No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- SMITH AT PORTLAND: Sammy Smith will run his first race in any series at Portland International Raceway this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Pacific Office Automation 147. He has three previous NXS road course starts – Road America (2022), Watkins Glen (2022), and Circuit of the Americas (2023). He consistently ran in the top 10 in all three races, finishing in the top five at both Watkins Glen and Circuit of the Americas.
- CHARLOTTE RECAP: Smith started the rain-delayed Alsco Uniforms 300 in 18th. After a few stoppages during the first stage due to rain, the race was postponed after Stage 1 with Smith in 14th and resumed around 10:00 PM ET after the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. The No. 18 took the green checkered in 15th. The last stage was a fuel milage race – Smith brought the No. 18 down pit road with 10 laps remaining for right-side tires and a splash of fuel to make it to the finish. Smith raced right up to the checkered flag, making the pass for 10th on the last lap to earn the team’s fifth top-10 finish of the season.
- 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 56 top-five finishes, 115 top-10 finishes, and 11 pole positions under his leadership.
- JGR AT PORTLAND: Ty Gibbs led Joe Gibbs Racing in the inaugural Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway last season. The 2022 series champion started sixth, led a race-high 42 laps and won a stage in last year’s race before finishing seventh.
- 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 Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland is scheduled for 4:30 PM EST on Saturday, June 6. The race will be broadcasted on FS1, MRN, Sirius XM and available to stream on the FOX Sports app.
From the Driver’s Seat:
Sammy Smith: “Road courses are one of my strong suits and I really look forward to running them. We had some good road course races last year and I learned a lot at COTA earlier this year. JGR has developed the road course program well, so even though I’ve never competed at Portland, I know we’ll have a fast No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra. I’m looking forward to getting to the track and getting a solid race in this weekend.”
JGR PR
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