High schooler Sammy Smith becomes the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at only 18 years old with the senior mentioning it ‘a dream come true’
High college senior Sammy Smith made the lots of the quickest automotive in Saturday’s United Rentals 200, turning into the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at Phoenix Raceway at age 18 in Avondale, Arizona.
In a race that featured 11 cautions for 69 laps, Smith held off teammate Ryan Truex after a restart with 15-of-200 laps left to offer Joe Gibbs Racing its sixteenth victory on the 1.0-mile observe.
Smith led a race-high 92 laps, together with the final 52, taking the lead from Kyle Busch on Lap 149. To safe his first victory within the collection in his thirteenth get started, Smith needed to live on restarts on Laps 157, 177 and 186.
‘That used to be tricky with all of the ones restarts–and going towards one of the preferrred,’ mentioned Smith, who takes his highschool categories on-line. ‘I simply need to thank everyone on Pilot/Flying J, Toyota, JGR guys and everyone in this 18 crew for giving me an incredible automotive. This is superior.
‘This is a dream come true, and I did know that in the future this used to be coming. It took numerous exhausting paintings and numerous nice other folks round me. Without all of those guys, I would not be right here.’
Sammy Smith, 18, and motive force of #18 Pilot Flying J Toyota, with the United Rentals 200 trophy
Smith, who is nonetheless in highschool, celebrated his first profession win with a burnout on the end line
Smith and Joe Gibbs Racing took house the primary two spots at the podium in Saturday’s race
In a part-time function with JGR, Truex matched his career-best end after restarting 7th on Lap 186.
‘That used to be a just right restart on the finish,’ Truex mentioned. ‘I believed I may just no less than attempt to make it thrilling. Congrats to Sammy–he used to be the category of the sphere all day. His automotive used to be so just right. He may just in point of fact roughly do no matter he sought after.
‘Sammy used to be just a bit bit quicker, however I’ll check out once more subsequent time.’
Sheldon Creed ran a miraculous 3rd after spinning and shedding observe place on Lap 148 to motive the 9th warning. Creed were given assist from Kaulig Racing teammates Busch and Chandler Smith, who tangled at the final lap whilst racing for fourth.
Smith were given the easier of the alternate, completing 5th to Busch’s 9th.
Busch and Chandler Smith were not the only teammates who traded paint on Saturday. JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry spun off the bumper of Sam Mayer on Lap 84 and fought again to complete 8th.
Justin Allgaier crashed exhausting on Lap 178 after touch from teammate Bandon Jones & Kaz Grala
Justin Allgaier, who received the race’s first two levels, crashed exhausting on Lap 178 after touch from JR Motorsports teammate Brandon Jones and Sam Hunt Racing’s Kaz Grala.
The coincidence eradicated Allgaier and arrange Smith’s triumphant run to the checkered flag.
Riley Herbst ran fourth. John Hunter Nemechek recovered from a restart penalty–dipping underneath the yellow line at the apron prior to the beginning/end line–to come house 6th. Austin Hill used to be 7th, adopted by way of Berry, Busch and Daniel Hemric.
Mayer completed eleventh and pole winner Cole Custer twelfth.
Hill leads the collection standings by way of 30 issues over second-place Nemechek.
