After spending the last three seasons as a shot-caller for TRICON Garage in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Derek Smith is getting a fresh start with CR7 Motorsports.
On Friday, the Codie Rohrbaugh-owned organization announced the acquisition of Smith, who, beginning with the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, will be partnered with Grant Enfinger and the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado RST team.
Leading the charge on top of the box in ‘26??
Welcome to CR7 Motorsports, Derek Smith! pic.twitter.com/9sYRC1quTf
— CR7 Motorsports (@Cr7Motorsports) December 5, 2025
The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will mark the fourth full-time season in which Smith has served as a crew chief, after heading up the No. 5 for TRICON Garage each of the last three seasons — the first two years with Dean Thompson behind the wheel, and the most recent with Toni Breidinger.
Smith had been a part of the TRICON outfit for more than six seasons, dating all the way back to the days of David Gilliland Racing (DGR) and even DGR-Crosley, with roles in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
In 73 starts as a crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Smith was able to amass two top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes (10 of which came with Dean Thompson, and one of which came with Dylan Lupton in 2020).
Enfinger and CR7 Motorsports will enter their third season together in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and are looking to get a big jumpstart, after previous crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz departed the organization with five races left in the 2025 campaign — leaving to move over to TRICON Garage in the off-season.
Smith will look to continue building on the strong points that Enfinger and CR7 Motorsports had together the last two seasons, including two victories, 15 top-fives, and 27 top-10s, plus a Championship 4 berth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2024, which resulted in a fourth-place points finish.
The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will begin with the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.
