Following his 13th-place finish in Saturday afternoon’s Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chandler Smith opened up about his future –- which appears clouded with just two races remaining in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
Smith won the pole at Homestead and contended for the race win, but a hiccup on pit road, where the jack got wedged underneath the car under green flag conditions in Stage 3, caused the Talking Rock, Georgia native to lose crucial track time.
Without the benefit of a late-race caution, Smith ran out of laps to fully recover and settled for his first Xfinity finish outside the top-10 in nine races dating back to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in August.
“Just wasn’t meant to be,” said Smith after the race. “honestly, missed it on balance. Driver made an error on the green flag stop, drove it off the jack. (It) just wasn’t meant to be today. That’s okay. Look forward to going to Martinsville, and we’re probably going to be in a must win situation there.”
It wasn’t the circumstances that derailed Smith’s opportunity to deliver his third win of the season that garnered attention, but rather his remarks about his future in the sport.
“For somebody that don’t have a job next year in the industry, I’m probably going to be working for my dad on the construction side, just because of how some things are unfortunately are playing out, I feel like I don’t owe anybody anything going to Martinsville,” offered Smith.”
Seeded fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings, knowing a win would propel his No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing team into the Championship 4 race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway on Nov. 9, Smith appears to be ready for the expected Nov. 2 fall brawl at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in a 250 lap-race that is already perforating a vibe of chaos and a lot of contact.
“Look forward to going to Martinsville. Just got through telling my crew chief Jeff Meendering to make sure the front bumper on that thing is reinforced for Martinsville,” Smith admitted.
No matter the outcome at Martinsville or Phoenix, Smith isn’t worried about his future. The 22-year-old continues to rely on his faith to guide his path for the long term.
“At the end of the day, I know the good Lord got a plan for me,” added Smith. “If that’s racing for 20 more years now and making it on Sundays or making a full-time job out of racing on Saturdays, then I’m for it.”
For months, Smith had been rumored to drive one of Front Row Motorsports’ NASCAR Cup Series entries. Despite their antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR, the team will likely expand to three teams, with another Smith, Zane Smith, the team’s former Truck Series pilot, now the favorite.
With the addition of ARCA Menards Series East champion William Sawalich and Truck Series championship contender Taylor Gray both joining Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series program in 2025, the door appears closed for Smith to return to the organization as a full-time driver for a second consecutive season.
Outside of Front Row and JGR, Smith’s name has been speculated as a potential driving candidate with additional Xfinity and Truck Series opportunities next season. However, those teams don’t christen Joe Gibbs Racing’s strength every week.
And based on Smith’s interview Saturday evening, it does not appear those prospects are even close to coming to fruition.
Should nothing piece together though between now and February, and if his future includes being out of a race car, Smith says he’s OK with that too.
“But if it’s, if it’s my time to go and do something else, and he’s got plans for me elsewhere, I’m completely fine with that,” he explained. “We’ll see how everything pans out. I’m not really stressing about it and letting it weigh on me.
“It just is what it is, and I’m just looking forward to seeing what’s in store next.”
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
