Chandler Smith Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service A 17-year-old stole the thunder from the Playoff drivers at Thunder Valley. Driving in a part-time role for GMS Racing, Sam Mayer beat GMS teammate and 2018 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt to the finish line by 4.413 seconds to win Thursday night’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway. Moffitt led 117 of the 200 laps at the .533-mile concrete short track, but, with superior tires for the final run, Mayer passed him for theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. – Top-seeded Brett Moffitt held off determined 17-year-old Chandler Smith after a restart with three laps left and took home the trophy in Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. With the victory in the first event of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs, Moffitt, the defending series champion, gained an automatic berth in the Round of 6, as other Playoff contenders either overcame adversity or succumbed to it. “It was tough,” Moffitt said in Victory Lane. “Our (No. 24)Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent BRISTOL, Tenn. – Chandler Smith was just one spot shy of becoming a playoff spoiler in the UNO200 at the age of 17. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver dueled with defending NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Champion Brett Moffitt on the final two restarts. Moffitt got the better of Smith’s No. 51 IBuyPower Toyota Tundra on the lap 190 restart at Bristol Motor Speedway. A caution four laps later gave the young driver a second chance. Smith lined up alongside Moffitt. He held his ownRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent BRISTOL, Tenn. – The playoff drivers in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series swept both practices for the Food City 200. Tyler Ankrum was fastest in the first session at Bristol Motor Speedway. The David Gilliland Racing – Crosley Group driver ran a 15.178 second, 126.420 MPH lap in the No. 17 May’s Hawaii Toyota Tundra. Ross Chastain was second fastest, with a 15.249 second, 125.831 MPH lap. Matt Crafton, Raphael Lessard, and Brett Moffitt rounded out the top-five. The rest of the top-10 includedRead More

By Chris Knight, NASCAR Wire Service MADISON, Ill. – A week after having their NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series win stripped due to a post-race technical inspection failure at Iowa Speedway, Ross Chastain and his Niece Motorsports rebutted the disqualification with a thrilling victory in Saturday night’s CarShield 200 presented by CK Power at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. While a contender for the win throughout the event’s third stage, it was a gutsy fuel only call by crew chief Phil Gould on Lap 133 that allowed Chastain toRead More

By Robert Gray, NASCAR Wire Service NEWTON, Iowa — Brett Moffitt shed his race suit. He simmered silently in street clothes, sipped on a beer, and stewed over what seemed to be a missed opportunity at his home state track. Then strange, but welcomed news arrived — and that brew tasted somewhat sweet rather than extremely bitter. Ross Chastain’s No. 44 truck, which he apparently wheeled to a much-needed victory, had failed post-race inspection because of being too low in the front. Suddenly, a sense of second-place dejection transformed intoRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent Toyota Racing Development driver Chandler Smith turned heads in his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway. It appeared that the 16-year-old was going to duel eventual race winner Ross Chastain after a lightning fast pit stop by his Rudy Fugle-led Kyle Busch Motorsports team. However, Smith was penalized for speeding entering the pits. He was sent to the tail-end of the longest line. Smith quickly worked his way back into the top-10. The progress of his No. 51 Safelite Toyota Tundra stalledRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Saturday’s M&Ms 200 at Iowa Speedway in Newton has been postponed due to rain and has been rescheduled to Sunday June 16 at Noon ET, airing live on FS1. Rain and lightning delays have plagued several on-track activities for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, including qualifying being cancelled. As a result, the starting lineup was set by team owner points. This meant 16-year-old Chandler Smith, who won Friday’s ARCA Menards Series race at Madison International Speedway, will start on the pole in the No. 51Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor Chandler Smith came to Iowa Speedway without experience on larger ovals and unsure of what to expect. He nearly left the track with the checkered flag. Smith rose through the field over the course of the 150-lap event and shadowed ARCA Racing Series points leader Sheldon Creed to the finish en-route to a second-place result in Saturday’s Fans With Benefits 150. The run was Smith’s fourth top five and fifth top 10 in five-career ARCA starts. “This is my first time ever being on aRead More