Chandler Smith was able to recover from qualifying 28th to run inside the top 10 in the middle stages of Friday night’s Dead on Tools 200 at Darlington Raceway but the Safelite Tundra became ill-handling mired in traffic during the Final Stage and the No. 18 team would end the day with a 20th-place finish.
After seven races, Smith sits third in the championship standings, 32 points behind reigning series champion Ben Rhodes.
Stage One Recap
· Smith started Friday’s event from the 28th position after getting extremely loose on his qualifying lap. The Georgia driver had moved up to 20th when the first caution of the night flew on lap 10. In an effort to improved track position, veteran crew chief Danny Stockman summoned his young driver to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment while the majority of the top 20 remained on track.
· The Safelite Tundra TRD Pro would restart on the bottom of the 15th row when the field went back green on lap 12. Smith had gained six spots when another caution flew five laps later.
· This time drivers inside the top 20 hit pit road and the No. 18 Toyota would line up on the bottom of the second row for the ensuing restart on lap 24.
· Smith was running third late in the opening stanza but lost a few positions to drivers on fresher tires in the closing laps and would cross the stripe fifth.
Stage Two Recap:
· Between stages Smith communicated that his Safelite Tundra was “pretty damn free,” before hitting pit road for fresh tires and fuel with a trackbar adjustment.
· The Georgia driver lined up on the top of the fourth row when Stage Two went green on lap 54.
· After the fifth caution of the event occurred on lap 74, he would hit pit road for a four-tire and fuel stop and lined up on the bottom of the eighth row when the field went back green on lap 78.
· Smith would end the middle stanza in the ninth position on lap 90.
Final Stage Recap:
· Between stages he communicated that he was very pleased with the handling of his Safelite machine but needed to “time my runs better.”
· After getting four more Goodyear tires and full tank of Sunoco fuel, the talented teenager lined up at the top of row six when the Final Stage went green on lap 96.
· Throughout the Final Stage Smith would report that the Safelite Tundra TRD Pro was “tight in traffic” as he was mired in the middle of the pack.
· The 19-year-old driver wasn’t able to work his way back into contention and would end the night with a 20th-place finish.
Dead on Tools 200 Recap
Smith’s KBM teammate John Hunter Nemechek picked up his first win of the season and his 12th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Carson Hocevar, Grant Enfinger, Ty Majeski, and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were 10 cautions for 54 laps and 16 lead changes among nine drivers.
How Chandler Smith’s KBM Teammates Fared:
· John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished first.
· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 2nd.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Smith fell one position to third in the NASCAR Camping World Trucks series regular season standings. After seven events, he sits 32 tallies behind reigning Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes.
Next Race:
Smith will be back behind the wheel of the No. 18 Charge Me Tundra TRD Pro when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action Saturday, May 14th at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. Live coverage of the Heart of America 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET.
