Chandler Smith Finishes Eighth at Texas

Chandler Smith overcame an early issue on pit road to put the No. 18 iBUYPOWER Tundra TRD Pro in position to compete for the win as Friday night’s SpeedyCash.com 220 at Texas Motor Speedway went to overtime. Smith was running sixth when a two-truck accident set up a late dash for the cash. Smith elected to line up on the top of the fifth row for the two-lap shootout but got shuffled back as the field went through Turns 1 and 2 and would end the night with an eighth-place finish.
 
The result was Smith’s sixth top-10 finish across nine starts this season and helped move him up one position to third in the regular season standings with seven races remaining before the start of the playoffs. The Georgia driver is 18 tallies behind his KBM teammate John Hunter Nemechek.
 
 
Stage One Recap
 
·        Smith started Friday’s event from the seventh position after posting a lap of 29.980 seconds at 180.120 mph in the afternoon’s qualifying session.
·        The iBUYPOWER Tundra had a strong start to the race and in one lap Smith advance up to fifth.
·        The 19-year-old driver reported that his No. 18 Toyota was “really good” during the opening stanza and would cross the stripe in fifth to earn six stage points. 
 
 
Stage Two Recap:
 
·        During the stage break, Smith brought his Toyota to the attention of the over-the-wall crew who administered a four-tire and fuel stop. Smith was the fourth driver to exit pit road, but unfortunately the crew didn’t get all the lug nuts secured properly and he had to return to pit road.
·        When Stage Two went green on lap 41, the Georgia driver was scored in the 29th position.
·        Smith began powering his way back to the front, advancing to the top 15 nine laps later and would cross the stripe 13th when Stage Two ended on lap 70.
 
 
Final Stage Recap:
 
·        Smith reported that his Toyota was sliding the rear tires before hitting pit road for four fresh tires, with an air pressure adjustment, and a full tank of fuel.
·        The iBUYPOWER Tundra TRD Pro would line up on the top of the fifth row when the Final Stage went green on lap 72. Smith was scored in the sixth position when the fourth caution of the night occurred on lap 86. Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman elected to keep his driver on the track, while two team ahead of them pitted, giving Smith the opportunity to line up on the inside of the second row when the race went back green on lap 92.
·        Smith would settle into the third position, right behind the top-two trucks. He was able to make a run to the inside of the second-place truck several times but was unable to complete the pass.
·        When the fifth caution slowed the field on lap 106, the Toyota Racing Development driver reported that he was “struggling with dirty air and the front end bounces a little too much and lose it.” Stockman ordered up another four-tire and fuel stop and then No. 18 Toyota exited pit road fourth but would line up behind four trucks that did not pit.
·        Smith would lose a few spots on the ensuing restart and then was battling side-by-side with Zane Smith when Smith’s truck got loose underneath him and washed up the race track. The iBUYPOWER Tundra would fall back to 11th when the sixth caution of the race occurred on lap 128.
·        The talented teenager elected to line up on the bottom of the fourth row when the field went back green with just under 15 laps remaining. He settled into the sixth position before the seventh and final caution of the event set up NASCAR overtime.
·        Smith elected to line up on the top of the fifth row for the two-lap shootout but got shuffled back as the field went through Turns 1 and 2 and would end the night with an eighth-place finish.
 
 
 
Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 iBUYPOWER TRD Pro for KBM:
 
How did your race go?
“We had an issue on pit road early on that put us back and made us have to drive through the field and lose stage points in Stage 2. Stage 2 we over adjusted a little bit, but we were still a top-five truck. If we could’ve got clean air, I felt like it would’ve been game over tonight, but we didn’t get that obviously. Wish it would’ve played out differently, but I’m proud of all the guys at KBM for bringing me a really fast iBUYPOWER Tundra TRD Pro.” 
 
 
SpeedyCash.com 220 Recap
 
  • Stewart Friesen picked up his first win of the season and third of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. Christian Eckes, Ryan Preece, Carson Hocevar and Ty Majeski rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were seven cautions for 36 laps and 17 lead changes among nine drivers.
 
 
How Chandler Smith’s KBM Teammates Fared:
 
·        John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished sixth.
·        Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished seventh.
 
 
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
 
Smith gained one position and currently ranks third in the NASCAR Camping World Trucks series regular season standings. After nine events, he sits 18 tallies behind his KBM teammate John Hunter Nemechek.
 
 
Next Race:

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