Chandler Smith Steals the Show in Championship 4 Race at Phoenix

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News
Luckily for the Championship 4, Chandler Smith narrowly missed out on a bid to compete for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title at Phoenix Raceway Friday night. Smith captured the pole, and all three stage wins en route to the second win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career.
 
With the win, the 19-year-old Georgia native earned the 2021 Truck Series rookie of the year honors.
 
Stage One Recap
 
·        Smith captured the pole with a lap of 26.35 seconds at 136.576 mph on Friday afternoon. On the first lap he fell back to the second spot, but with 10 laps remaining in the stanza made his way back to the front of the field after a spirited battle with Sheldon Creed to earn the Stage One win.
 
Stage Two Recap:
 
·        Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman ordered up a four-tire and fuel adjustment between stages with no adjustments.
·        Smith lined up on the inside of the second row when Stage Two went green on lap 53.
·        The talented teenager battled among the top three before retaking the lead with six laps remaining in the stanza.
·        After taking his second stage win of the night on lap 90, Smith communicated that he “needed to turn as well as he did early in the race.”
 
Final Stage Recap:
 
·        After getting four fresh tires and fuel, the Safelite AutoGlass Tundra lined up on the outside of the front row when the field took the green on lap 99.
·        On a restart with 40 laps remaining, Smith got shuffled back to the seventh position, but as the field got strung out, he began his march back towards the front of the field.
·        He was able to retake the lead on lap 133 and never looked back. He would end the 150-lap event 4.694 second ahead of second-place finisher Stewart Friesen when he crossed the line.
 
 
Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra for KBM:
 
Second win of the year for Chandler as well as Rookie of the Year. How was your race?
“Yeah, for sure, first and foremost, All Glory to the Man Upstairs, without him, none of this would be possible. I wouldn’t have all these awesome relationships with all these guys, my racing family. This is my family. Also, he’s blessed me with a great family and being around great people and being able to come out to Phoenix Raceway in front of these fans tonight and be able to compete in high tier equipment. I’m just really blessed right now. Can’t thank Safelite, Toyota Racing, Danny (Stockman), KBM, Kyle (Busch), everybody that goes down the line to make this happen.”
 
Lucas Oil 150 Recap
 
·        Smith picked up the second win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. Stewart Friesen, Ben Rhodes, Shelden Creed, and Zane Smith rounded out the top-five finishers.
·        There were four cautions for 25 laps. There were 12 lead changes among three drivers. Smith led five times for 39 laps.
 
How Chandler Smith’s KBM Teammates Fared:
 
·        John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished seventh.
·        Drew Dollar, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 18th.
 
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
 
Smith rounded out the season with two wins and finished eighth in the final Truck Series point standings. He edged Carson Hocevar by 26 points for the rookie of the year honors in the Truck Series.

KBM PR

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