OXFORD – Oxford native Rusty Smith completed the most successful season of his near 20-year career, earlier this month with a top-10 finish at the prestigious John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, North Carolina.

“It’s probably the top modified race on the East Coast,” Smith said. “The teams that race there, money is no object. I bet there was at least 20 guys who all they do is race cars. And we ran with them all day. Tenth-place is not what we would consider our normal standard, but it was the most competition we’ve ever seen, and we proved we could run with those guys.”

Smith, sponsored by Blueox Energy Products, Al Smith Rigging, and Rainsoft Water Treatment of Binghamton, was coming off his second career track championship winning the Mountain Speedway title and the Pennsylvania Series Championship in October. In the 150-lap season finale, he grabbed the lead in the final 30 laps, and cruised to his eighth win. The $4,000 payday also matched the best of his career.