Chandler Smith races to dominant NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win
- TSN MOTORSPORTS INSIDER
- Jul 20
- 2 min read
, Chandler Smith secured victory in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series by leading only a single lap, surpassing his Front Row Motorsports teammate Layne Riggs.
This year, Smith demonstrated exceptional performance on Saturday by leading the final 105 laps to win the FaithFest 250 presented by Mercer Transportation, with Riggs once again finishing in second place.
The previous year's race concluded under caution following a collision between Riggs and Corey Heim's trucks on the last lap. On Saturday, Smith extended his lead in the final stage, finishing 8.479 seconds ahead of Riggs—a record margin for a short track in Truck Series history.
"We’re ready to rip," Smith stated after enduring extreme heat on the 0.625-mile asphalt track. "If the Lord wills it, we don’t plan on backing down from here going forward. We were just biding our time, keeping the fenders clean, and taking what (the No. 38 Ford) would give me."
Smith took the lead off pit road for a Lap 152 restart to begin the final stage and maintained it. Riggs restarted in eighth and climbed to second by Lap 210 but couldn't challenge his teammate in the last 40 laps.
The race continued without a caution for the final 99 laps.
"Part of me wanted a restart," Riggs admitted. "Part of me knew if that happened there was probably going to be some carnage. So I was very happy just finishing the race there, knowing our teammate got the win. Congratulations to Chandler. He did a great job."
Riggs, who won the opening stage and led 25 laps, managed to withstand the heat to hold second place over third-place NASCAR Cup Series regular Shane van Gisbergen, who matched his best NASCAR national series finish on an oval track.
"It was hot today," Riggs acknowledged. "I ice-bagged on every stop. My cool shirt was on—I took it off already. It was probably one of the hottest races I’ve ever been in. I think we need to add some heat shields to these things…
"But my mind stayed sharp, and I stayed in the game."
Riggs extended his series lead to 59 points over 11th-place finisher Kaden Honeycutt.
Christian Eckes finished fourth, followed by Landen Lewis, who achieved his second consecutive top-five finish after a runner-up performance last Saturday at Lime Rock Park.
Giovanni Ruggiero, Chase Elliott, Stewart Friesen, Heim, and Stage 2 winner Ty Majeski rounded out the top 10.
The competition for the final postseason Chase spots intensified on Saturday. With three races remaining to determine the Chase field, Friesen and 19th-place finisher Tyler Ankrum are tied for the 10th and final postseason berth, with Jake Garcia just 11 points behind in 12th place after finishing 13th at North Wilkesboro.
Carson Hocevar led 74 laps but couldn't recover from a cut left-front tire that dropped him two laps down, resulting in a 27th-place finish.
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