Meet Joel Smith
16-year-old racer from Temperance, Michigan — a driver who grew up wrenching, racing, and competing for everything he's earned.
A passion sparked on the farm
Joel Smith is a 16-year-old racer from Temperance, Michigan. His love for racing began early — starting with a Mini Cooper Power Wheels from his grandpa and watching NASCAR on TV.
He grew up on his family's 27-acre farm with go-karts, four-wheelers, and a dirt track his dad built with a tractor. That backyard became the proving ground for everything that came next.
“I'm just a small-town kid from Temperance, Michigan.”
From quarter midgets to the pro ranks
Joel started racing quarter midgets on dirt at Jackson Speedway when he was 8 years old, then moved into Bandoleros at 9, and later into Legend Cars at 12.
In 2021, his family sold their farm and moved to North Carolina so he could pursue racing full-time — a leap of faith that has shaped every chapter since.
