Lucky 13 rides along with the driver who qualifies 13th, keeping an eye on how their race unfolds. This driver could be sent to the back of the pack and still pull off a victory, or their luck could take a nosedive early in the race. With luck on their side – or against them – anything can happen! So, grab your four-leaf clovers, your lucky horseshoes, and maybe even a rabbit’s foot for the latest Lucky 13! Will it be fortune or misfortune? Let’s find out!
Heart of Healthcare 200
Driver: Chandler Smith
Organization & Number: Front Row Motorsports, #38
Crew Chief: Jon Leonard
Spotter: Ryan Blanchard
“Let’s execute! We’ve got a winner!” – Chandler Smith
Stage 1
The green flag waved, and Chandler Smith set forth on a yellow brick road to victory lane at Kansas Speedway. Despite an early dust-up, the race stayed green and Smith moved up to P9 in the opening lap.
Two more spots were gained as drivers succumbed to the damage from the opening lap.
Lap 4 brought the first caution, as Dawson Sutton spun on pit road. Smith noted, “Just a little free.” After everything had settled down, Smith was sitting P5 for the restart on Lap 9.
Heading out of Turn 2, Smith had strong-armed his way to P2. Two laps later, he fell to P3 when Kaden Honeycutt passed him, and then it was a door-to-door battle for the two truckers. Ultimately, Smith won out and set sail to close the gap on race leader Corey Heim.
With eight to go, the second caution waved. Still in second, Smith noted he was still “laterally free…but overall, not bad.”
Smith was instructed, “We’ll pit when it opens, then stay out during the stage.”
Jon Leonard called him in for tires, fuel, and adjustments. Following the stop, Smith returned to the track in P6 with two to go.
Smith immediately found himself top of three after a wild restart. Once it shook out, hr took the stage in P5.
He immediately radioed in, “My engine started sputtering when I was side-by-side with the No. 7.”
Stage 2
The team quickly worked to settle Smith’s nerves about the engine issue. He started Stage 2 in P5, and before the lap was over, Smith was back in P2.
Carson Hocevar worked his way around Smith, forcing the Front Row Motorsports driver to settle for P3.
Lap 51 brought out the next caution when Cody Dennison went for a spin. Smith updated Leonard on what he was feeling from P3.
Leonard called him to the pits for a round of adjustments, but Smith was sent to the rear for an equipment interference penalty.
With five to go, he restarted P22 and took the green checkers in P14.
Stage 3
Smith found himself in P13 for the start of the final stage, and he quickly worked his way into the top 10.
After running P10, Smith was called to the pits with 41 to go and returned in P25, down a lap. Before any ground could be made, the caution waved as Frankie Muniz went for a spin.
With 32 to go, Smith took the green flag in P23. Within three laps, Smith had moved up 10 spots.
With 24 to go, the caution came out as Bayley Currey and Connor Mosack went spinning. Smith was scored P9 but had received damage in the incident.
The next green flag came with 20 to go, and Smith fell to P14. Within seven laps, Smith lost another four spots.
Smith was disappointed in the handling of his truck in the closing laps and was forced to settle for P18.
Post-Race Update
Following post-race inspection, Smith’s teammate, Layne Riggs, was disqualified after finishing P2. This resulted in a P17 finish for Smith at Kansas.
Sponsor Shout-out + Social Round-up
NASCAR fans know sponsors make the sport go ’round. We want to shout out Long John Silver’s – they played a huge part of the weekend for Chandler and the No. 38 team.
Be sure to give Chandler Smith (Facebook, Instagram, X) and Front Row Motorsports (Facebook, Instagram, X) a follow to keep up with the latest news from the driver and team.
