Chandler Smith has won two races alongside 15 top-5 and 20 top-10 appearances this season, positioning himself third in the driver standings before the race at Homestead-Miami.
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Despite his success, Smith has revealed he doesn’t have a ride lined up for next year. His move to Joe Gibbs Racing appeared to boost his career, yet challenges with sponsorship may be looming large.
Following a lackluster performance at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Smith expressed doubts about his future in the sport. Although he started from the pole during the Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 on Saturday, he failed to secure a top-10 finish, casting further uncertainty on his future prospects.
He maneuvered the 1.5-mile-long track to finish Stage 1 in P9 and Stage 2 in P8, despite leading 29 laps early on. However, a pit stop mishap in Stage 3 where his jackman accidentally dropped the jack causing Smith to drive over it relegated him further back, culminating in a P13 finish.
Visibly frustrated in his post-race interview, Smith confronted his uncertain future, stating, “I don’t have a ride next year. I could be working for my dad’s construction business, and I could be hanging it up at the end of this year. So that being said, all craps will not be given at Martinsville.”
He also pinpointed the underlying issue behind him not having a ride for 2025: sponsorship challenges. “The only seats left open, you got to bring a big pocketbook with you, and I don’t have a big pocketbook,” Smith explained.
"I don't have a ride next year, I could be working for my dad's construction business and I could be hanging it up at the end of this year."
-Chandler Smith unsure of future in NASCAR:
📹@RealJaredHaas #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/VtJFi5IAMm
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) October 26, 2024
Previewing Smith’s Martinsville race
Entering the Homestead-Miami race within the top four of the Round of 8 playoff standings, Smith found himself slipping to the bottom four, now sitting in P5 with a 28-point deficit to the cutoff. That ramps up the pressure for him to clinch a win in the upcoming race.
Smith has only raced three times at Martinsville and has an average finish of 16.3. Among these starts, he has scored one top-5 and one top-10 finish.
His most notable performance at the track was earlier this year during the spring race; starting at the very back in P37, he fought his way to a P3 finish.
Given his pit crew avoids any further blunders and Smith maintains his recent form, it’s not far-fetched to suggest that he stands a strong chance to win at Martinsville.
