NASCAR driver out at Joe Gibbs Racing after deep playoff run

As a seasoned gamer of NASCAR races, I’ve seen many drivers come and go over the years. The story of Chandler Smith is particularly intriguing to me. A young talent with a rich history, he’s proven his mettle on the tracks, winning races and making playoffs. Yet, here we are, speculating about his future in racing or construction.

Because the focus on earning money is so significant and continually growing when it comes to racing in any NASCAR series, Chandler Smith mentioned previously that he might be running his father’s construction company, Smith Construction, by 2025 instead of continuing to race stock cars.

In 2024, Smith, who parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing ahead of the 2025 Xfinity Series season, reconnected with Toyota. After a season (2023) spent racing for Kaulig Racing and Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series, he also made occasional appearances at the Cup level with Matt Kaulig’s team that year.

Originally from Talking Rock, Georgia at age 22, this individual started his racing career with Toyota. From 2018 to 2020, he raced in the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports, and from 2019 to 2022, he competed in the Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports. In 2022, he also made his Xfinity Series debut racing for Sam Hunt Racing, which was backed by Toyota.

Joe Gibbs Racing intends to field three permanent drivers in 2025, however Smith won’t be among them. The roster for the upcoming year will feature newcomers William Sawalich and Taylor Gray. Brandon Jones, who was with the team from 2018 to 2022 before shifting to JR Motorsports, is slated to come back as well.

However, Smith has confirmed that he does plan to compete in 2025.

He just hasn’t named the series, the team, or disclosed how often he plans to be on the race track. According to Jayski, he has simply said that he has “signed something”.

In the year 2021, Smith was a professional Truck Series racer who qualified for the playoffs and managed to win two races. The following year, 2022, he built on his success by winning an additional three races and ultimately reached the final four competitors in the Championship.

In the 2023 Xfinity Series, he managed to make it into the playoffs with a single victory. The following year, he added two more wins and ended up as the highest-ranked driver who missed out on the Championship 4. He achieved top five finishes in all but one race during the playoff season of last year.

The upcoming 2025 NASCAR season is set to start in mid-February at the Daytona International Speedway, with the Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series all kicking off their seasons there.

2024-12-10 16:02

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