{"id":50862,"date":"2025-04-11T23:45:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T04:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=50862"},"modified":"2025-04-12T11:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T16:04:09","slug":"chandler-smith-outduels-kyle-larson-in-nascar-truck-race-at-bristol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/11\/chandler-smith-outduels-kyle-larson-in-nascar-truck-race-at-bristol\/","title":{"rendered":"Chandler Smith outduels Kyle Larson in NASCAR Truck race at Bristol"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 QuickTie Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014After charging into the lead in Friday night\u2019s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chandler Smith\u2019s work was far from over.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 QuickTie Ford, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford then had to hold off NASCAR Cup Series moonlighter Kyle Larson over a seven-lap dash to the finish to claim his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory of the season, his second at the 0.533-mile short track and the sixth of his career.<\/p>\n

Smith also won the $50,000 Triple Truck Challenge bonus that goes to the highest-finishing NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series regular.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s victory by 0.934 seconds over Larson ended the latter\u2019s quest for a weekend sweep of NASCAR\u2019s three national series races. Even though Larson had 27-lap fresher tires than the race winner for a restart on Lap 244 of 250, he could do no better than second.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 QuickTie Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more excited for the team than I am for myself,\u201d said Smith, whose tenure in No. 38 F-150 came in an 11th-hour deal at season\u2019s end. \u201cThis group came together\u2014we hired my crew chief (Jon Leonard) two weeks before Daytona\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cMy life\u2019s been really, really crazy recently, and there were a lot of unknowns about my future going into the season, and we kind of had our backs against the wall putting this group together like I said. But holy (crap), I wouldn\u2019t want any different of a group than I had behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith grabbed the lead from eventual third-place finisher Corey Heim just before a caution flag flew on Lap 237 for Andres Perez\u2019s spin on the backstretch. That gave Smith control of the race for the final restart, and he promptly asserted himself from the top lane.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 QuickTie Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

After overcoming a tight handling condition in the second stage and a pit road speeding penalty at the stage break, Larson took the green flag behind Smith on Lap 243 and quickly passed Heim for second, but the driver of the No. 07 Spire Motorsports couldn\u2019t catch Smith, despite trying different lines around the concrete oval.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fell back on that long run in the second stage\u2014got super tight,\u201d said Larson, who pitted on Lap 162 for fresh rubber after putting 27 laps on the tires he got on Lap 135 during the stage break. \u201cThen I sped on pit road, but on that next stop, I think that probably helped us\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"

Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, races Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 QuickTie Ford, during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe had a little bit of an advantage to get toward the front. I thought it would be more of an advantage than it was. But still, I think it was a benefit to our race\u2026 Still, to get to second is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second place finish was not good enough to keep Larson\u2019s hope of the weekend sweep alive, however, he\u2019ll have two more chances at victory this weekend with Saturday\u2019s NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series race.<\/p>\n

Tyler Ankrum ran fourth, followed by Ben Rhodes. Bayley Currey picked up the first stage win of his career in Stage 2 before falling out with transmission trouble 13 laps from the finish.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chandler Smith, driver of the #38 QuickTie Ford, races during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smith led twice for a race-high 127 laps, followed by Rajah Caruth, who was out front for 85 circuits on a contrary tire strategy.<\/p>\n

Reigning series champion Ty Majeski was eliminated in a Lap 53 crash involving Frankie Muniz, Stewart Friesen and Brandon Jones.<\/p>\n

Heim leads Smith by 18 points in the series standings, with Majeski 57 points back in third.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interview:<\/h3>\n

NCTS Race Winner – Chandler Smith (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford) – <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – Weather Guard Truck Race<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol Motor Speedway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol, Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday, April 11, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    1. (3)  Chandler Smith, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    2. (11)  Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    3. (4)  Corey Heim, Toyota, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    4. (2)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    5. (6)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    6. (9)  Layne Riggs, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    7. (5)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    8. (22)  Kaden Honeycutt, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    9. (12)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    10. (14)  Giovanni Ruggiero #, Toyota, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    11. (19)  Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    12. (24)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    13. (1)  Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    14. (35)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    15. (29)  Corey Day(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    16. (27)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    17. (16)  Dawson Sutton #, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    18. (17)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    19. (10)  Andres Perez De Lara #, Chevrolet, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    20. (15)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 249.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    21. (31)  Tyler Tomassi(i), Ford, 246.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    22. (21)  Luke Fenhaus, Ford, 243.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    23. (20)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, Suspension, 237.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    24. (25)  Connor Mosack #, Chevrolet, 234.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    25. (28)  Toni Breidinger #, Toyota, 227.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    26. (23)  Justin Carroll, Toyota, 222.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    27. (7)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, Suspension, 201.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    28. (30)  Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, Brakes, 155.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    29. (26)  Patrick Staropoli(i), Toyota, Transmission, 107.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    30. (18)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, Handling, 77.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    31. (33)  Frankie Muniz #, Ford, DVP, 76.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    32. (13)  Brandon Jones(i), Toyota, Accident, 53.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    33. (8)  Ty Majeski, Ford, Accident, 52.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    34. (34)  Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Handling, 35.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    35. (32)  Stephen Mallozzi, Ford, Electrical, 4.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  72.32 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 50 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.934 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  8 for 66 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  6 among 5 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   D. Hemric 1-8;C. Smith 9-121;B. Currey 122-135;C. Heim 136;R. Caruth 137-221;C. Heim 222-236;C. Smith 237-250.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Chandler Smith 2 times for 127 laps; Rajah Caruth 1 time for 85 laps; Corey Heim 2 times for 16 laps; Bayley Currey 1 time for 14 laps; Daniel Hemric 1 time for 8 laps.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 38,99,18,34,19,07,88,7,13,71<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 44,38,45,11,15,18,88,13,99,7<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014After charging into the lead in Friday night\u2019s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chandler Smith\u2019s work was far from over. The driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford then had to hold off NASCAR Cup Series moonlighter Kyle Larson over a seven-lap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":50868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[177,858,16,882],"class_list":["post-50862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-chandler-smith","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-craftsmen-truck-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209821724-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-dem","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50862"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50864,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50862\/revisions\/50864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}