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NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley’s dad fighting California wildfires piloting DC-10 Air Tanker

JHby:Jonathan Howard•01/14/25•

Jondean25

Garrett Smithley dad California wildfires
Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY

As the fires rage in California, NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley is cheering on his dad who is fighting the flames from the sky. Flying a DC-10 Air Tanker, Capt. RK Smithley has taken multiple flights dropping fire retardant over the affected areas.

Over the weekend, Garrett Smithley’s dad gained a bit of social media fame. KTLA captured a video of Capt. Smithley dropping fire retardant over the burning landscape, and it was quite an impressive maneuver.

Garrett had to give his dad some props, of course.

If that wasn’t enough, here is a series of drops set to “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath. These are massive planes flying in uncertain conditions. What these men and women do to save what they can from these fires is nothing short of heroic.

The wildfires in California have destroyed entire communities and neighborhoods. With fires still raging, there are worries about when this disaster will be contained.

Unfortunately, even pilots like Capt. Smithley feel that this is a hard battle to win. There is also the issue of drones illegally flying in the area.

Garrett Smithley’s dad calls wildfires ‘historical event’

After Garrett Smithley shared that video of his dad fighting the wildfires, it garnered a lot of attention to the battle they were undertaking. His dad and his fellow pilots were inspiring people online and RK was even interviewed by a local outlet in Pennsylvania where he is from.

He put the wildfires into context. This is not just a big fire, it is historic.

“This is kind of a historical event that we’re operating right now,” the pilot told Megan Smith of Trib Live. “My gut reaction was it’s a nightmare.”

While Smithley and his team have done a lot of great work, the fires still burn. There is also the issue of people flying drones in the affected areas, causing disruptions with firefighting efforts.

“People flying drones because they want to get pictures of the fire and post on Instagram and Facebook – jeopardizing aerial firefighting effort,” Smithley said to Smith.

Hopefully, things improve in California as efforts continue to contain the various fires. The level of destruction is heartbreaking. Thankfully there are folks like Smithley and 10 Tanker fighting these fires.