At least, that's what the rookie Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver thought.
NASCAR had different ideas.
Smith went from momentary jubilation thinking he had raced to his first career Cup victory to the sobering reality that a win was wiped out, and instead went to Tony Stewart because of a controversial last-lap pass Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
"I think it's a bad call," Smith said outside NASCAR's track office. "I think as the week goes on, everybody that's asked will say it's a bad call."
Smith had managed to avoid the wrecks and tire woes that knocked out a slew of drivers in the Chase field. He was in second place and doggedly pursued the two-time Cup champion Stewart for the final three laps on NASCAR's largest track.
Desperate for a win and feeling trapped, Smith slid below Stewart and descended below the yellow out-of-bounds line to make the pass. That risky move was enough to make him believe he had won once he returned to the track and crossed the finish line first.
Only problem was, NASCAR's rule says a driver can only make a pass below the line if officials believe the driver was forced there. The sanctioning body ruled the move illegal and whacked Smith with a pass-through penalty, dropping him to 18th.
Smith pumped his fists in the No. 01 Toyota and later complained he should have been doing burnouts. Instead, Smith was steamed and looking for answers.
"The only other option I had was to wreck him," Smith said. "They told me I could have got out off the gas. They probably would have liked that because it would have made it easier on them."
Smith and DEI president Max Siegel met with NASCAR officials to plead their case. They watched several replays in the office and both sides refused to budge on their respective stances after the meeting.
"Anything below the yellow line is out of bounds," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. "You can't advance your position below the yellow line. In our judgment, he improved his position."
Smith said there was confusion on the rule. He said the understanding was that "anything goes" on the last lap. However, at the morning driver's meeting, the entire field was told they couldn't drive below the yellow line unless they were forced out.
"We do not feel he was forced below the yellow line," Hunter said.
The rules are not entirely clear, forcing NASCAR to review the pass and make a judgment call. Then they had to review where to put Smith in the finishing order, a reason for the delay in TV not having immediate results.
NASCAR says drivers can go below the yellow line on the last lap, if a driver can see the flagstand. But Smith could not see the checkered flag when he made the pass because of the position of the finish line -- farther down the track than most others on the circuit.
Smith said he almost asked for clarification about the rule at the morning meeting, but kept quiet because he wasn't enough of a veteran to ask questions.
Smith, who is leading the rookie of the year standings, hasn't finished better than 14th this season and his entry has not had full funding all of this year. But Smith got a huge boost when he qualified fourth, one reason his voice cracked and he was near tears when he talked about how much a win would have meant to the team.
"Personally for me, I definitely needed it," Smith said. "We've had a rough year, an up-and-down year. More downs than ups. A lot of the scrutiny we've been given is pretty unjust."
Smith can add this decision to his list.
"I don't know what else I would have done differently," he said.
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SCRAP HEAP: Kevin Harvick pulled into the garage minus a hood. The back end on Greg Biffle's care was completely demolished and dragged behind, loosely held together by a couple of hoses.
Pieces of Carl Edwards' car were piled on a wagon and wheeled out back.
Then there was what would have been a collector's dream. A mound of scrap metal and debris from some of the wreckage out on the track. Some fans picked through the pile, taking a close look at the part that still had the sticker "NASCAR Inspected Component."
Chase drivers Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Harvick, Biffle, Edwards and Kyle Busch were involved in accidents that helped shuffle the Chase standings: Kenseth dropped from fifth to ninth; Earnhardt from sixth to 10th. Even worse, Hamlin was taken to a Birmingham hospital after his tire exploded and smashed into the wall. He finished 39th and fell to 12th (last) in the standings.
Edwards took the blame for starting one wreck. He tried to nudge Biffle, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, toward the front of the field. Instead, his bump in the corner turned Biffle's No. 16 Ford and was almost totaled. That triggered a chain reaction that also sent Earnhardt and Harvick to the garage, among others.
"It's definitely my fault," a contrite Edwards said. "I feel bad for taking all these guys out. I was doing the best I thought I could do at the time."
Biffle said couldn't turn the wheel to the right to save his car.
"I hate it for all the other guys caught up in the wreck," Biffle said.
Earnhardt was already on edge because of the tires that were exploding around him. He was driving his backup No. 88 car because he blew a tire in the second practice on Friday. Once Edwards and Biffle crashed, there was nothing NASCAR's most popular driver could do to avoid the mess.
"We ain't going to spend this much time putting this many man hours into the next (restrictor) plate race because there ain't no telling what's going to happen anyway," Earnhardt said.
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GORDON'S DAY: Jeff Gordon had nowhere to go except into the Talladega wall.
David Reuitimann's blown tire was the first of a string of issues and the winless four-time Cup champion Gordon was the first one to suffer. He was twice knocked out of the race, and did not finish. He came in 38th and fell from fourth to eighth in the Chase standings.
"It's like bumper cars at 190 miles an hour," Gordon said. "It's great when you come get the checkered flag and you see it in one piece. It's awesome."
Other races, it's not so fun. When Reuitimann's tire blew, his No. 44 Toyota spun in front of Gordon. Gordon tried to avoid him, but smacked the No. 24 Chevrolet into the wall.
Gordon tried to shrug off his bad luck.
"There's all kinds of things that determine the outcome of the Chase and race wins," he said.
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WALK OF FAME: Former Cup champions Bobby Labonte (2000) and Rex White (1960) were inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame on Saturday and the late Benny Parsons -- a previous inductee -- was honored with a permanent plaque on the Walk.
"To be able to be a part of a celebration that included two great champions like Rex White and Benny Parsons is pretty special because I have a lot of respect for those that came before me and helped paved the way for what we enjoy today," Labonte said.
Labonte's brother, Terry, was inducted into the Walk of Fame last year.
Stewart awarded win after Smith’s illegal pass
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