Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith | |
---|---|
![]() Smith at New Smyrna Speedway in 2021 | |
Nationality | ![]() |
Born | Samuel Smith June 4, 2004 Johnston, Iowa |
ARCA Menards Series East career | |
Debut season | 2021 |
Current team | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Car number | 18 / 81 |
Engine | Toyota |
Crew chief | Mark McFarland / Jacob Canter / Jamie Jones |
Starts | 6 |
Championships | 2021 |
Wins | 3 |
Poles | 1 |
Previous series | |
2019–present 2020–present 2021–present | CARS Late Model Stock Tour CARS Super Late Model Tour ARCA Menards Series |
Awards | |
2021 | Winchester 400 winner |
Last updated on: July 25, 2021. |
Samuel Smith (born June 4, 2004) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the Nos. 18 and 81 Toyota Camrys for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also competes in the CARS Tour late model racing series, where he has driven for car owners Barry Nelson, Marcus Richmond, and Donnie Wilson as well as Kyle Busch Motorsports. He is also a Toyota development driver. Smith was the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East champion.
Racing career[]
Late model racing[]
Smith began racing at the age of 8 in go-karts, and then began racing legends cars and late models. His dad inspired him to start racing.[1]
Smith made his debut in the CARS Tour in May 2019, driving the No. 12 Toyota for Barry Nelson. He was 14 years old at the time. He would run five more races for Nelson that year and another in 2020, before running two races in the No. 19 for Marcus Richmond. Smith returned to Nelson's team in 2021 to compete in the race at Orange County Speedway. Smith competed full-time in the CARS Series in the Super Late Model Tour in 2020, driving the No. 51 (or on occasion, the No. 51S) for Kyle Busch Motorsports. That year, he also competed in the World Series of Asphalt.[1]
In 2021, KBM decided to temporarily close down their late model team,[2] so Smith moved to Wilson Motorsports for his late model starts that year.[3] He again entered the World Series of Asphalt and won the race driving the team's No. 22 car.[4]
ARCA[]
On February 3, 2021, it was announced that Smith would compete in the first five races of the ARCA Menards Series East season as well as the West Series season-finale at Phoenix, all in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 car.[5] In his debut at New Smyrna, Smith would lose the race to Max Gutiérrez in a three-wide photo finish with him and Taylor Gray.[6] Smith would then go on to win and lead the most laps in the next two races at Five Flags and the Nashville Fairgrounds. He also won the pole at Five Flags. At Dover, JGR entered Ty Gibbs (their full-time driver in the main ARCA Menards Series) in the No. 18 and moved Smith to a new second car for the team, the No. 81. (It was originally the No. 18E on the entry list,[7] but since this race was not a combination race, numbers with letters were not allowed and the team had to change the number.) Gibbs would win that race and Smith would finish fourth. At Southern National Motorsports Park, Smith would pick up his third win of the season. While the remaining three East Series races were not on his initial schedule, Smith is expected to return to the No. 81 in those three races (at least Iowa)[8] to hold onto the points lead and win the championship. Those three races are combination races with the main ARCA Menards Series, so Gibbs will be in the No. 18.
Motorsports career results[]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Menards Series[]
ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | AMSC | Pts | Ref |
2021 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 81 | Toyota | DAY | PHO | TAL | KAN | TOL | CLT | MOH | POC | ELK | BLN | IOW 18 |
WIN | GLN | MCH | ISF | MLW 5 |
DSF | BRI 2 |
SLM | KAN | 35th | 107 | [9] |
ARCA Menards Series East[]
ARCA Menards Series East results | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | AMSEC | Pts | Ref |
2021 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 18 | Toyota | NSM 2* |
FIF 1* |
NSV 1* |
SMP 1 |
1st | 385 | [10] | ||||
81 | DOV 4 |
IOW 18 |
MLW 5 |
BRI 2 |
ARCA Menards Series West[]
ARCA Menards Series West results | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | AMSWC | Pts | Ref |
2021 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 81 | Toyota | PHO | SON | IRW | CNS | IRW | PIR | LVS | AAS | PHO 3 |
39th | 41 | [11] |
References[]
- ^ a b Allen, Richard (August 5, 2020). "Sammy Smith developing talent with Kyle Busch Motorsports guidance". Inside Circle Track. Tempera & WordPress. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Weaver, Matt (January 25, 2021). "Kyle Busch Motorsports Super Late Model Team Shuttered". Short Track Scene. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "Sammy Smith Lands at Wilson Motorsports". Speed Sport. January 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Fenwick, Adam (February 7, 2021). "Sammy Smith Returns To Victory Lane". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (February 3, 2021). "Sammy Smith Joins Joe Gibbs Racing's ARCA East Program for Six Races in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
- ^ Haislop, Tadd (February 9, 2021). "Rookie Max Gutiérrez Earns First ARCA Win In Photo Finish At New Smyrna". ARCARacing.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Koelle, Christian (May 11, 2021). "ARCA East Preview: 2021 General Tire 125 at Dover International Speedway". Kickin' the Tires. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "Ty Gibbs, Sammy Smith to race as teammates at Iowa Speedway". ARCARacing.com. July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Sammy Smith – 2021 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ "Sammy Smith – 2021 ARCA Menards Series East Results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ "Sammy Smith – 2021 ARCA Menards Series West Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
External links[]
- Sammy Smith driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Living people
- 2004 births
- Racing drivers from Iowa
- NASCAR drivers
- ARCA Menards Series drivers
- People from Johnston, Iowa
- Joe Gibbs Racing drivers