Garrett Smithley, who is set for a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign with SS-GreenLight Racing this season, will add some NASCAR Cup Series action to his schedule in 2025. On Saturday morning, MBM Motorsports announced the addition of Smithley to its driver schedule for its Garage 66 NASCAR Cup Series entry.
Smithley will pilot the No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Pennsylvania native is excited to be part of the first NASCAR Cup race at the iconic 0.250-mile short track since 1971, and he hopes he can parlay it into more starts with Garage 66 this season.
“It’s awesome to be back in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025,” Smithley said in a team press release. “I’ve been talking to Carl [Long] for a while now about putting something together, and finally all the pieces fell into place. I am looking forward to running this historic race at Bowman Gray, and hopefully we can do more together throughout the year.”
Long explains that Smithley’s agreement with SS-GreenLight Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series gives Smithley the ability to race anytime, anywhere when it comes to the NASCAR Cup Series.
“It has been a while since Garrett last drove for our organization, but I am glad to have him back in our car,” Long stated. “He has a solid deal in Xfinity that also gives him more freedom to race in Cup. Garrett knows how to take care of his equipment and be there at the end.”
The team owner feels like the tight confines at Bowman Gray will allow Smithley and the No. 66 team to compete at a higher level.
“Garage 66 does not have the high-budget simulators that some other teams utilize, but Garrett has done well on short tracks, and they don’t get much shorter than Bowman Gray. We are going to have a great time kicking off the 2025 season.”
Garage 66 will reveal the sponsorship partner for Smithley’s Clash attempt in the coming days.
Smithley, 32, has made 76 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series throughout his career. Smithley’s career-best finish was a 21st-place effort at Auto Club Speedway in 2022 while driving the No. 15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing.
