TMC Partners with Sammy Smith
on Wednesday, May 11, 2022
in
Company News
TMC Transportation has a longstanding presence in the racing world, thanks to Founder Harrold Annett’s passion for motorsports. The black and gold TMC colors first donned a racecar in the late ’70s on Mike Brook’s No. 12.
In 2005, Mr. Annett’s son, Michael, took to the track with TMC’s support, finding his footing in the ARCA Racing Series. To support Michael’s racing endeavors, Mr. Annett turned to Kurt Smith and his team at Rising Star Management Group (RSMG) to help manage the TMC Racing program. Mr. Annett first met Kurt when Kurt was a teenager, working for him in a local bike shop before he became a TMC employee.
Alongside supporting Michael’s career, Mr. Annett and TMC took an interest in Kurt’s son – Sammy Smith – who found himself starting to race go-karts at the age of 8.
Sammy started racing at local tracks throughout Iowa, rising through the ranks of go-karts and legends cars before moving to Late Model racing in 2019. Now at age 17, Smith has found success at all levels of competition that he has reached, taking TMC to Victory Lane on numerous occasions. In 2021, Smith earned the title of ARCA Menards Series East Champion, with three wins and seven top-5s in eight races.
With Michael Annett retiring after 14 years at the top levels of NASCAR, TMC Transportation is excited to continue their support of Sammy Smith as he climbs the ranks in the motorsport world. In 2022, Sammy will compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series as well as in select Super Late Model races.
Fans can watch for the #18 TMC Transportation Toyota driven by Sammy throughout the 2022 ARCA Menards race season.
Q&A With Sammy Smith
When did you first start racing?
I started racing when I was 8 years old and remember Harrold taking me to the go-kart track teaching me a lot and having a lot of fun.
Did you follow Michael Annett’s career closely? Do you have any memories with Michael?
Yes, I did! I used to go to a bunch of his races and really have a lot of good memories, one that I remember well is when he won at Daytona in 2019. I was there and got to share his win in victory lane with him!
On race day do you follow a routine closely, and do you have any superstitions?
No, I don’t really have a routine or superstitions. I just try to prepare myself as best as I can for the race coming up and eat healthy before the race.
Do you have any specific goals for this season or your career in racing?
I set a goal to win 12 ARCA races, but I am obviously going to try my hardest every single race and try to win no matter what.
What does it mean to you to carry the TMC colors on your racecar?
It means a lot. I’m super proud to represent TMC on the car with its sprint car history and how successful it was. Also, growing up with Harrold and having him teach me a lot, help me get started, and sponsor my first go-kart adds to that.