Chandler Smith brought home the No. 51 JBL Tundra in the third position after battling a tight Tundra throughout the majority of the event. The No. 51 team would finish the 2020 season sixth in the owner’s standings.
Stage One Recap:
· Smith started in the 21st position after a performance matrix based off of finishing position from the previous race, ranking in owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race at Martinsville Speedway.
· Smith would finish the stage in the 20th position, one lap down as the entire stage stayed green.
Stage Two Recap:
· At the stage break, Smith radioed to his JBL crew that his Tundra was tight overall. After getting back on the lead lap via the lucky dog, crew chief Wes Ward summoned his rookie drive to pit lane for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Smith would start the second stage from the 20th position.
· With the stage staying green, Smith worked his way up to the 17th position.
Final Stage Recap:
· Under the break, Smith radioed that his truck was twitchy during the stage and that he had zero grip in the front tires. Ward summoned his driver to pit road and the over-the-wall crew administered a stop of four tires, fuel, and a rear jack bolt adjustment. Smith would restart in the 17th position.
· Under the third caution on Lap 105, the rookie driver radioed to his crew that his Tundra was better but needed more grip in the front. The over-the-wall crew administered a stop of four tires fuel, and an adjustment to bring the splitter down. Smith would restart 17th.
· Under the fourth caution that sent the race into NASCAR Overtime, Smith worked his way up to the 10th position. Ward kept his rookie driver on track for the two-lap dash to the finish. Smith would restart fifth.
· Smith would take the lead momentarily on the restart, but wasn’t able to hold off competitors with fresher tires and would finish the night in the third position.ha
Chandller Smith, driver of the No. 51 JBL Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
How did you get to the podium on that final restart?
“Overall, we had a really good finish in our No. 51 JBL Toyota Tundra. We just missed it on our splitter heights this weekend and ultimately it killed us, especially with how deep we started in the pack. We stayed out on that late race caution, got some track position and executed.”
Lucas Oil 150 Recap:
· Sheldon Creed earned the 2020 Truck Series championship with his fifth victory of 2020 beating Zane Smith to the line by 0.617 seconds. Chandler Smith, Christian Eckes and Lessard round out the top five.
· There were eight lead changes among five different drivers. There were four cautions for 28 laps.
How Smith’s KBM Teammates Fared:
· Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished fourth.
· Raphael Lessard, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished fifth.
Gander Trucks Owner’s Championship Standings:
The No. 51 team would finish the 2020 season sixth in the owner’s standings.
KBM PR
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