Chandler Smith Inks Three-Race Deal with Sam Hunt Racing
Smith to Pilot the No. 26 Charge Me Toyota GR Supra at Talladega Superspeedway, Dover Motor Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 14, 2022) – Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) announced today that Chandler Smith, who is currently second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) championship standings, has signed with the team for three NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races in 2022. Smith will make his NXS debut in the No. 26 Charge Me Toyota GR Supra in the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 23. The 19-year-old will also compete at Dover Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Smith, a full-time competitor in the NCWTS for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is looking forward to making the next step in his NASCAR national touring series career. In 2021, Smith completed his first full-time season in the NCWTS where he finished eighth in the championship points standings. Smith has 43 career starts over four years including three wins, 17 Top-5 and 21 Top-10 finishes. Additionally, he has 34 ARCA Menards Series starts where he collected nine wins, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes.
“It’s definitely going to be exciting,” said Smith. “The experience just being able to come up and do a longer race and have more pit stops with a different car instead of a truck is going to be all in all a lot different than what I’m accustomed to. I’m really looking forward to the challenge. It’s big for me to join Sam’s team. SHR is still kind of a smaller team. They are still learning a lot and in their baby years, and I feel like I may have a little bit to bring to the table myself to help them excel and to bring a new aspect to the team. Hopefully I can be an asset and help a little bit with their development and growth. I can’t wait to be a small part of this team’s huge success as it continues to grow.”
SHR is excited to add another young, proven talent to its roster in 2022. Smith marks the sixth driver to join the Sam Hunt Racing team this year — SHR’s second full-time season of NXS competition. Smith is the third driver to make their NXS debut with SHR this season alone. He is the sixth driver to make their NXS debut in the No. 26 since the organization opened its doors in 2019.
“Our entire organization is excited to add Chandler to our roster,” said Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing. “His ability speaks for itself and it will be fun to begin his transition from the truck series into the Xfinity series here at SHR. These races will serve as a great opportunity for him to learn these cars, how they drive, and how the races flow at this level. Seeing his success in the truck series, there’s no reason he can’t be competitive out of the gate with us. Our spotter, Chris Lambert, works with Chandler at KBM, making this transition even simpler. We’re also proud to partner with the ChargeMe brand for these races, and cannot thank Bill and his entire team for coming on board. It’s going to be a fun couple of races and a great next step for Chandler’s climb in NASCAR.”
Smith brings Charge Me to the No. 26 team for all three NXS races. Charge Me believes that electric vehicles are critical to a green future, as they carry the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our everyday commute. With first-of-its kind, off-grid charging solutions powered by clean fuels like propane and natural gas, Charge Me is building the infrastructure and roadside assistance capabilities that will keep your electric vehicle on the road and electrified, anywhere and at any time.
“Charge Me is excited to be sponsoring Chandler Smith as he continues to show real heart and grit out there on the race track,” says Bill Marr, Executive Vice President of Charge Me. “Chandler embodies a lot of the ideals we strive for at Charge Me, and we’re proud to support him. At Charge Me, we want to help build electric vehicle infrastructure across America. But we recognize the need for off-grid solutions in the form of clean fuels like propane and natural gas. We want to electrify America the way Chandler electrifies race tracks – burning fuel responsibly.”
The Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway is the ninth race of the 2022 NXS season. The 113-lap event is set to begin at 4:00PM ET on Saturday, April 23rd to be broadcasted live on FOX, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM Channel 90.
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