Three-time and reigning NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle World Champion Matt Smith is excited to make four-wide history at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next week.
The 46-year-old from King, N.C., and his fellow Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors will be part of LVMS' spring event, the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, and also will run four-wide in Las Vegas for the first time ever April 5-7. Smith, who won world titles in 2007, 2013 and 2018, is looking forward to being part of the spectacle that is four-wide racing.
"I like the four-wide deal," who set a PSM speed record of 201.76 miles per hour in Gainesville, Fla., earlier this month. "When I explain it to people, I say it's like road course racing in NASCAR - it's just something different. I'm really glad Vegas did it, and I'm looking forward to coming out to the DENSO Nationals and racing there."
Smith is also looking forward to running in The Strip's spring event for the first time and said the first two rounds of qualifying will be important test sessions for his division.
"We've never been out there in the springtime, so we're not really sure what the weather's going to be like and if it's normally faster in the spring or the fall," Smith said. "It's going to be a new deal for the motorcycle class to go out there, and I'm sure the first two qualifying passes will be just learning some data about the air that we've never been in before."
Smith had fuel pump issues in Florida after setting the speed record and will enter the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals fifth in the PSM standings. PSM drivers will participate in an autograph session in the NHRA member hospitality area of the Strip Midway at 11 a.m. Pacific Time before their first qualifying session at 12:30 p.m.
Gates open for spectators each day at 7:30 a.m., with sportsman class racing beginning at 8 a.m. The event will be televised on FS1 from 6:30-8 p.m. on April 5 and from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. on April 7.
For tickets to any events at The Strip at LVMS, log on to LVMS.com or call 1-800-644-4444. Every ticket is a pit pass, and children 12 and under get in free to the general admission areas with a ticketed adult.