Sammy Smith joins JGR Xfinity programme for 8 races

Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing are eager to get coveted prospect Sammy Smith into NASCAR’s higher levels. On Thursday, JGR announced Smith will make his Xfinity Series début at Road America on 2 July as part of an eight-race itinerary in the #18 Toyota GR Supra.

After Road America comes dates at Pocono Raceway (23 July), Michigan International Speedway (6 August), Watkins Glen International (20 August), Kansas Speedway (10 September), Bristol Motor Speedway (16 September), Martinsville Speedway (29 October), and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (5 November). Road America and Watkins Glen are both road courses while Kansas is the lone 1.5-mile oval.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to run the #18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Smith stated. “Making the jump to this level is huge for me and my career, and I’m thankful for all of my partners and supporters that have helped me get here.”

A member of Toyota’s driver development programme, Smith stood out in late models before moving to the ARCA Menards Series East with JGR in 2021. That year, he scored top-five finishes in all but one race along with three wins en route to the championship and easy Rookie of the Year honours. Four races into the 2022 ARCA East season, now with JGR’s Camping World Truck Series arm Kyle Busch Motorsports fielding the car, he has won thrice and is once again atop the standings.

As Smith turned eighteen five days ago, JGR hopes to have him commit to the national ARCA Menards Series for the rest of the year. Save for a retirement in his maiden race, he has top fives in his three next starts in the series. His lone ARCA run to date was a third at Phoenix in March, where he won the pole and led the most laps.

Of his eight Xfinity races, he already has ARCA experience at Phoenix and Bristol; he placed second at the later in 2021. ARCA also has races at Pocono, Michigan, Watkins Glen, Kansas, and Bristol prior to the Xfinity event, giving him more opportunities to gain track time.

“Sammy has impressed at every level of his racing career,” commented JGR Xfinity Executive Vice President Steve DeSouza. “We believe Sammy will continue to excel and look forward to supporting him as he expands his 2022 schedule to include eight races in the Xfinity Series with the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 team led by crew chief Jason Ratcliff.”

While it might seem like a large jump to go from ARCA to NASCAR’s second highest division, it is not a new philosophy, let alone for JGR. Such an approach was taken for Ty Gibbs, who impressed so much in his part-time 2021 Xfinity schedule while also racing for the ARCA championship to the point where he skipped the Truck Series entirely to drive full-time in Xfinity.

JGR’s #18 has been piloted by multiple drivers in 2022 with Trevor Bayne, Drew Dollar, Connor Mosack, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Truex, and Bubba Wallace making starts. After fourteen races, the entry is twelfth in owner points with Nemechek holding its best finish of second at Richmond. Like Smith, Dollar and Mosack’s starts in the car marked their Xfinity débuts.