NASCAR

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fans Respond To Weather Guard Truck Race Action At Bristol Motor Speedway

Author photo
By
Jeff Hawkins
Author photo
Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

Get to know Jeff Hawkins better
Sports Editor

Published11 Apr 2025

Disclosure
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. While our content features sponsored links, from which we may earn a commission, this does not influence our recommendations.
trucks bristol chandler smith winning mug

A few weeks before opening the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Front Row Motorsports did employ full two-team garages. It wasn’t until Jan. 27, when the Mooresville, North Carolina-based organization announced Chandler Smith, a former Xfinity Series regular, would pilot the No. 38 Ford. 

Despite posting three wins and 25 top-five finishes in 69 career Xfinity starts, Smith returned to Truck circuit on a full-time basis for the first time since a three-win 2022 campaign. 

Some questioned the move. In six starts with his new team, Smith appears to be serious contender for the drivers’ championship. He qualified for the playoffs with a win Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway by holding off runner-up Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion. 

“My life has been really, really crazy recently,” Smith told Fox Sports. “There were a lot of unknowns about my future going into the season. 

“I’m more excited for this team than I am for myself. We’ve had our backs against the wall, putting a group together last minute, but holy $#!%, I wouldn’t want anything different.” 

With the afternoon qualifying session canceled because of rain, the weather cleared in time for the Weather Guard Truck Race. Smith ended up leading for a race-high 127 laps, securing his sixth career series trip to Victory Lane.  

Smith said the ad-hoc team is coming together – fast. 

“Take that in for a second,” Smith said. “This group was assembled literally in January. We hired the crew chief (Jon Leonard) two, like three, weeks before Daytona.” 

Where will the team go from here? 

X (Twitter) users responded to Smith outracing Larson during the late stages of Friday’s event at the 0.533-mile high-banked oval …  

 Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions were canceled because of rain … 

 Friday’s establishing shot … 

 With the rain cleared, the Truck Series went green at the “Last Great Colosseum” … 

Earning his first lead at Bristol, Smith overtook pole-sitter Daniel Hemric along the Lap 9 backstretch. Smith cruised to the Stage 1 win, although that has not proved fortuitous for previous pilots. Only one driver (Kyle Busch in 2017) has the Stage 1 winner gone on to win the race. Well, Smith helped halt that trend … 

Rookie Frankie Muniz spun out along Turns 1 and 2 after getting bumped by Ty Majeski. Also collected in the incident were Stewart Friesen and Brandon Jones, who were running P3 and P5, respectively, on Lap 53. It was Majeski’s first DNF in 20 outings …  

Navigating through heavy lapped traffic on Lap 122, Bayley Currey passed Smith for the lead and secured the Stage 2 win, the first of his career … 

By Lap 155, Rajah Caruth compiled 18 laps led, the most in a single event since his lone circuit win at Las Vegas in March 2024. He posted 38 laps led during that effort. By Lap 220, Caruth led for 82 laps, surpassing the total number he registered in his previous 55 outings … 

Three laps after Caruth established a personal record for laps led, Corey Heim claimed the lead along the backstretch of Lap 223. Caruth initially fell to P3 and then to P5 after Larson battled back from a pit-road speeding penalty to secure P4. Larson was on the move, but couldn’t catch Smith … 

Smith celebrated …