Matt Smith Racing
Victory Gunner ace Matt Smith hopes to end 2016 with a flourish
POMONA, CA – The best way to end the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is with a championship. 
While that won’t happen for Victory Motorcycle racer Matt Smith, he can close out the year the next best way: By winning the historic 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Smith, a two-time world champion, hasn’t had the season he expected when 2016 began, as myriad issues and just plain poor luck has kept him from winning a race aboard his Victory Gunner.
“Our morale has been down some this year,” Smith said. “We’ve had good power, but we’ve had so many unlucky breaks. One race could change all that, and we ran pretty good in Vegas, so running good in Pomona would be the best way to go into the off-season.”
Holeshot gives Victory Motorcycles’ Angie Smith her first round win of 2016
LAS VEGAS – Victory Motorcycles racer Angie Smith celebrated her first-round victory at the NHRA Toyota 
Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway like she had won the race.
But no one could blame her, for that was her first round win of the season and her first since Norwalk last July.
“I’ve been thinking for like 18 months that the win light was burned out, that it didn’t work anymore,” Smith said with a smile. “I was really, really happy at the other end of the track. I just wanted to go out there and do my job, shift on time, have a good light and whatever happened, happened, and that’s the mentality I went out there with.
Victory Motorcycle’s Matt Smith gets some luck in Vegas, reaches semifinals
LAS VEGAS – All Victory Motorcycles racer Matt Smith wanted was the absence of bad luck. That finally happened 
at the NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Smith took his Victory Gunner to the semifinal.
Smith has had a powerful Gunner in 2016, but various issues and misfortunes have hampered him this season. This weekend, though, Smith had smooth sailing, qualifying No. 4 and racing to his second semifinal of the season.
“Got a little luck in Vegas,” Smith said, “and hopefully we will transfer that luck on to Pomona.”
Matt Smith hopes V is for victory with his Victory Motorcycle in Vegas
LAS VEGAS – Victory Motorcycles racer Matt Smith racer dressed as the main character in the movie V for Vendetta 
before the final qualifying session of the NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
But he hopes V stands for victory for his Victory Gunner on Sunday.
“We’ll see if we can take a V tomorrow and get a Wally,” Smith said with a smile.
Smith has been solid and consistent this weekend, qualifying No. 4 with a pass of 6.965 seconds at 191.21 mph. And that run came in the final qualifying session, when he moved up from the
No. 6 spot.
Victory’s Angie Smith thrilled with qualifying effort in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – The way Angie Smith and her Victory Motorcycle Gunner have performed in the NHRA Toyota 
Nationals this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she’s ready to restart her 2016 season.
Smith matched her best qualifying effort of the season, and she’ll start final eliminations on Sunday from the No. 11 spot.
“I wish it was Gainesville,” Smith said, referring to the traditional season-opener. “I wish we could rewind this.”
Smith’s Gunner made a pass of 7.003 seconds at 187.29 mph in the third qualifying session for her best pass of the weekend.
Promising test results have Angie Smith excited to race in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – Victory Motorcycles racer Angie Smith was in such a big hurry to get to Las Vegas that she got there 
last week.
Smith and her Matt Smith Racing team drove straight to Vegas from the race in Dallas last week in preparation for a much-needed test at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of the NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend.
And after finding success in that test, Smith is in a hurry to get back.
“I’m really excited about going to Vegas,” Smith said. “Now, I have 100 percent confidence in the motorcycle. When you don’t have confidence in what you’re driving, that plays a big part in how you do. I’m really excited.”
Victory Motorcycles ace Matt Smith looking for a change of luck in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – If there is a good place for anyone to turn around their luck, it’s Las Vegas. And that’s exactly what 
Victory Motorcycles racer Matt Smith hopes to do in the NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Smith is a two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion who rides a powerful Victory Gunner. But misfortune has kept him out of the winner’s circle in 2016 – so far.
“I like to gamble,” Smith said. “We really need to throw some lucky dice in Vegas. We’ve got to pull all the cards out and do the best we can. We’ve got two races left to try and win. We need to go some rounds.
Perfection achieved: .000 light propels Matt Smith to Round 1 win in Dallas
DALLAS – Victory Motorcycles racer Matt Smith was sharp during final eliminations of the AAA Texas NHRA 
FallNationals Sunday at Texas Motorplex, but he couldn’t get his Gunner past the second round.
Smith had a perfect reaction time in the first round and an excellent light in the second, but No. 1 qualifier Jerry Savoie ended Smith’s day in that session with a slightly quicker ET.
In the first round against No. 8 qualifier Cory Reed, Smith ripped off a perfect .000-second reaction time, with Reed posting a terrific .013 light hiumself. Smith then outran Reed with a pass of 6.893 seconds at 194.35 mph, compared to Reed’s 6.926-second pass at 190.43 mph.
Consistent Victory Motorcycle could lead to big day for Matt Smith
DALLAS – Victory Motorcycles racer Matt Smith brings a consistent Gunner to final eliminations for the AAA Texas 
FallNationals on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.
Smith had a bracket bike for the first three qualifying sessions here, with his best run of 6.879 seconds at 193.46 mph snaring the No. 9 spot. His two other runs were close behind: 6.886 seconds at 6.887 seconds.
“We were pretty consistent in the first, second and third qualifying passes: .88, .87, .88. We’ve got a pretty consistent bike.”
Smith was going for more in the final qualifying session, using his tuneup from earlier this year in Chicago when he qualified No. 1. But, mysteriously, it didn’t work.
Victory Motorcycle pro Angie Smith arrives in Texas with a spring in her step
DALLAS – Angie Smith admits that 2016 hasn’t been her best year in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class but with this 
weekend’s 31st annual AAA Texas NHRA Fallnationals quickly approaching, the former national event winner is confident good things are on the horizon.
“We have finally figured out what’s been holding us back,” Smith said. “Matt (Smith, husband, teammate and crew chief) tested on my bike just before the last NHRA race in Reading (Pa.) and he felt something just kind of choking the bike’s horsepower. We ended up changing out the entire fuel system and it made an immediate impact.
