Approval.

It is something we all seek. From our bosses. From our peers. And from our parents – especially from our parents.

For some of us, making our parents proud is easy. Maybe you are the first in your family to go to college, to land a dream job, or to follow in your parent’s footsteps. Perhaps it is as simple as just being a good person.

But what happens when your parent is a legend? What happens when your folks aren’t just good at something, but the best? Suddenly, that approval bar is raised a few notches.

That, as it turns out, is exactly how Matt Smith went from following in the footsteps of a four-wheel racing legend to becoming a star in his own right – just with two less wheels.

“When I was younger, I just wanted to go fast. But I couldn’t afford to do a car when I started this deal in racing. My dad wouldn’t help me,” Smith said. “He goes, ‘if you want to do something, you do it yourself.’ So that is what I did. I started motorcycles and I could get a motorcycle to go fast. I was small, like my mom. Now, I’ve done that for the last 10 or 15 years now.”

Of course, everyone knows that Matt Smith’s dad is none other than doorslammer legend “Tricky” Rickie Smith. A multi-time Pro Modified and Pro Stock world champion, Rickie wanted nothing more than for his son to be successful, but he wanted him to earn that success on his own.

But without the means to go car racing, Matt decided to go a different, much more cost-effective route to earn his way into racing. He would simply remove half the wheels from the equation.

“Then I told him I wanted to race motorcycles, he was basically like, ‘well, you’ll just have to prove it and we’ll see how much you want to race.’ So that’s what I did,” Smith said. “I had to go out and buy my own bike and do all the stuff on my own. I’ve made a good transition from starting in Super Comp (Motorcycles) in 1996 to where I am now at the top level with Pro Stock Motorcycle.”

Of course, even then, a young Smith had to fight to prove he belonged. 

“I don’t think (my dad) ever came and watched me in those early years. It was about two or three years after I started doing it and won a championship, when I got to the class called Top Eliminator and raced AMA Pro Star, that’s when he actually showed up at one of the races and watched me,” Smith said. “But he was always very proud. We built a brand new bike for a class that they started and we won four of the eight races and won the championship. We dominated and won six of the eight races the following year.

“He was happy about what we did back then. When I finally told him I wanted to go Pro Stock, he was 100 percent behind me. He said, ‘go for it, I think you’ll be good at it.’” 

And that is exactly what he did. In 2004, Smith took his racing to the biggest stage of them all and within three years was an NHRA world champion. A few years after that, another championship. Now a two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion with 17 career victories, Smith can finally put his name alongside his fathers as a drag racing great – something that he is very proud to have in common with his father.

“Not only is (my dad) a great driver, but in my opinion, he is the greatest chassis builder,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of car it is – It could be nitrous or turbo – if he works on something, within a day he’ll have it going down the track fast. I am extremely proud of where I come from and to be able to put my name alongside his.”

Of course, after more than 20 years on a motorcycle, does Smith ever get the itch to get behind the wheel and try his hand at his father’s game? Are you kidding? This is the son of “Tricky Ricky” we are talking about here.

“I would love for him to let me get in the car and keep the family name going,” Smith said. “I did briefly get a chance a few years ago in Qatar with Sheikh Khalid. I was racing the Buell Pro Mod bikes, but (Sheikh Khalid) was having problems with the car and it wouldn’t go down the track. He had some business stuff to do, so he quit driving and Frank Manzo came over and said, ‘would you be interested in driving this car a little bit?’ Of course I jumped at the chance.

“One thing led to another, I had a meeting with my dad, Sheikh Khalid and Frank in the trailer and dad said, ‘he can drive it, but if he gets hurt or killed, I’m coming after your butt.’ From that point on, I drove it. It took a lot of tests to get the car right. As it turned out, the frame was broken. After about 35 laps of shaking, we went right down the track, won a race, and set the national record. It actually stood for a couple of years until my dad helped Alex Hauser in the same car beat the record.

“I would really love to run Pro Mod, but it’s too expensive for my blood. I think my dad and I would make a good team. We may butt heads, but I think we’d be a big success doing it.”

So would dad ever trade places with his son?

“We all have motorcycles at home, but the only time he’s ridden my bikes was in 2007 when I won the championship. He rode it from the winner’s circle back to the pits. And in 2013, same thing,” Smith said. “Nothing down the track. He won’t do that.”

It seems, for now, Matt will just have to stick to being the best Smith on two wheels – although even that is up for debate with his wife, Angie, competing right alongside him on the Victory Motorcycles factory team. But that is a discussion is for another time.

Today, Matt Smith is just another star on the drag strip – just like his old man.