Chandler Smith dominated Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season finale at Pocono Raceway, leading 49 of 60 laps en route to his second victory of the season.
With the win, the 20-year-0ld driver secured second place in the regular season point standings to earn 10 playoff points, in addition to six playoff points for his victory and winning the opening stage Saturday. Smith enters the playoffs second on the playoff grid, 15 points behind Zane Smith.
Stage One Recap:
- Smith started Saturday’s event from the second position after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out and the field was set via NASCAR’s performance matrix system.
- The Charge Me driver wasted no time making his way to the lead before the first caution of the race occurred on the first lap.
- Smith elected to restart from the top lane when the field went back green on lap 3. He was still in the lead when the second caution of the night occurred on lap 6. The 20-year-old driver once again chose the top lane for the ensuing restart and held serve on the lead until the third caution of the event flew on lap 11, ending the opening stanza under caution.
- It was Smith’s second stage win of the season.
Stage Two Recap:
- Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman elected to keep his driver on track between stages to keep track position. Smith once again chose the outside lane when Stage Two went green on lap 19.
- Smith maintained the lead until Stockman played the strategy card, electing to pit with two laps remaining before the stage to set up track position for the Final Stage.
- After getting four fresh tires and fuel, the Charge Me Tundra TRD Pro returned to the track and would cross the stripe 23rd at the end of Stage Two.
Final Stage Recap:
- With everyone ahead of him hitting pit road between stages, Smith inherited the lead and elected the outside lane for the restart on lap 35.
- As he reported that the handling of his Charge Me Tundra was getting tight, he lost the lead momentarily just before the caution occurred on lap 42.
- The field went back green with 14 laps remaining. Ryan Preece elected the outside lane, so Smith chose the inside of the front row. Smith’s KBM teammates Corey Heim and John Hunter Nemechek lined up behind him on the inside row.
- With a solid push from his teammates, Smith was able to clear Preece through Turn 1 to regain the lead. As the race proceeded caution free to the end, Smith was able to hold off the challenge from Preece to bring home his second victory of the season.
Chandler Smith, driver on the No. 18 Charge Me Tundra TRD Pro for KBM
How were you able to hold off Ryan Preece in the closing laps to get the victory?
“God is good. It’s God’s timing. We’ve been going through a bit of a struggle here recently, but just when we need to start shining, we start shining. I can’t thank everyone enough. This Charge Me Toyota was fast today. It was really good. We were a little tight. Had some trouble getting through the gears. Sorry to the 51 (Corey Heim) team, but also thank you to the 51 team. This win is as much mine as it is yours. Just can’t thank the Good Lord enough. I’m about to have a baby boy soon and this is for you when you look back at this.”
How does this set you up for the postseason?
“Big because we didn’t have a lot of points going into the Playoffs and today we got one stage win and won the race so I think we’ll be looking pretty sharp going into IRP.”
What does this win mean to set your team up for the start of the Playoffs?
“This is awesome. I got Safelite a win earlier this year in Vegas and now I got Charge Me a win. Now I have to get iBUYPOWER a win and I think they’re on the truck in Talladega. Really excited. We had a really fast Charge Me Toyota Tundra today. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) did a phenomenal job. I knew we were going to be good today, I knew what we had coming here. Without practice, I did wish we would have had practice, but the Good Lord plays out in funny ways sometimes.”
What were the last few laps like having to play defense?
“It was really hard because I was losing fuel pressure down the straightaway and it would sputter and he (Ryan Preece) would get a huge run and I would have to block bottom, top, bottom, top every two seconds and every minute. I had my work cut out for me today to say the least.”
CRC Brakleen 150 Race Recap:
- Smith earned his fourth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Corey Heim, and Carson Hocevar rounded out the top-five finishers.
- There were five cautions for 20 laps and five lead changes among three drivers, including Smith who led a race-high 49 laps.
How Smith’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished third.
- Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished fourth.
Camping World Trucks Regular Season Driver Standings:
Smith finished the regular season second in the point standings, 40 points behind Zane Smith. With the reset in points for the playoffs, he will be second on the playoff grid, 15 points behind Zane Smith.
Next Race:
Smith will be behind the wheel of the No. 18 Safelite Tundra TRD Pro when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opens the playoffs Friday, July 29 at Lucas Oil Raceway. Live coverage of the TSport 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET.
