Sammy Smith / No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra Preview – Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway

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No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra News and Notes: 

  • SMITH AT BRISTOL: Sammy Smith will run his eighth NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race of the 2022 season at Martinsville Speedway this Saturday for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Smith has no previous starts at Martinsville and will see his first laps on the track Friday afternoon during practice. 
  • LAST TIME OUT: Last time Smith ran an NXS Toyota GR Supra was over a month ago at Bristol Motor Speedway. Smith qualified sixth in his first visit to the short track. In Stage One, Smith reported that his car was too loose resulting in an 11th-place finish in the stage. That loose feeling stayed with Smith for the duration of the race as he drove the car to a ninth-place finish in Stage Two and a 14th-place finish in the race.  
  • 2022 ARCA SERIES: Smith has won six 2022 ARCA Menards Series (AMS) races – Elko, Berlin, Milwaukee, Bristol, Salem and Toledo. He has eight poles this season with an average starting position of 2.4 and an average finish of 2.9. The young driver also finished in the top five in 15 of the 16 races he has competed in. In the AMSE, Smith has five wins this season – New Smyrna, Pensacola, Nashville, Milwaukee, and Bristol – and finished in the top five in both of the other races he has run. With his win at Bristol, Smith claimed the 2022 AMSE Driver’s Championship and the 2022 Sioux Chief Showdown Championship. He won the 2021 AMSE championship after winning three races and collecting one pole award. 
  • HE MAY BE A ROOKIE BUT…: Crew chief Jason Ratcliff is no rookie at Martinsville Speedway. Ratcliff has 14 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) starts and 4 NXS starts at Martinsville. He has three top-fives and seven top-10s in NCS races at the track. In NXS, Ratcliff has three top-10 finishes in four starts. 
  • NO. 18 IN 2022: The JGR No. 18 has had nine different drivers so far in 2022 – Drew Dollar, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Truex, Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek, Connor Mosack, Christopher Bell, Smith, and James Davison. The No. 18 team has an average start of 9.0, 378 laps led, eight top-five finishes, and 14 top-10 finishes. The No.18 team is in the Round of Eight for the Owners’ Championship. They currently sit 24 points below the cut line for the Championship Four. 
  • JGR AT MARTINSVILLE: JGR drivers have 16 total starts at Martinsville in Xfinity competition. Drivers have combined for two wins, 7 top-fives finishes, 14 top-10 finishes, 1 pole, a 8.9 average start, and a 7.4 average finish.   
  • FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Smith’s 2022 NXS/ARCA Seasons.  
    Twitter: @SammySmithSS I Facebook: Sammy Smith Racing I Instagram:  @sammysmithss_ 
  • RACE INFO: The NXS Dead On Tools 250 will start at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, October 29. The race will be broadcasted on NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM Radio, and available to stream on the NBC Sports app. 

 

From the Driver’s Seat: 

Sammy Smith: “I’m ready to get back behind the wheel of the No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra this weekend at Martinsville. The No. 18 team has had some really good finishes lately and I’ve had good results in ARCA and late models in the past month so I’m feeling confident going into the race. Practice on Friday will be a good chance for me to really get a feel for the track. I know the guys will bring a good car and I’m looking forward to running well and getting a good finish on Saturday.”

JGR PR

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