NASCAR Cup Series

Drive for Diversity profile: Jonathan Smith

Published Jan. 22, 2009 7:31 p.m. ET

foxsports

Team Owner: Fadden Racing Inc.

Hometown: Beacon Falls, Conn.

Years in Racing: 16

Date Of Birth: 11/3/86

Jonathan Smith, 22, started his career on two wheels Â¿ racing dirt bikes and BMX bikes Â¿ before making the transition to go-kart racing when he was 14. Smith has successfully moved up the racing ladder, moving from karting to NASCAR's developmental series in just a few short years.

Smith's first venture into stock car racing came in 2006, when he began racing late models at Stafford Motor Speedway. In his first year of competition, Smith won two heat races, earned three top-10 finishes and finished second in the rookie of the year points standings.

Following his first season of late model competition, Smith was invited to attend the 2006 Drive for Diversity Testing & Evaluation Combine. Smith's performance at the Combine earned him a spot in the 2007 Drive for Diversity class. Smith finished 17th in the points standings as driver of the Motion Racing No. 5 Kodak Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Series East.

In 2008, Smith was back at it again for the second time in the Drive for Diversity program. He had 13 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Series East and finished the season in 19th place.

For the third year in a row, Smith was invited to the 2008 Drive for Diversity testing & Evaluation Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. Once again, his performance at the Combine earned him a spot in the 2009 Drive for Diversity class. He will drive for Fadden Racing Inc. in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East.

Away from the race track, Smith, installs home theatre and security systems. His favorite track is Iowa Speedway, and he enjoys skiing, snowboarding, ATVs, and snowmobiling.