Teenager Smith gets Busch ride.

Nineteen year old Regan Smith will contest this year's NASCAR Busch Series with Bost Motorsports beginning this weekend at the North Carolina Speedway despite the lack of a primary sponsor.

Smith, who started racing at the age of four, is another of the new breed of young drivers moving into NASCAR with extensive racing experience acquired at an early age.

Danny Bost, a Concord, NC based land developer, co-owned the team last year but took over as sole owner January 1, 2003. Bost is excited about the future of Bost Motorsports and his new driver.

"Regan Smith is only nineteen years old but has been racing for fifteen years," he said. "He has proven himself at every level of competition to date," said Bost. "He has been a national champion in the World Karting Association and the Allison Legacy Series. He has competed in the Hooters ProCup Series, Craftsman Truck Series and made his Busch Series debut last year. Regan Smith is a racer and I am excited to see what we can do together."

"We are an unsponsored team looking for sponsorship, but are committed to running the full Busch Series schedule this year. We feel that we have a talented team that will prove to be a bargain and great opportunity for a company looking to take advantage of the national television exposure available in the number two racing series in the United States," Bost continued. Since Smith has not competed in a Busch Series race on a Superspeedway he was not eligible to run in the first Busch Series race at Daytona. Busch Series veteran Jeff Fuller drove for the team there finishing 24th.

Regan Smith started racing in go-karts when he was four years old. He was a regional champion at age six in 1989. He raced go-karts through 1998 winning numerous championships in the World Karting Association and ended his kart career driving for the factory team of Birel USA and Birel Italy with well-known team owner Enzo Chiovittii. In 1999 he moved to the Allison Legacy Series to start his stock car education and he was both Rookie of the Year and National Champion. Then it was the Hooter's ProCup Series for 2000 and 2001, winning many poles and many Top Five finishes. He ran Craftsman Trucks for two races in 2002 and made his Busch Series debut qualifying fifteenth at Memphis.

"This Busch Series opportunity is what I have been working towards," said Regan Smith. "This is a quality team with dedicated ownership. We have a knowledgeable crew chief and first class equipment. There isn't much more a young driver could ask for. My expectations for the year are realistic, I just want to earn the respect of the other drivers and gain the experience I need to be able to compete with them for victories in the future."