No driver with the surname Smith has ever qualified for the Indianapolis 500, despite being one of the most popular surnames in the country. Steve Smith was the first of the six drivers with that surname to fail to qualify. Smith himself entered three times, firstly, with Pop Green in 1925, but Steve failed to turn up to attempt qualification. Smith entered his own car in 1927 and 1929 but achieved no more in the way of success. Smith was of Russian ancestry, but served in the US Army in 1918 and saw action in World War 1 as a private. He worked as a garage owner, and after World War One finished, he found employment as a mechanic. He raced in some dirt track events. Died suddently of a brain haemorrhage, aged only 44.

Biography last updated 20 Apr 2026