Chandler Smith steals a Daytona Worldwide Speedway win within the NASCAR Truck Sequence on Friday evening within the Recent from Florida 250.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Chandler Smith got here from the center of nowhere to win Friday’s Recent from Florida 250 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway and instantly gave credit score the place credit score was due.
Chandler Smith Steals a Daytona Win
“Thanks, thanks, thanks, Ty Majeski!”
Smith shouted after taking the checkered flag within the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Sequence season opener on the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
In a star-studded race salted with 5 full-time NASCAR Cup Sequence drivers, NASCAR Corridor of Famer Tony Stewart, daredevil Travis Pastrana, and YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland, the 2 Truck Sequence regulars mixed to place a Ford in Victory Lane.
Driving the No. 38 Entrance Row Motorsports F-150, Smith was sixth because the lead group rounded the third activate the second lap of additional time, with John Hunter Nemechek out entrance. However as Nemechek moved up the observe to try a late block on Gio Ruggiero, Smith steamed by means of within the open backside lane with a robust push from Majeski.
“He’s all credit score to how we simply gained that race, in truth,” Smith mentioned of Majeski’s push. “He stayed dedicated to a Ford and pushed a blue oval to a win…
“I used to be shocked the 62 (Nemechek) didn’t block it. I used to be simply … the seas actually simply parted, and the 88 (Majeski) stayed dedicated to me, and like I mentioned, thanks, thanks, thanks, Ty Majeski. Undoubtedly obtained to owe you one on that one.”
Ruggiero got here house second in his No. 17 TRICON Storage Toyota, 0.044 seconds behind Smith on the stripe. Christian Eckes was third, with Majeski and Nemechek in a digital useless warmth for fourth and fifth.
“Yeah, it was tight there on the finish of the race,” mentioned Ruggiero, who additionally completed second in final 12 months’s Daytona opener. “All people was making an attempt to do no matter it takes to win, and that’s what I did for myself and my crew.
“In all probability would have pushed John Hunter to the win there, however he nearly wrecked me twice. I believe general as a gaggle, we have to do higher as Toyotas. I assumed me and Tanner (Grey) and Taylor (Grey) labored collectively rather well, however everyone else simply appeared like they have been on the market on their very own.”
Cup driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was sixth, adopted by Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, the very best ending Ram driver within the model’s first NASCAR competitors since 2012.
Star-Studded Area Outcomes
The Truck Sequence debut of Garrett Mitchell, a.okay.a. Cleetus McFarland, didn’t final lengthy.
Approaching the tri-oval on lap 6, McFarland’s No. 4 Chevrolet broke free, spun uncontrolled, slammed into the within wall, and plowed by means of the infield grass, chopping a swath greater than 100 yards lengthy.
After a visit to the infield care heart, Cleetus summed up his first Truck Sequence race succinctly.
“I’m an fool,” he mentioned.
An accident on lap 36 took one other marquee driver out of the equation. Jake Garcia, operating within the center lane, misplaced management of his No. 98 Ford on the frontstretch and pinched the No. 25 Ram of Tony Stewart into the skin wall.
Tried repairs to Stewart’s truck proved futile, and the three-time NASCAR Cup Sequence champion took the No. 25 to the storage.
“I felt comfy being three-wide on the highest there,” mentioned Stewart, competing in a NASCAR occasion for the primary time since 2016. “I didn’t really feel like we have been placing ourselves in jeopardy. Onerous factor is, I’m not likely certain what occurred that obtained us there, however we simply ended up on the improper finish of that stick.”
Travis Pastrana completed the race in fifteenth place.
Black Flagged on Observe and Different Stats
Halfway by means of the second stage,
Daniel Hemric, operating seventh on the time, was black-flagged for a lacking spoiler brace and misplaced three laps below repairs.
The race featured a file 32 lead adjustments amongst 12 drivers and 6 cautions for 31 laps. Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar, and Justin Haley every led 20 laps, however not one of the three completed within the prime ten.
Subsequent Up
Subsequent on the NASCAR Truck Sequence schedule is EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. The Fr8 Racing 208 begins at 1:30 pm ET on Saturday, February twenty first. The 2025 winner of this race is NASCAR Cup Sequence driver Kyle Busch.
