The Mexican 1000 will be a father-daughters affair for Smitty Racing. Chad Smith and his daughters Kaycee, Lindey, and Leah plan to compete in the Pioneer Buggies class with a 1973 Sandmaster Panzer that has been passed down the family for two generations.

The two-seater Sandmaster was first owned by Chad’s grandfather then given to his father before making its way to Chad. Although the car been in the family for over five decades, it’s never been operated under its own power nor raced. Sandmaster buggies were prominent in the 1970s, when desert racing was still fairly young, with the SS1 model winning races like the Baja 1000 and Baja 500.

Chad and his daughters began restoring the buggy in 2022. Naturally, it was a process that was going to take some time, espeially with how red the frame was from rust and the outdated fuel cell. Still, the family was up for the task: Kaycee, Lindey, and Leah all own and work on vintage cars, especially off-road machines like Volkswagen buggies.

Lindey’s employer Broadbent & Associates, Inc., an environmental consulting company, is also involved as a team sponsor.

“As an engineer, Lindey brings a wealth of technical knowledge and problem-solving skills to work at Broadbent every day, and it’s exciting to see those same abilities applied to restoring her family’s Sandmaster Panzer for this race,” commented Broadbent president Randy Miller. “Her dedication, resilience, and passion for motorsports embody much of the same values we hold as a company. We encourage our communities in northern Nevada to rally behind Lindey as she sets out for the 2025 NORRA Mexican 1000.”

The chassis completed welding and sandblasting in October, atop which body paneling from Greg Padreddii and Fix Auto Green Valley was installed. Users on Race-DeZert, where the older Smith posted his initial plans to enter the race, also contributed with advice and connections.

The Mexican 1000 will run from April 24 to May 2. Smitty Racing is one of three teams currently entered in the Pioneer Buggy category alongside the Meyers Manx buggies of Mike Pearlman and Jon Steinhilber.

Featured image credit: Smitty Racing