Legendary dirt late model racer, chassis builder, parts shop owner and Hall of Famer Roscoe Smith, a native of Griffin, Georgia, has passed away. He was 85.

His black-and-white No. 44 race cars with their familiar checkerboard tops were well known to fans across the Southeast and to countless others who followed his accomplishments through media reports. Additionally, the cars he and his employees built at his shop in Griffin were driven to hundreds of victories by drivers across the United States.

His accomplishments have been recognized by his peers both at home and throughout the nation. Smith is a member of the National Dirt Racing Hall of Fame, the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and the Spalding County Sports Hall of Fame.

"Roscoe is a great friend of mine and did so much to help me in my years at Atlanta when I was pretending to be a race driver," long-time NASCAR executive Mike Helton said in an interview quoted in Smith's obituary. "He had so much mechanical ability, and his skills as a teacher were very impressive. Still today I think of things Roscoe taught me along the way."

Each year, Smith's home track, Senoia Raceway, hosts the Roscoe Smith Classic, a lucrative Late Model race that attracts many of the nation’s top dirt racers.

For more on Smith's life and accomplishments, you can read his full obituary here.

Image courtesy of Conner-Westbury Funeral Home