Matt Smith surprised himself — and probably some other Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers — Saturday evening when he jumped to the top of the starting lineup for Sunday’s Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.
“I didn’t believe it when they told me that I ran 6.923 (seconds at 190.89 mph),” said the driver of the Al-Anabi Racing V-Twin. “That was amazing. The bike went a little sideways and I was close to letting off when it straightened out.
“I made some changes to see if we could improve the rpm and get better 60-foot times, but I didn’t expect them to be that good. The track was in good condition after the (five-plus hour) rain delay and I was taking a shot at making a good run. I had nothing to lose.”
His best previous time was 7.043 seconds.
This was Smith’s second low-qualifier effort of the year and the 18th of his career. His first-round foe is Redell Harris (No. 14, 7.424 at 185.51).