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December 22, 2002
3:27 PM EST (2027 GMT)
Louise Smith still has that twinkle in her eye when talking about the "good ol' days" of racing.
Known as racing's "Good ol' Gal," Smith experienced life to the fullest, trying her hand at the "good ol' boys," in NASCAR's fledgling days, and she's the first to admit she wishes she was still young enough to strap on a helmet and go fender-to-fender with NASCAR's best.
In an era when no one thought it possible for a lady to get behind the wheel of a race car Smith, a Greenville native proved everyone wrong. She was defiantly ahead of her time. She raced anything that had wheels, from Modifieds, to Sportsman cars and the Grand Nationals (now NASCAR Winston Cup). From 1946 through 1956, Smith was widely known throughout the racing world.
"I enjoyed every minute of it," Smith says of her career. "I traveled all over North America, racing everywhere I could, and I had fun with it. Didn't make a whole lot of money, but if I could do it again today, I'd do it, and I think I'd make it."
Those who knew her thought Smith was crazy. In the early years of NASCAR, Bill France Sr., NASCAR's founder, used Smith to promote races from the Southeast to Canada. She was a novelty and had talent.
Once when NASCAR was having a race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway -- her home track -- a gimmick was needed to promote the event. Someone suggested that woman driver -- Smith -- because she'd "outrun every highway patrol and lawman in Greenville." Thus, began her driving career.
"They told me if I saw a red flag to stop," remembers Smith. "They didn't say anything about the checkered flag. I wondered where all the cars were and then as I was all alone on the track, I noticed them all in the pits. They finally threw the red flag and I pulled in. I had finished third."
In her career, she captured 38 victories. In the mid-1970s she became involved in the sport again, sponsoring such drivers as Ronnie Thomas, Bobby Wawak and Larry Pearson. She remains involved in the sport today as part of the Miss Southern 500 Scholarship Pageant at Darlington Raceway.
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