Jeff Smith

If you’ve read any domestic performance car magazines or online titles for any length of time, you’ve probably run across Jeff Smith’s byline. He’s been writing technical stories for well over four decades. His automotive career started at age 10 working at his grandfather’s Skelly service station in Boone, Iowa. After earning a degree in journalism from Iowa State University, Smith got his start at Car Craft magazine and after five years on staff became the editor. His success there resulted in a six-year tenure as the editor at Hot Rod magazine before leaving the editor’s chair but remaining on staff to continue writing. Smith is an unabashed fan of the Bow Tie so when the chance to edit Chevy High Performance magazine came around, he took that on before returning to Car Craft again as editor, the first person to achieve that position twice in a career. Eventually the he left the company to expand his writing horizons by starting a freelance technical business. When he’s not writing, you can find him buried in a dozen-odd engine building and car building projects. His collection of multiple Chevelles has a bad habit of expanding and includes his original high school ’66 SS 396, four-speed Chevelle that is finally on its way back to life after hibernating for more than 20 years. When not writing or wrenching, he spends time with his wife Valerye, his two children Amber, a professional massage therapist, Graham who is a professional heavyweight MMA fighter, and his granddaughter Celeste.