Getting into the penultimate NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence race in 2024, Chandler Smith noticed the writing on the wall. Regardless of two victories that season for Joe Gibbs Racing — and a chance to nonetheless qualify for the Championship 4 — he absolutely believed he’d be with out a full-time experience in NASCAR the next season.
“For someone that do not have a job subsequent yr within the business, I am in all probability going to be working for my dad on the development aspect, simply due to how some issues are sadly enjoying out,” Smith mentioned in an NBC Sports activities interview at Martinsville Speedway. “I really feel like I do not owe anyone something.”
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The Speaking Rock, Georgia, native fell in need of a title-race berth, however lived as much as that quote. Smith had a heated scuffle on pit street with Cole Custer after the then-Stewart-Haas Racing driver moved him as they battled for the win late, with Smith fairly actually combating for each inch, uncertain what would come subsequent.
“I used to be very a lot severe about it due to how late within the season I used to be notified that I wasn’t going to be again at [JGR],” Smith advised NASCAR.com this week, reflecting on that interview. “There was no open seats out there for the next yr, actually.”
Smith realized late that summer time he would not be returning to JGR in 2025. He stored involved with Bob Jenkins, Entrance Row Motorsports’ proprietor and founder, after constructing a relationship with him whereas driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Smith mentioned a NASCAR Cup Sequence experience with the group was on the desk, however Entrance Row employed Zane Smith to drive the No. 38 Ford.
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As a substitute, a special No. 38 Ford got here into the image. Simply days earlier than Christmas, Chandler obtained a name from Jerry Freeze, FRM’s basic supervisor, about driving within the Truck Sequence. He accepted nearly immediately. Freeze went to work on securing race vehicles and a hauler for FRM’s second full-time foray and tapped Smith to construct out the workforce’s personnel from scratch.
‘”You go begin constructing your workforce,” Smith mentioned, recalling the dialog with Freeze. “I used to be like, ‘What do you imply by that?’ He is like, ‘Effectively, are you aware any crew chiefs which can be out there, any engineers? Like, we do not have anyone in any respect.’ I used to be like, ‘You need me to begin actively pursuing folks?’ He is like, “Yeah, I am supplying you with the freedom and freedom to go try this.’
“I’ve by no means been in a state of affairs like that, nevertheless it made me have a deep respect for the those that need to undergo that yr after yr of discovering engineers, discovering crew chiefs, all of the issues which have to enter movement to creating a race workforce profitable. Man, I used to be within the trenches of it on the very begin of it, and I’ve by no means been in that state of affairs the place I’ve seen that a part of it, trying by way of these lenses.”
Smith first known as Danny Stockman, his former crew chief at KBM from 2020-22, for suggestions. Stockman instantly talked about Jon Leonard, who, on the time, known as pictures for a Niece Motorsports entry. It did not take a lot convincing from both occasion.
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“It sort of fell in my lap,” Leonard advised NASCAR.com. “To have the ability to have a chance to come back to an organization that desires to win, or the motive force that desires to win, and have that likelihood … it was a fairly fast and simple resolution on my half.”
And that driver/crew chief pairing did not take lengthy to develop, both. Each joke that they see and communicate to one another greater than their spouses.
“[My wife] calls me 3 times a day, and I really feel like I in all probability discuss to Chandler as a lot or extra,” Leonard mentioned with Smith laughing within the background. “You are round your race workforce greater than you are round your loved ones lots of instances, and that relationship is tremendous essential to me as a result of I can not have success with out him having success, proper?
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“All the pieces takes time. The longer we work collectively, the extra we perceive, and when you get a baseline, the following step is, OK, what can we do to make this just a little bit higher, and what is the subsequent knob we are able to flip, and what is the subsequent little tiny factor that may make a distinction. Possibly it is not a wedge or a simple adjustment, it is a theory-based dialog, and that is the place me and Chandler discuss loads — I will pawn stuff off of him and he is in a position to give me some suggestions on what he must be higher, and I really feel like I can provide him some stuff that perhaps would assist that is not such a simple knob to push.”
Chandler Smith drives within the Craftsman Truck Sequence at Naval Base Coronado.
Of their first season collectively, they gained two of the primary 10 races and entered the playoffs because the No. 3 seed. However within the opener at Darlington Raceway, Smith pushed too arduous early, leading to contact with the wall and a DNF. The No. 38 workforce suffered a mechanical situation at Bristol Motor Speedway, forcing a must-win state of affairs within the Spherical of 10 cutoff at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. They in the end completed second in Loudon and have been eradicated.
Smith and Leonard used that disappointment as motivation. When the calendar flipped to 2026, it did not take lengthy for them to seek out Victory Lane. Smith survived an epic additional time restart within the season-opener at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, going from sixth to first within the last set of corners and prevailing in a four-wide end.
“I actually do suppose that could be a enormous a part of why we did win Daytona. We did not flip and begin pointing fingers [after last season]. We mentioned, yeah, you are proper, it is fairly evident this was not meant to be,” Smith mentioned. “It actually wasn’t a great reflection of what we have been able to, and we confirmed that even all through your complete playoffs. The Lord did not will it that manner for us to make it to Phoenix and make it to the ultimate 4, nevertheless it wasn’t a scarcity of with the ability to exit and carry out.”
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That “childhood dream come true” of profitable at Daytona set the tone for a season the place Smith stays a high championship menace. Via 13 races — and with simply 5 remaining within the common season — the No. 38 workforce sits third within the collection ranks, trailing shopmate Layne Riggs by 128 markers heading into Lime Rock on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Community Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Total, the numbers are stout, with six high fives and eight high 10s. However the 24-year-old wheelman factors to some races particularly the place there have been missed alternatives. The workforce surrendered a top-five end at Rockingham Speedway within the spring after failing post-race inspection, leading to a disqualification and only one level. Wrecks took him out of rivalry at each Charlotte Motor Speedway and Naval Base Coronado, accepting blame for the previous. He felt that Dover Motor Speedway was the one race all season the place he lacked tempo.
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“Taking out these 4 races … I might say we have been performing rather well,” Smith mentioned. “All these different performances the place crap occurred, we have been nonetheless acting at a excessive stage, so I might say on paper it is sort of rocky, however actuality is we have been operating fairly nicely, so simply want to wash up a number of small issues. I really feel like our pit crew is beginning to progressively get just a little bit higher, which that is been a weak point of ours.”
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And after Lime Rock, the schedule strains up proper in Smith’s wheelhouse. The following 5 races are at tracks a mile or shorter, spanning The Chase opener at Bristol. 5 of his eight profession Truck wins got here at these varieties of tracks.
Anticipating a powerful stretch forward, Smith and Leonard goal a last push for the Common Season Championship — realizing the advantage of further factors to begin The Chase. The highest workforce after 18 races begins with 1,100 factors — 25 above second and 35 above third.
Is that attainable?
“For those who take a look at Denny’s run [in the Cup Series] and clearly even Layne’s run, I really feel like in the event you do your job and also you win phases and also you win races, you go string collectively two, three, 4 of those subsequent races, I feel we are able to,” Leonard mentioned. “It is gonna be arduous. I feel you are going to want just a little little bit of assist. I do really feel like Layne and Kaden [Honeycutt] are in all probability the 2 that we acquired to compete with each week, however he made up a great chunk of floor in a great period of time, and we’re simply sort of feeling like we’re coming into our stretch of tracks we’re actually robust at. It is gonna be work, however I really feel like we are able to do it as a workforce and an organization, for positive.”
