KANSAS CITY, Kansas – The job hunt is officially on.
After finishing fifth in Saturday afternoon’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Regan Smith told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider he will not return to JR Motorsports for the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season.
The statement from Smith, a two-time XFINITY Series winner this season officially put Smith in audition mode striving to keep a presence in the sport in a hopeful full-time basis next season.
The 32-year-old has fended off serious discussion about his future in the sport, but the question now arises, is it too late for Smith to find a seat somewhere else?
Only time will tell.
Smith started off his tenure at JR Motorsports in 2012 with a win in the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, but during three full-time seasons of competition, Smith has achieved just five more wins and a runner-up finish in the championship standings last year to JR Motorsports.
Despite mediocre success in the XFINITY Series at JR Motorsports, Smith has worked on a year-to-year contact with the Mooresville, North Carolina- based team.
Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t been shy to make it known that sponsorship has been hard to sell for the No. 7 NASCAR XFINITY Series team long-term. And that fact is likely keeping Smith out of one of the most coveted seats on the tour is even more disappointing.
But, without being blunt, that’s one of the cruelties of the sport in most cases.
No sponsorship. No money. No ride.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
@ReganSmith told us post race on @NASCARonNBC that he is definitely not coming back to JR Motorsports next season. Officially job hunting.
— Marty Snider (@heymartysnider) October 17, 2015
