Ligonier native Garrett Smithley trying to climb stock car racing ranks

He's driven stock cars at the Bristol and Daytona speedways, once T-boning another car while he was going 100 mph.

But there is so much more to Garrett Smithley.

He also appeared on stage as Charlie Bucket in “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” and someday wants to appear on Broadway.

That's as far from dirt tracks, screeching tires and cars smashing into each other as a man can get. But if Broadway beckons ... “I think that would be pretty cool,” the Ligonier native and stock car racer said of his thespian aspirations.

He's only 25, so he will have plenty of time to do both. For now, Smithley's passion for stock car racing has overwhelmed his love for the theater.

It paid off last Saturday when he finished fifth at Daytona in the Power Shares QQQ 300. The race was run the day before the Daytona 500, another of Smithley's goals.

The schedule calls for 33 races through November. Next up for Smithley is the Rinnai 250 on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“(Racing) is my passion,” he said. “This is what I want to do in years to come.”

But he's proud of his theatrical past, too. At Macintosh High School in Peach Tree City, Ga., he had roles in “Alice In Wonderland,” “Footloose” and “The Diary of Ann Frank.” The productions once finished fourth in a statewide competition.

His goal is to put a Tony on his mantle while his bust appears in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Smithley, whose family moved from Ligonier to Virginia when he was 5 years old and settled in Georgia, said he initially was attracted to stock car racing as a 3-year-old when he joined his dad watching NASCAR on TV.

Growing up, he had other pursuits, including acting and baseball. But at 14, he was driving Bandolero cars, go-karts with 30-horsepower lawnmower engines.

When Smithley decided on stock car racing as a career goal, “My parents thought I was crazy,” he said.

But they have been supportive through the years, and he has been driving the Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports of Gaffney, S.C., for the past two years.

Smithley, who brought his car to the Fort Ligonier Days parade last year, never has been hurt, but stock car racing is an expensive profession in terms of money and risk. Tires cost $2,500 a set, he said, and his team invests between $60,000 and $70,000 per car every weekend there's a race.

Smithley said he spends part of his week cultivating sponsors and part of it getting ready to race.

“A lot of sweat equity,” he said.

Johnny Davis, owner and general manager of JD Motorsports, said Smithley is adept at the two skills most stock car drivers need: handling a car at triple-digit speeds and raising money.

“He seems to make all the right moves when it comes to drafting and getting around cars,” Davis said. “It's been his dream since childhood, and he has the talent to go along with it.”

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.