One of Brad Smith’s favorite quotes is that “luck is where opportunity and preparation meet.”

Unfortunately, bad luck is something else altogether. The owner/driver of the No. 26 Ford was injured Thursday when his ride caught fire during his qualifying run at Talladega Superspeedway. He spent two nights at the Medical Center at the University of Alabama in Birmingham before beginning his trip back to Michigan Saturday morning.

So Team 26 had a 38th place provisional starting spot for Saturday’s Food World 300, but they had neither a car nor a driver for the event. What do you do in a case like that? You find someone who has both. Wisconsin native Paul Menard, who was fastest in Thursday’s qualifying session, found his time disallowed when his rear quarter panel didn’t pass inspection. His car owner, Andy Petree, didn’t have enough points for a provisional, as the team had run only three other ARCA events this season. Putting Menard in the 26 for Saturday’s race was a case of both teams involved taking the lemons that were handed to them and making lemonade. The 26 would get the owner’s points for the event, as well as a little extra exposure for the team. Menard, who originally didn’t plan on running at the 2.66-mile oval, would get the experience he needs as he prepares to run a full season of NASCAR Busch Series competition next year. It proved to be a real win-win situation when Menard was able to hold off Billy Venturini to win-win the race!

The next event is the Easy Care 150 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on October 9.

Stay tuned to BradSmithMotorsports.com for further updates, and thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers over the weekend. Brad, his family, and the team all appreciate your support!