Chandler Smith – currently sitting second in standings in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — will get his first taste of the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, partnering with Sam Hunt Racing for a three-race deal.
The Talking Rock, Georgia-native will make his series debut at Talladega Superspeedway, before returning to the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra at Dover Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“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 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.”
Smith is the sixth driver to compete for Sam Hunt Racing throughout the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the third to make their series debut for the team in their second full-time year of competition.
“Our entire organization is excited to add Chandler [Smith] 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 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 [enough] 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.”
Charge Me – offering the first-of-its-kind, off-grid charging solutions powered by clean fuels like propane and natural gas — will back Smith in his three NASCAR Xfinity Series events in the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra.
“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 – the ninth race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season — will take place on Saturday, April 23rd at 4:00 PM ET, with a live broadcast on FOX, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
