The 2015 Camaro Roadster owned by Hank Smith took 11 months to complete.

The detail in the finished product didn’t go unnoticed at the recently completed Keystone Nationals (Oct. 1-5) in Reading, Pa.

Smith, who competes in the Super Gas class, won the Aerospace Components Excellence in Engineering award at Maple Grove Raceway.

“It was very nice to receive that award and be recognized after all the hard work we put into that car,” said Smith, who lives in Leesport, Pa., 10 minutes from Maple Grove. “Ken Kissinger built this car, and he started it in March and finished it in November. Then we took it back to my place and plumbed and wired it, and put the engine in it. I was involved in it the whole time we were building it in Ken’s shop, Ken’s my neighbor.”

Kissinger owns Ken’s Kustom Chassis business in the Reading area and Smith owns Awesome Race Car Wraps, a business he has operated for 10 years.

“It was fiberglass that we bought and then we modified the body (for the 2015 Camaro Roadster),” Smith said.

Smith said his Camaro Roadster has a 9.90-second dial-in, and flat out it will 8.0s at 168 mph.

“I started racing in 1990 in Super Pro with a 1975 Nova, and I’ve been racing Super Gas since 1994,” Smith said. “I had a 1995 Camaro that Ken (Kissinger) had built for me, and I ran that car for years, and I looked at a roadster and it’s much better visible in Super Gas nowadays. As you get older, it’s also easy to work on things we incorporated in this car.”

Smith campaigns in NHRA’s Division 1 ranks, and competes in the national events at Englishtown, N.J., and Reading. Smith’s wife, Lorrie serves as his crew chief. The couple has been married for 31 years.

“This is the first time I received an award like this (the Aerospace Components Excellence in Engineering) at a national event,” Smith said. “I like the Super Gas class because you leave heads and with the 9.90 (the dial-in) it keeps everybody fair money-wise.”

Smith ends his season  – Oct. 8-11 – competing in the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove.