{"id":99413,"date":"2025-03-11T20:18:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T20:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/tricky-rickie-smith-discusses-newly-secured-ja-service-sponsorship-2025-nhra-season\/"},"modified":"2025-03-11T20:18:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T20:18:21","slug":"tricky-rickie-smith-discusses-newly-secured-ja-service-sponsorship-2025-nhra-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/tricky-rickie-smith-discusses-newly-secured-ja-service-sponsorship-2025-nhra-season\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Tricky\u2019 Rickie Smith Discusses Newly Secured J&A Service Sponsorship, 2025 NHRA Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid the rainy backdrop of the 2025 NHRA Gatornationals, the future of drag racing legend \u201cTricky\u201d Rickie Smith took a bright turn with the announcement of his latest partnership. Thanks to the backing of Jim Whiteley and J&A Service, Smith will compete in the full 2025 NHRA Pro Mod season, extending his already historic career for another year.<\/p>\n

Smith, a multi-time NHRA and IHRA world champion, revealed that the deal came together after a casual conversation with Whiteley, where he mentioned his struggle to secure the necessary funding to continue racing. That conversation quickly turned into a commitment from Whiteley to keep Smith on the track.<\/p>\n

\u201cJim Whitley has been involved in drag racing for years, and he\u2019s always supported guys like me,\u201d said Smith. \u201cWe were just talking, and next thing I know, he told me to come see him the next morning. He asked if I was ready to do this deal, and I said, \u2018Well, you\u2019re the one who can make it happen!\u2019 And just like that, we put the pieces together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whiteley, a longtime supporter of Pro Mod racing, expressed his admiration for Smith\u2019s work ethic and determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last few years, we raced with Rickie in NHRA Pro Mod and some races outside of here, and he\u2019s always run hard,\u201d shared Whiteley in a YouTube video<\/a>. \u201cHe gets it done with himself and Chad [Hester] \u2013 a two-man wrecking crew. You know I\u2019m not a spring chicken either, and Rickie needs to stay out here, and if I can help him go out there and work on these kids, wear them out, and Rickie can do it. I have all the faith in the world, and by God that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the new deal in place, Smith\u2019s Parkway Ford Mustang will prominently feature J&A Service branding. While Smith has faced multiple moments in his career where he thought retirement was imminent, this latest development ensures fans will see him behind the wheel for another season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I ever really retired,\u201d Smith admitted, even though he last mentioned<\/a> retirement in 2022, then before that in 2016<\/a>, and then hinted at it in 2013. \u201cPeople keep putting this retirement talk on me. Yeah, I thought about it a couple times, especially when I almost sold my shop and rig a few years ago. But I love this sport too much to just walk away completely. As long as I have a car that can win and I can still compete, I\u2019m going to be out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith originally planned to run a limited five-race schedule in 2025, with Parkway Ford continuing its support as a longtime sponsor. However, with Whiteley\u2019s backing, he is now committed to competing in all 10 NHRA Pro Mod races this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Jim it wasn\u2019t that I didn\u2019t want to race, I just didn\u2019t have the money,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe stepped up, and now we\u2019re running the whole season. That means a lot to me, and I just want to thank him for believing in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Smith remains realistic about his goals but is eager to make an impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can just qualify strong, go some rounds, and maybe win a race or two, I\u2019ll be happy,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to win every race to be in contention for a championship\u2014you just need to be in the semis and finals consistently. That\u2019s my mindset going into this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith also emphasized that while he is still behind the wheel, he\u2019s slowly preparing for the next chapter. He plans to continue mentoring other racers, including Tim Molinari and Billy Albert, and is easing out of full-time competition over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had two race cars since 1988, and now I\u2019m finally down to one,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m eventually weaning myself out, but for now, I\u2019m still here and ready to race.\u201d<\/p>\n

With J&A Service stepping in to ensure Smith remains in NHRA competition, fans can look forward to seeing the winningest Pro Mod driver continue to leave his mark on the sport for at least one more season.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on March 11, 2025. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post \u2018Tricky\u2019 Rickie Smith Discusses Newly Secured J&A Service Sponsorship, 2025 NHRA Season<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amid the rainy backdrop of the 2025 NHRA Gatornationals, the future of drag racing legend \u201cTricky\u201d Rickie Smith took a bright turn with the announcement of his latest partnership. Thanks to the backing of Jim Whiteley and J&A Service, Smith will compete in the full 2025 NHRA Pro Mod season, extending his already historic career […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99413\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}