Sammy Smith / No. 18 TMC Toyota GR Supra Preview – ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway - Speedway Digest

No. 18 TMC Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:

SMITH AT RICHMOND: Sammy Smith will make his Richmond Raceway debut this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS).
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS RECAP: Smith started the PitBoss 250 presented by USA Today at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in second after an impressive qualifying effort. Smith ran in the top-10 throughout the race finishing both the first and second stages in ninth place. Smith finished the race in fourth and was the highest finishing full-time NXS driver.
DASH 4 CASH: Smith’s fourth-place finish at COTA makes him eligible for the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash at Richmond. He will be competing against Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, and Sam Mayer for $100,000. The highest finisher out of the four drivers will win the six-figure bonus. The Dash 4 Cash brings awareness to Comcast’s Project UP. Project UP is an initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach tens of millions of people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility, and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Smith is eligible to compete for the 2023 NXS Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY). The other drivers competing for the title are Chandler Smith, Parker Retzlaff, and Blaine Perkins.
ARCA EAST CHAMPION x2: Smith defended his 2021 ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) Championship in 2022 on the strength of five wins and a top-five finish in all of the AMSE races. He also won four ARCA Menards Series races and one ARCA Menards Series West race in 2022.
ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief Jeff Meendering will head up the No. 18 team during the 2023 season. He has visited Victory Lane seven times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Phoenix in March 2023. His teams have collected 55 top-five finishes, 112 top-10 finishes, and 11 pole positions under his leadership.
JGR AT RICHMOND: Joe Gibbs Racing owns 11 Xfinity Series victories at Richmond Raceway. In 116 combined starts at the track, the organization has racked up 31 top-five finishes, 60 top-10s, nine pole awards, and 2,539 laps led. Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, and Denny Hamlin have all driven JGR entries to victory lane in Richmond.
FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Smith’s 2023 NXS Seasons.

Twitter: @SammySmithSS I Facebook: Sammy Smith Racing I Instagram: @sammysmithss_

RACE INFO: The NXS ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond is scheduled for 1:00 PM EST on Saturday, April 1. The race will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR and available to stream on the FOX Sports app.

From the Driver’s Seat:

Sammy Smith: “Richmond is a track I’ve been looking forward to competing on. I love racing on short tracks and JGR has a great short track program. I’m excited to run for the $100,00 in the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash program. It’s awesome that we have a series partner giving back in the communities we race in. I think we have a really good chance to put our No. 18 TMC Toyota GR Supra in Victory Lane and win that $100,000 on Saturday.”

Smith’s 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats: