Before 2025, Chandler Smith last raced full-time in the Truck Series back in 2022. He spent two years in the Xfinity Series and has now returned to race trucks with Front Row Motorsports. From behind the wheel of the No. 38 Ford, he has secured two wins and 13 top-10 finishes thus far in the season. He spoke to the press during the playoff media day about the differences in the series now.
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Two seasons is a long time to be away from a series. Smith has noted that many things have changed, from the size of the windows in the trucks to the demeanor of the competitors on the race track. He said, “The window is just so small now. You have the No. 11 truck [Corey Heim]. They’re always kind of in their own zip code on most weekends than not, and then the rest of the field is in a very tight circle.
“We’re all pretty much right within a hand’s width of each other. We’re right there on top of each other. It wasn’t like that a few years ago. I feel like the trucks have way more grip than I remember them having as well. I find myself going to some of these racetracks and being surprised about like, ‘Wow, this thing’s got a lot of grip. I don’t remember this.’”
He attributes these changes to natural evolution over time. The other big change he has noticed is how drivers race each other. Back then, there wasn’t a whole lot of discipline and ethics in the racing character. Smith has observed that the experience of being on the track is a lot cleaner now. He can’t help but laud it in a major way.
He quipped, “I remember when I left the Truck Series it was not good. People were right hooking each other, doing very stupid things that shouldn’t be going on and made our series look like crap. I’m proud to say that this year at the start of the season it was a little bit bumpy with a few instances with some rookies, but a lot of it has cleaned up and it’s pretty tamed down.”
Smith had been glad to leave the Truck Series back to join Kaulig Racing in 2023. He admitted that he wanted to race amongst peers who held more respect for each other. So, he is pleased that the Truck Series has become that way in his absence. Since the racing has become a lot tighter now, he emphasized that the little things, such as pit road execution and restart positions, matter a lot more to create a difference between trucks.
Smith is currently third in the playoff standings, next to Corey Heim and Layne Riggs, with 16 playoff points. He was named the 2021 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year. It remains to be seen if he will mark his comeback with a championship this time around.
