No. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
RICHMOND WIN NOTES: Chandler Smith claimed his second NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) victory of the 2024 season at Richmond Raceway last Saturday. Smith started the race from the fourth position. Despite not being happy with the balance of the car, the 21-year-old finished Stage 1 in seventh and Stage 2 in third. The No. 81 team made their final pit stop of the day under caution on lap 181 for fresh tires and fuel. Smith restarted 15th and gained five spots on the restart. The reigning-race winner took the lead on lap 191 and never looked back, leading the last 60 laps on his way to the win. The win was his second consecutive victory at the track as he also won in 2022. Smith is tied with Austin Hill for seven-straight top-10 finishes, dating back to Phoenix 2023. The two drivers are also tied for best average finish – 3.3 – in 2024. Through six races in 2024, Smith leads the series in total laps led with 239 laps.
SMITH AT MARTINSVILLE: Smith has four NASCAR starts under his belt at Martinsville Speedway – two NXS starts and two is the NASCAR CRAFSTMAN Truck Series. He has three top-10 finishes across those starts.
ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief of the No. 81, Jeff Meendering has visited Victory Lane ten times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Richmond in March 2024. His teams have collected 64 top-five finishes, 131 top-10 finishes, and 13 pole positions under his leadership.
JGR AT MARTINSVILLE: Joe Gibbs Racing has four Xfinity Series wins at Martinsville Speedway. Harrison Burton, Brandon Jones, Ty Gibbs, and John Hunter Nemechek have all taken JGR to victory lane at the famous short track. To go along with the victories, JGR holds four poles, 11 top-fives, 18 top-10s, and 1.073 laps led in 25 combined starts.
FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Smith’s 2024 NXS Season.
Twitter: @CSmith_Racing I Facebook: Chandler Smith I Instagram: @csmith_racing
RACE INFO: The Dude Wipes 250 is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST on Saturday, April 6. Coverage of the race will be on Fox Sports 1, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio and available to stream on the FOX Sports app.
From the Driver’s Seat:
Chandler Smith: “We’ve had a great season so far and we’re looking to keep it going this weekend in Martinsville. JGR brings strong cars every race at this short track so I feel really good about our chances of winning back-to-back. I’m excited to have a new partner on our GR Supra with Wheelers and hope we can have a good showing for them.”
JGR PR
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