When the Sooner Late Models hit the track Saturday at Enid (Okla.) Speedway in the field will be a driver from Tasmania, Australia.

Brad Smith, a Late Model competitor from Down Under, is spending a couple of weeks stateside and looking for places to race.

“We just did three nights at Lucas Oil (Speedway) and at Springfield. We looked for other races and found Enid,” Smith said of how he located Enid Speedway. “We came over to do as much racing in a short period of time so I looked on DirtonDirt to see what was about and this was about the closest for us.”

Smith has been visiting Texas Late Model racer Morgan Bagley and will make his way to Enid from Longview, Texas.

“We have been over here for a couple of weeks,” Smith said. “I have a car over here and have been friends with Morgan Bagley for 10 years. We have bought several cars from him and have had them sent to Australia.

“Last year I mentioned to him about coming over and having a drive. He let me drive his backup car a few years back. I bought a car off of him and never took it back. So I flew here and did a little maintenance (so we could race).”

After racing at Enid on Saturday Smith will pack up two race cars and head back to Australia.

“On Tuesday we are going to put two cars in a shipping container with a bunch of parts and send everything back to Australia,” he said. “I will fly back home on Wednesday.”

Smith is use to shipping cars and parts halfway across the world.

“Everything we use in Australia comes from the U.S.,” Smith said. “We import stuff all the time. We air freight every week.”

Smith finds racing in the United States much different than what he is use to at home.

“It is another level,” explained Smith. “You don’t do as much racing in Australia. If you get in 22 or more nights in Australia you had a big year. That is the biggest difference, we don’t get enough track time in Australia. We don’t run a lot of long races.

“I came here wanting to make some Comp Cams (Super Dirt Series) races and we did that last year. We got awfully close at Springfield (this year) in the B-main when a car passed me and I missed the feature there.”

Back home Smith is a multitime champion.

“We run good at home,” said Smith, in his 37th racing season and heading for his 57th career track. “Over the last few years we have won seven or eight state titles. The hotbed of Late Model racing is in western Australia and I am in Tasmania so every time I want to go racing I have to either fly out or put the car on a ferry.” — John Rittenoure