2008 United States Indoor Karting Championship SRD/KartRaceArt.com Team

Steve Pepka: Steve is an accomplished indoor kart racer. He has won the Sykart Indoor Racing Indoor league pro-light championship in 2008 Fall, 2008 Winter, and 2007 Fall series. Steve finished 5th in the US standing, 18th in the world in his first IKWC last year in Phoenix. In 2008 he has finished 2nd overall at 12 hours of Dromo (w/ BSH Racing Team). He has won team championships for 2008 SIRs Winter and 2007 SIRs Fall Season with Tony Hana. Steve held the record at Sykart for some time until just recently, and now sits 2nd overall. Certainly helping anchor the SRD/kartraceart.com team, Steve will be one of the front runners for sure.

Adam Kellerman: Adam is the man who bumped Steve off the top spot in Sykart lap record. Having a solid SIRS season until a couple weeks ago, Adam hurt his back in an unrelated incident, and was forced to miss two rounds of the championship season. Even with this, Adam finished 3rd in the P1 championship for 2008 Fall season. Mike has ran outdoor kart racing with Adam this last year, and had to opportunity to watch him over the last several years growing as a driver. The USIKC is an opportunity for everyone to see just how good this kid is.

Chris Naficy: Chris just won the Sykart Indoor Racing League GT2 class championship and the highest ranking rookie honors for the 2008 Fall SIRs season. This summer he placed 7th overall in the Oregon Indoor Karting Challenge (OIKC). Chris has been consistently improving his race craft, he has been building on his strengths this SIRs season, and really looks comfortable behind the wheel.

Dave Fox: Dave is just coming off the 2008 Fall Sykart Indoor Kart Racing league with a 2nd place finish in the championship for P1 and 5th place for P1. A very consistent and smooth driver, big mistakes don't come out of this guy, and he is able to score big points week-in and week-out. On top of that, as a pilot he has been able to perform well on limited energy, frequently missing out on practice, and sleep for that matter. With the ability to fully focus during the USIKC, Dave will be even stronger than what he has shown already.

Garron Selliken: Garron has really impressed lately, taking 2nd in the 2008 Fall Sykart Indoor Racing championship. The speed is of course there, but what has been really impressive has been his pace late in the race. While other drivers a falling off, Garron seemingly catches a second wind, swallowing up opponents in quick succession. In the long races at the USIKC this will prove to be invaluable, especially with the late race attrition seen in the hour, and 1.5 hour races.

Scott Gaarde: Scott raced in the hotly contested GT2 class in the Sykart Indoor Racing league 2008 Fall season placing 5th overall and 9th overall in the rookie standings. This has been a tough season for the rookie, falling victim to some unlucky situations. Still, he was able to stay in the title hunt, staying towards the sharp end of the field nearly in every race. Running for team Winslow Racing, he has helped them to the Team Championship for the 2008 Fall season.

Joseph Criscione: Joseph has been a SRD development driver for the past year. Winning the Sykart Indoor Racing League GT1 title in his rookie season (2007 Fall) and following up with a 3rd place in the 2008 Fall Season. He has been a podium contender every outing. He has been the Junior category champion in the 2007 Fall and 2008 Fall SIRs seasons. At only 13 years of age (turns 14 in Mar), Joseph has a long career in front of him, and will grow even stronger as a driver after the USIKC. Smooth and consistent, Joseph will sure to surprise at this year's event.

Mike Smith: Founder of Smith Racing Development (SRD) and Lead Driver. Consecutively ranked # 1 American Indoor Driver in 2007 and 2008 and currently ranked 6th in world standings (Heavy Class - IKWC). In 2008 he has finished 2nd overall in the OIKC (Oregon Indoor Karting Challenge), 3rd overall in the 24 hours of Charlotte (w/ Team NAFTA), 2nd overall at 12 hours of Dromo (w/ BSH Racing Team). He was won the Hub City Grand Prix in the World Formula Light class and won the "Hero's Journey" charity kart race put on by the Jeff Gordon foundation, besting NASCAR Champ Jeff Gordon in the process.
About SRD: SRD provides Indoor karting facility, track design, and indoor racing league consulting. In addition, SRD provides Driver Coaching. Mike has the ability to transfer that knowledge to a student from a winner's perspective, and it is done in such a way that you feel the foundation that he has based SRD on; passion, knowledge, experience, and a desire to help you succeed. Teaching anything from fundamental basics, to advanced race craft; Mike can help any driver improve on where they are now, no matter the age or experience. www.SmithRacingDevelopment.com http://www.SmithRacingDevelopment.com

About SRD: SRD provides Indoor karting facility, track
design, and indoor racing league consulting. In addition,
SRD provides Driver Coaching. Mike has the ability to
transfer that knowledge to a student from a winner's perspective, and it is done in such a way that you feel the foundation that he has based SRD on; passion, knowledge, experience, and a desire to help you succeed. Teaching anything from fundamental basics, to advanced race craft; Mike can help any driver improve on where they are now, no matter the age or experience. www.SmithRacingDevelopment.com

Tony Hana: Tony has won the Pro-Heavy and GT3 class championship in the Sykart Indoor Racing League 2008 Winter series. Also he won the 2008 Oregon Indoor Karting Challenge (OIKC) championship this year. In the prior year he was 2nd in the championship for the 2007 Winter Pro-heavy class and 1st in the championship for the 2007 Fall Pro-Heavy class. Tony also won the coveted "Star of the Series" award for his domination of the Pro-Heavy 2007 Fall SIRs.