'I've always been a fighter and I never quit anything,': Tania loves racing

The 57-year-old won a NSW Modified Sedan title in the 1990 and was an east coast national champion on her home track at Lismore in 2010.

After overcoming multiple back injuries, she is keen to test herself and get back on the podium.

"I've had a lot of surgeries and have been battling to get back to where I was prior to that," Smith said.

"It's really hard to walk away, I feel good and I keep hoping that the next event will be the one where I'm back on the podium.

"We're fast enough, we can do lap times as good as anyone and can pull off a heat win.

"I've always been a fighter and I never quit anything, it's just who I am."

Tania's love for racing started in Brisbane before her first ride in Grafton.

She eventually found her way to Lismore where her husband Danny has built cars for many champions of the track.

"Our neighbours were related to racing people when I was growing up in Brisbane and watched a lot of it at the Ekka," Tania said.

"When I moved to Grafton my boyfriend at the time was involved and asked me If I wanted to have a drive

"I won my first race and they said 'well we better build you a car' and that was it.

"I was lucky to be around good people who supported me."

Smith has had a big impact in people's lives on and off the track.

She is a qualified nurse and has worked in emergency and orthopaedics as well as palliative care.

She was a director of nursing for six years at Maranoa in Lismore and has more recently worked with people in rehabilitation.

"I love the people I work with, life is really good right now," she said.

"I get a huge amount of enjoyment in helping people get back on their feet and being able to live the best life they can."

Her career highlight on the track also overlapped with her passion for nursing.

She won the East Coast Grand National at Lismore in 2010 when it was a memorial race for Grenville Anderson.

She cared for the speedway legend after his crash in the 1990s and was part of his life until he died in 2004.

He was one of her biggest role models when he speedway began in the 1970s.

And if she was not busy enough, Smith runs her own business under the TMS Quality Sportswear banner.

It provides safety apparel and sports uniforms.

As well shipping in performance equipment for the local racer from Melbourne without charging them for the freight.

Smith will race again at Lismore in the East Coast National on April 20.