Carolina standout Buddy Smith dies
Former dirt racer Buddy Smith of Cherryville, N.C., who scored nearly 500 victories in Late Model-style cars from 1978-2009, died Thursday morning. He was 65.
The driver of the famed No. 08 captured championships at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. (1980, '81, '85, '90-92), Metrolina Speedway (1980 and '84) and Sugar Creek Speedway near Buffalo, S.C. (1980-82).
Smith was inducted into the Cherokee Speedway Hall of Fame in 2018 and is a member of the 2021 class of Carolina Speedway's Hall of Fame.
Smith's racing career started in 1976 on asphalt at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 1976 and his first victory came at Metrolina two seasons later. Among the biggest victories of his career was the 2000 Shrine Race at Carolina Speedway. His last victory on record came in Crate Late Model action in 2009 at East Lincoln Motor Speedway, the Stanley, N.C., track where he was the first-ever Late Model winner.
