| ABOUT
US About Darryl Smith I first started going to drag racing events with my brother Robert in 1974. He owned and drove a '68 Camaro and a '49 injected Anglia owned by my father. In 1975, with the help of chassis craftsman Fran Diebold, he built his dream car, an NHRA Pro Stock Vega. I was now traveling with Robert and my brother-in-law Bob Shawcross to many tracks in our part of the country. Shawcross was an orginal Thunderbolt owner who also did induction work on a Ford Pro Stock car driven by a now famous chassis builder. My older brother Robert died of heart disease in the early 1980's, but I continued to follow the sport after high school. My professional start as an apprentice racecar builder was given to me by Jerry Haas Race Cars. In 1988, the highlight of that program for myself was participating in the construction of the Probe Bob Glidden won his last championship with in 1989! After Haas, I went on to other programs learning the craft of racecar engineering, design, construction and aerodynamic packaging. At HI-TEK Racecars, former shop foreman for Jerry Haas, Gary Hajek Jr. accelerated my learning curve more than any other single individual. Had Gary not been cheated by an early death, I believe I would still be working with him today. Along with his many amazing talents, he was the person who welded up the chassis that Bob Glidden barrel rolled more than five times. Bob jumped out of his wrecked Thunderbird to cover intake manifold with his driving jacket before anyone could see it. I believe I carry on Hajek's passion for quality and the ethic that unless you're doing it the best possible way, its not good enough. I then went to work for Jerry Bickel and accomplished quite a lot for myself as well as for his program. One highlight includes the Aero packaging on the first '93 Firebird built for Jim Yates which set records in the tunnel at .213 cd (w/boundry layer covered). This record stood for a few years before the body molds were changed to accomplish better numbers. I also played a large part in designing the 7.5 degree lay back main hoop and tail section design that continued to be built into the next decade. During this time, I also worked part time for Steve Dishbein's Superior Race Cars, formerly one of the JHRC's longest term employees, who now works for Bickel last time I spoke to him. I consider one of the greatest compliments Bickel ever paid me was when he criticized me for making race car projects into "NASA PROJECTS" during a company meeting at the shop. He did try to retract that statement to me months later on the flight home from the record setting Pontiac/GM wind tunnel trip, acknowledging that my relentless pursuit for perfection was key to our success that day. From Bickel's I went on to sunny Arizona, which I doubt I will ever leave, to work for Tom Yancer Race Cars. After the first year, I was the race car shop foreman. The late '90s included a short tour of San Diego by way of Willie Rells Race Cars, returning to Yancer for another run. Two of my greatest accomplishments in the '90's were pioneering the concept of the 'NO BEND' near zero tolerance deflection chassis design on Bo Adam's Dodge, as well as coming up with the concept for the first 4-link system adjustable in 1/8" increments on a Pro Stock Ford Probe built for Darild Wurtz. About DSRC In 2003, my former employer and his staff gave me the encouragement to open DSRC. We have since worked many hours building the finest racecars produced in the Southwest. Passion for building top quality race cars at fair prices combined with one of the best educated race car builders (6 programs in 17 years, 4 world champion racecars, 37,000+ hours of racecar construction experience), has brought our program to the forefront in a very short amount of time. We believe that our commitment to quality, safety and precise engineering shows in everything we do. We look forward to meeting you at our shop and at the races. Should you see us at the track, feel free to introduce yourself so we can say hello and thank you for visiting our website and learning about our products and programs. |
 1968 Camaro  Anglia  Bob Smith Vega  Darryl helping Jerry Haas in 1975  HI-TEK Masterpiece  Darryl with Bob Glidden  Darryl, if only he knew then... |
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