Georgia's Austin Smith is set to compete for the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models MD3 Rookie of the Year Award, marking his transition to full-time national dirt track racing.

Smith, from Cedartown, GA, has partnered with 2015 Series champion Shane Clanton and Capital Race Cars, providing him with both competitive equipment and valuable expertise for his rookie season. The partnership emerged after Smith's father and Clanton joined forces on the Capital deal last year.

In 2024, Smith demonstrated his potential with strong performances at major events, including successful Feature qualifications at the Prairie Dirt Classic and all three nights of the World of Outlaws World Finals.

"Racing with these guys is a totally different animal," Smith acknowledges. "They're all the best of the best. It's tough night in, night out no matter where you're at."

Smith will face stiff competition for the rookie title from fellow newcomers Ethan Dotson, Daniel Hilsabeck, Jake Timm, and Daniel Adam. His primary focus for 2025 is building a foundation for long-term success in the series while working alongside fellow Capital drivers Daniel Hilsabeck and Dennis Erb Jr.

His rookie campaign begins at Volusia Speedway Park's DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 24-25), followed by the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). The decision to commit to the full schedule was practical for Smith, as many series events align with his regional racing plans.

"We were going to go to a bunch of the races anyway," Smith explains. "Swainsboro, Talladega, even the Florida races, we were coming to those, the Smoky Mountain race. There's a bunch of them in my area that we were going to go to anyway, so it kind of made sense to just go ahead and do it all."

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