Jimmy Smith, ORMHOF Class of 2024

Jimmy Smith – Competition, Industry

“Jimmy represents the very best our sport has to offer.” – Walker Evans

Jimmy Smith has contributed a great deal to the sport of off-road in the past forty years. He co-founded Ultra Wheel Company in 1984, and the company remains strong to this day, as one of the largest U.S. aftermarket wheel manufacturers. The Fullerton, California based company engineers, designs, produces and distributes wheels internationally. The company’s website credits Jimmy’s “aggressive passion for truck racing” as the core principle behind the company’s success in delivering strong, durable, championship quality wheels.

Jimmy first made a splash in the competition arena racing in Class 1, with 1991 being a banner year. He won the Parker 400, the SCORE and HDRA Overall Class 1 Championships, a Toyota Milestone Award, and was named the SCORE Person of the Year for Class 1.

In 1994 Jimmy organized his industry friends to start a fundraising group, Wheel Friends of Childhelp, supporting the efforts of Childhelp, a non-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. The group raised more than $2.25 million to support the organization’s efforts.

SCORE created the first Trophy Truck class in 1994, and Jimmy Smith took the title at the SCORE Baja 1000. That same year, Jimmy Smith and a group of off-road friends, including Hall of Fame inductees Frank ‘Scoop’ Vessels and Dick Landfield, approached NASCAR about putting trucks on an oval track and letting them race. They were told to build a truck before NASCAR would consider it.  A prototype truck was built, and Jimmy tested it on the track at Daytona Speedway. The Super Truck Series was born.

The first Super Truck Series (now Craftsman Truck Series) race was held in July of 1994 in Bakersfield, California.  The 20-lap race, which took just seven minutes to complete, was won by PJ Jones, son of ORMHOF inductee Parnelli Jones.  He received a whopping $900 in prize money, while the rest of the five-driver field, which included Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees Rob MacCachren and David Ashley, each received $800.  The purse for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol in 2024 was more than $750,000 for just one race.

Jimmy Smith’s Ultra Motorsports team won the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship and a total of 31 races in the truck series.

Off-road was still in Jimmy’s blood, and he raced the double-distance Baja 2000, bringing home the Truggy championship with Troy Herbst, son of ORMHOF inductee Jerry Herbst. Jimmy also enjoyed competing in the NORRA series, winning the NORRA Mexican 500 in 2013 and bringing home a podium finish at the 2016 NORRA Mexican 1000.

Since he retired from racing, Jimmy has sponsored many racers and teams, and continues his philanthropic ways by donating to many charitable organizations.

Ed, Tim, and Troy Herbst sent a letter to ORMHOF saying, “As a fellow Hall of Fame family, we know what a great honor it is to be part of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame legacy and we can’t think of anyone more deserving than Jimmy Smith.”

The ORMHOF Class of 2024, Ken Block, Marlin Czajkowski, Johnny Greaves, Jimmy Lewis, Rod Millen, Jon Nelson, Mike Pearlman, John Rettie, Jimmy Smith, Pete Sohren, Scott Steinberger, and Evelyn Tallman-Duceshi, will be inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame on November 3, the Sunday before The SEMA Show, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Tickets are now on sale for Off-Road's Biggest Night of the Year, the 2024 ORMHOF Induction & Awards Gala. A special room rate is available for Gala attendees at the South Point. 

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The mission of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is to educate and inspire present and future generations of the off-road community by celebrating the achievements of those who came before.  Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees represent excellence and achievement in many areas of off-road, including advocacy, journalism, industry, rock sports, desert racing, short course, and rally.  

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