Heading into his ninth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Regan Smith is looking to reach a milestone that no other active driver has yet to grasp. With 49 races under his belt in the series, the part-time driver for Furniture Row Racing is looking to extend his streak of races without a DNF (did not finish) to 50 this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"It's not just about finishing the race, the main goal is to finish with a respectable result," said Smith. "I am realistic to know that there will be a first DNF for me. But it would be nice to say it didn't happen in your first 50 races."

With five finishes inside the top-25 thus far in the season, Smith has surely done a respectable job with the No. 78 Chevrolet.

Crew chief Jay Guy believes that a part of Smith’s no DNF streak has to do with the fact that Smith’s driving style emulates that of Mark Martin. It is reasonable that Smith would drive somewhat alike, because Smith and Martin served as teammates in 2007 at Ginn Racing.

"Regan's driving style reminds me a lot of Mark (Martin)," stated Guy. "I guess if you're going to emulate a driver there's no one better than Mark. As Mark does, Regan races smart and races clean. He drives about 95 percent of his ability for 95 percent of the race. And when it's time to start racing people, he pushes harder and reaches 100 percent of his ability. Regan is just smart about how he races and about how he takes care of his equipment."

Smith will drive the same car that the team ran at Phoenix earlier this year. Earning a qualifying spot of ninth, and running inside the top-15 for much of the race until a slip-up on pit road deteriorated him to a 28th place effort.

Preparing for this weekend’s event at Loudon, Smith and the No. 78 team visited Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado last week. With a successful test, the team is anxious to hit the track this Sunday for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.

"We had a good car in Phoenix and ran strong there," Smith noted. "What's also encouraging is that we had a productive test session last week in Colorado at the one-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway. Though we're a part-time team, we definitely have the potential of posting a strong finish in New Hampshire."

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