and update show NASCAR Race Hub. Vincie's interest in stock car racing began when she was issued with a pit lane pass, and after graduation from Christopher Newport University, she worked as a reporter at Langley Speedway. She garnered attention after self-made video blogs on NASCAR were published on stock car racing website SceneDaily.

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series era was the period of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) from 1971 to 2003. In 1971, NASCAR leased its naming rights to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company who named the series after its premier brand "Winston". The series was referred to as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from that point forward. Many view the changes that resulted from RJR's involvement in the series as well as from the reduction in schedule from 48 to 31 races per year established 1972 as a time in which NASCAR entered the "modern era" of spectator sports. During this era, NASCAR experienced a significant rise in popularity that persisted until Winston left the sport after the 2003 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendrick Motorsports Car No. 24</span> Iconic NASCAR racecar

The Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 car is a NASCAR Cup Series team that has been active since 1992. The team began with driver Jeff Gordon, who spent his entire full-time career behind the wheel of the No. 24. Gordon won 93 points-paying races, the most of any driver in NASCAR's modern era, and four series championships before retiring from full-time racing in 2015. The No. 24 was driven by Chase Elliott in 2016 and 2017; Elliott earned a spot in the NASCAR playoffs both seasons but failed to win a points-paying race. Since 2018, the No. 24 has been driven by William Byron. Gordon, Elliott and Byron each earned Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors while using the No. 24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series</span> 2020 motorsports season

The 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series was the 26th season of the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in North America. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the NextEra Energy 250 on February 14. The regular season ended with the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on September 10. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 6, where Sheldon Creed won the championship over his teammates Zane Smith and Brett Moffitt in a 1-2-3 sweep for GMS Racing in the standings. ThorSport Racing driver Grant Enfinger finished fourth in the standings, the other driver to advance to the Championship 4. Austin Hill won the regular season championship and was the points leader for most of the season, but failed to advance to the Championship 4 and finished 6th in the standings.

Diane Holl is a British engineer who has worked in Formula One, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and NASCAR. She is employed at the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team as director of vehicle engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Daniels</span> NASCAR crew chief

Clifton Oliver Daniels is an American crew chief who works for Hendrick Motorsports as the crew chief of their No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series driven by Kyle Larson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 73rd season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, where it was the first year that the non-points event was run on the track's road course layout instead of the oval. That race was followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, the first points race of the season. The regular season also ended at Daytona with the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28, where Kyle Larson won the Regular Season Championship. Following the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, Chevrolet claimed its 40th Manufacturer's Championship and its first since 2015. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 7 with Larson earning his first Cup Series championship after a 10-win season.

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 310 Cup Series races and 14 Cup Series owners and drivers championships to go with three Truck Series owners and drivers titles and one Xfinity Series drivers crown. Additionally, the team has 28 Xfinity Series race wins, 26 Truck Series race wins, and 7 ARCA Menards Series wins. This page documents the statistical results of Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning with the team's debut in 1984.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Lisa Jones Smokstad" (PDF). The Henry Ford. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Births: Sobiech, Smokstad, Rhode, Danner, Fonder, Trujillo and Rathfelder". Shakopee Valley News. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Coble, Don (October 6, 2004). "Once unwelcome in the NASCAR garage, women now making an impact in racing". Peninsula Clarion. Morris News Service. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Gintonio, Jim (November 8, 2005). "Smokstad Helps Vickers Roll" . The Arizona Republic . p. C6. ProQuest   238669922 . Retrieved November 3, 2020– via ProQuest.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Fedechenko, Vera (March 28, 2005). "NASCAR tire specialist Lisa Smokstad holds her own in racing's 'good ol' boys' world". Tire Business. Vol. 22, no. 26. p. 10. Retrieved October 3, 2016– via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete.{{cite news}}: External link in |via= (help)
  6. ↑ Wheeler, Lonnie (July 14, 2001). "Racing Invades Sports Tire Management Key to Understanding" . The Cincinnati Post. Retrieved October 3, 2016– via Infotrac Newsstand.
  7. ↑ Parrish, Kathleen (July 23, 2006). "More women feeling the "need for speed'". The Morning Call. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  8. ↑ Lamb, Bob (July 28, 1996). "Pit crews keep drivers going" . La Crosse Tribune . p. B3. Retrieved November 3, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 "HMS Profile: Lisa Smokstad of Team Lowe's Racing". Hendrick Motorsports. May 20, 2004. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ Reusse, Patrick (February 8, 2005). ""Between the quotes"; A Tuesday notes column; Watkins is back in news" . Star Tribune. Retrieved October 3, 2016– via Infotrac Newsstand.
  11. ↑ "2009 Pit Crew News". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.