Continental Tire the Americas’ General Tire brand honored veteran driver Brad Smith with the General Tire Spirit Award during the annual ARCA Racing Series awards banquet in Indianapolis.

In its first year, the General Tire Spirit Award was established to recognize a person within the ARCA racing community “who has demonstrated true sportsmanship both on and off the track, as well as perseverance when faced with major challenges,” the tiremaker said. As the Spirit Award winner, Smith was awarded a custom painted helmet by Indocil Art and $5,000, which was split between Smith and his designated charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit.

“Receiving the General Tire Spirit Award is a humbling and gratifying experience,” said Smith. “Humbling, because I know how many deserving recipients General Tire had to consider for the award. Gratifying, because this is ultimately a team sport and being recognized by General Tire is an accomplishment for the entire Hylton Motorsports team.”

Smith returned to driving full-time during the 2016 season after an injury at Talladega kept him from racing for most of the 2015 season. While away from the track, Smith took on the role of volunteer and mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit. He will feature their logo on his car for the 2017 racing season.

“Brad’s story is a perfect example of what this award represents. Brad could have easily allowed his injury last year to end his driving career but he fought back and was able to experience a new level of achievement in his racing career,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire the Americas.