HOMESTEAD, Fla. – While Regan Smith’s 100th start for JR Motorsports didn’t turn out as good as his first, it still was a strong finish in Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway
In the 2012 Ford EcoBoost 300, Smith who was recently announced as the full-time driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team beginning in 2013 showed why he was the right choice when Smith scored his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win after starting 10th.
Since then, Smith has contended for championships and collected five more XFINITY Series triumphs, but the opportunity to pilot the team’s flagship No. 7 entry came to an end with a ninth place finish Saturday afternoon.
And while most would be proud to end their season on a high note, Smith’s 26th top-10 finish of the season was left with more to be desired and a disappointing feeling for him and his bonded brothers at JR Motorsports.
“Obviously, we’re a little disappointed with our end result,” said Smith after the race. “After practice, we really had high hopes. We felt like we were one of the strongest cars heading into the race. It didn’t translate today.”
Mathematically still in contention for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship title, Smith knew that it would take a miracle for he or his closest rivals of Chase Elliott or Ty Dillon to snatch the championship trophy away from a consistent Chris Buescher, but Smith still had hopes of leaping over his fellow Chevrolet competitors and match his runner-up championship run from last season.
“I felt like with the way the car handled in practice, we could have battled back to second in points,” added Smith, who settled for fourth overall, seven points from second-place runner-up Chase Elliott.
“Just came up a little short.”
While Smith has seen the good and bad during his three-year tenure at JR Motorsports, his departure from the organization seems unwarranted, but Smith isn’t caught up in the moment. Instead, he’s focused on the future, even if it still remains somewhat uncertain.
“I’m extremely appreciative of the opportunities and the last three years I had at JR Motorsports,” added Smith. “I had a lot of fun, won some races and worked with a lot of great people. No regrets. Well, almost. The only regret was coming up a little short for the (XFINITY) title all three years.”
As for his biggest moment at JR Motorsports? Smith paused for a quick second, but explained.
“(The) win at Daytona,” he said. “Purely, because it was Daytona. It was special. It’s Daytona. Obviously, the win at Homestead (in 2012) was pretty high (on the list), but Daytona for sure.”
And while Earnhardt has said countless times how much of an asset Smith has been to the program, NASCAR’s most popular driver added a sentimental touch after the race tweeting about Smith’ calling him, “An even better person and friend. Going to miss him & appreciate all he’s done for our employees @JRMotorsports.”
It goes without saying that Smith’s credentials speak for themselves. Not only is he championship worthy, but he’s respected and a proven winner. Two essential assets to success at any form or level of Motorsports.
With the curtain drawn on the XFINITY Series season, 31-year-old Smith remains mum on his plans for next season.
The good news?
Smith’s name continues to linger about possible driving opportunities across all three of NASCAR’s top-three national series in 2016.
However, despite no official contract in place for next season, Smith doesn’t seem the least bit worried.
“I’m excited about what the futures holds,” he quipped.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
