He uses two techniques to race, first, using high speeds to enter a corner to get the other person to do the same, then correcting his speed during the turn. The other trick is to feint brake his opponent, forcing them to back off while he speeds away. His face tenses up when he is racing to make him look like he is smiling, hence his nickname, Smiley Sakai.
Judging by the way that Daiki refers to him with the honorific san (Sakai-san), it can be inferred that Smiley is a senior student of the Todo School, and probably the reason why he knows much of Todo's experiences in racing, especially the school's rivalry with Purple Shadow and their topracers.
Smiley was one of the first members in the Todo School to be notified by Project D's expedition and plan to visit their home course after their victory against Seven Star Leaf. Later on, Smiley, Daiki and several Todo Alumni's discuss and comment about Project D and who will race against them. A few Todo School Alumni's decide to take Project D on but Smiley refuses as he thinks it would be unfair for both teams and instead thinks that the current students such as himself and Daiki should be the one to take on Project D. Later on the day Project D battles against the Todo School, Daiki loses his race against Takumi and informs Smiley that not only Project D was fast, but also smart. Smiley starts his race against Keisuke Takahashi in a lead position, so that he could trick Keisuke into a feint brake. When exiting a corner, he uses feint tactics such as suddenly turning on the brake lights with the left foot brake to disrupt the rhythm of the following car, or rushing into a blind corner at an excessive speed to induce the opponent to go off the course, even if it means causing an accident. However, this trick would be unsuccessful as Keisuke was able to recover after nearly crashing into a guardrail and also because Keisuke was at faster pace than he was earlier due to what Smiley had performed on him. Afterwards, Keisuke seizes the opportunity to nudge and overtake Sakai, ending the battle. Later on, after the battle, Smiley would apologize to a Todo School alumni for the loss which he would accept as they were unaware of what Project D was capable of.
Later on, after Project D wins against Todo, the Todo School summon their recent graduate Tomoyuki Tachi, to defeat Project D in a rematch. Afterwards, Smiley, Daiki and other members of the Todo School spectates Tomoyuki's battle against Takumi Fujiwara at Happogahara.
Saitama and Ibaraki
Later on, when Project D was about to face off Purple Shadow at Ibaraki, Todo asks both Daiki and Smiley to spectate Project D's battle there so that they can have a learning experience from it
Kanagawa Expedition
Much later on, him along with Daiki and Tomoyuki are seen in Kanagawa, spectating Project D's final battle against the Sidewinder.
Trivia
"Smiley" is not his actual first name, rather it is a nickname given to him for his somewhat-relaxed, tense nature when racing. Because of this, his first name is unknown.
Gallery
Manga
Tochigi Arc
Smiley in the manga
Smiley battling against Keisuke
Saitama and Ibaraki Arc
Smiley in chapter 412
Daiki and Smiley shocked on spectating Keisuke's battle with Kozo Hoshino
Kanagawa Expedition Arc
Smiley in Chapter 676
Smiley with Daiki and Tomoyuki in Chapter 676
Anime
Fourth Stage
Smiley Sakai in Fourth Stage
Daiki at Ibaraki spectating Project D's battle against Purple Shadow
Daiki and Smiley
Battle Stage 2
Smiley battling against Keisuke in Battle Stage 2
Final Stage
Smiley in Final Stage
Smiley along with Daiki and Tomoyuki in Final Stage
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