By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor
One of the key cogs in Richard Childress Racing’s flying aces pit crew of the 1980s, David Smith has passed away. The race team announced the somber news Thursday via Twitter.
Thoughts & prayers are with the family of our longtime RCR team member David Smith.
Rest in Peace champ. pic.twitter.com/6EinNxvECl
— RCR (@RCRracing) July 1, 2016
Smith was a longtime jackman of the pit crew, but he also served as the crew chief for the legendary Dale Earnhardt during the 1996 season.
In that year, Earnhardt racked up two wins and finished fourth in the championship hunt.
Smith retired from being a jackman at the end of the 2005 season, and since 2007 he had been battling cancer, according to this 2015 article from The Dispatch.
