ROCKINGHAM — Wade Smith returned to competition this weekend after taking a year off to earn his first win in the MB Drift series at Rockingham Speedway.
“I needed this,” Smith said following his victory and celebratory champagne shower following "The Initiation" on May 3.
“I was saying prayers before every battle,” he added. “I give God the credit — he guided my hands and my feet and my eyes to the podium.”
Smith, of Salisbury, didn’t compete in 2024 due to issues with his “Shake and Bake” Nissan 240SX — with a livery inspired by “Talladega Nights,” which was filmed at the Rock — followed by a family tragedy.
Wade Smith behind the wheel of his "Shake and Bake" car in 2022.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
During that time off, Smith worked on putting together a 350Z for competition.
“I’m a Nissan guy at heart,” he said.
Smith previously owned a ‘03 350Z as his daily street car in 2011 and ran it “just for fun” at Streetwise Drift events in the Charlotte area.
However, his interest in drifting started nearly a decade earlier when he discovered the sport flipping through car magazines in a bookstore.
“I saw that and then I just thought drifting was the most awesome thing,” Smith said.
Wade Smith leads a run with Anton Shenderov at MB Drift's "The Initiation," the first competitive round of the season.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
He bought his first 240 to build as a drift car in 2007 and ran it for a few years before getting the Z and eventually the S14.
“I’ve always liked getting stuff sideways, no matter what it was, since I was a kid,” Smith said, adding that he grew up watching “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Dukes of Hazzard.”
His first time turning donuts was in his dad’s Bandit Edition ‘78 Trans Am at the age of 5.
“I think that’s probably when I got hooked on that feeling,” he said, adding that he got the need for speed and being a gearhead from his father.
“He had a ‘64 Cutlass … and he could shift that 4-speed transmission faster than most guys with crotch rockets could shift their bikes,” Smith recalled. “It’s his fault I’m addicted to this expensive, expensive hobby.”
Wade Smith holds back a smile after winning his first MB Drift event.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
In addition to drifting, Smith said he “dabbled” in drag racing, but never competitively.
For his current car, Smith “got a good deal” on a stripped-down shell from a friend and installed the first engine from “Shake and Bake” with a few modifications.
Smith was able to log practice time late last year during the final two rounds and at Halloween Havoc, as well as testing at Piedmont Dragway — referred to as “Tandem Town” by the local drift community — and this year’s first round for Catch My Drift at Southern National Motorsports Park.
“Each time I take it out, the suspension, set up, alignment, everything’s different every time trying to get it dialed in,” Smith said, adding that he thinks he finally accomplished that. “The car didn’t let me down, it just let me do my job as a driver and we did it — finally!”
Max Czibere, left, Wade Smith and Derick Gaskins celebrate their top finishes with a champagne shower.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Smith first started competing with MB Drift’s grassroots series in 2022.
“I just always did it for fun,” Smith said. “But then I was like, ‘Man, I’ve been driving for so many years, I just wanna do comp and see how I can stack up against everyone else.”
Smith finished fifth overall for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
His first podium since the series moved to the Rock in 2021 was a second-place finish in the third round of 2023 between eventual winner Nicholas Abbott — who swept the entire season — and 2022 champ Justin Bauer.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Smith said. “I think it’s really improved my driving, doing competition.”
Smith won his first battle in the inaugural round of 2025 against Levi Kottwitz before besting Belarusian driver Anton Shenderov, who won the first round in 2024 and finished third for the season.
Moving up the bracket, Smith outslid Brandon Goodman — who finished second for the season in ‘22 — and Max Czibere before facing Derick Gaskins in the final showdown.
Smith said he was most worried about Gaskins “because he makes gigantic clouds behind his car and I thought I was gonna get blinded and not be able to see anything, but…everything worked out.”
Wade Smith and Derick Gaskins congratulate each other during the podium ceremony.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
As for Gaskins, this was his first time with a top-three finish in the series.
“It’s been a long time coming to podium here at MB Drift,” Gaskins said, cooling off in his air-conditioned trailer. “We’ve been trying for the last three years to get on that podium.”
After multiple car issues, Gaskins said he installed a different transmission and differential in his Corvette, “so, those issues are gone.”
“But, some of the parts I installed made me have to change my driving habits, so I had to adapt pretty quick,” Gaskins said. “Once I got through that, I was able to put the car where I wanted to and pulled us a podium finish.”
Derick Gaskins lays down a line of tire smoke during a battle on the backstretch of the "Pebble Rock" layout.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Gaskins, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, has had his most successful year so far, winning the first race in the speedway’s Crown 9 Champion Series in March and placing second in the winter drift series at Off Grid Motorsports Park in the Palmetto State.
Gaskins has ended the past three seasons in a three-way tie, finishing 13th in ‘22, 16th in ‘23 and seventh last year.
“I’m in it to win it for the championship,” Gaskins said. “Just gotta keep the momentum going.”
Czibere finished the first comp in third place, making his third consecutive podium. He placed second and third, respectively, in the final two rounds of ‘24, as well as third and the Underdog Award for the season.
Rounding out the top 10 are: Tyler Williams (4); Nathan McDuffie (5); Dan Stoneburner (6); Gabe Broyles (7); Goodman (8); Andy Wright (9); and Shenderov.
Andy Wright drifts a GMC Canyon owned by the father of his opponent, Ajay White.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Wright — who was crowned the 2024 season champ after back-to-back wins in the final two rounds — broke a spring pulling his car off the trailer, leaving his BMW inoperable.
However, he was lent a GMC Canyon to drive — owned by the father of his first opponent, Ajay White. Wright bested White, but fell in his second battle to Broyles.
This year’s season was cut to three competitive rounds, with the next two being scheduled for June 13 and Aug. 30. MB Drift is also hosting a Summer Matsuri July 19-20 and Halloween Havoc Oct. 25-26.
See more photos from Toler on the RO's Facebook page, and from the other photographers in the MB Drift Chats and Media group page.
