Sammy Smith Wins Phoenix Xfinity - Youth Is Served

Sammy Smigh and crew celebrating 

(PHOENIX, AZ – MAR 11, 20223 – RIS) 18-year-old high school senior Sammy Smith dominated the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway on the way to his first career Xfinity Series victory. Smith led 92 of the 200 laps and held off challenges for the lead from several challengers.

“It was tough with all of these restarts. I just got to thank everyone on this Pilot Flying J team, TMC, Allstate Peterbuilt, Renda Group, Sinclair, Toyota, JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) guys – everybody on this 18 team that gave me an awesome car,” Smith said,

It took a “lot of hard work and a lot of great people behind me. Without all these guys – and Pilot Flying J, TMC and Toyota, I wouldn’t be here.”

“It is amazing. It’s a dream come true – just thanks to Pilot Flying J, TMC, Allstate Peterbuilt Group, Renda Group, Toyota – all of the guys on the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) team for giving me this opportunity. It is awesome.”

Cole Custer raced to a lead of over a second in just the first handful of laps. Kyle Busch, after starting last on sticker tires because he opted not to make a qualifying attempt, advanced to 20th in the first ten laps under green.

Leland Honeyman’s rear body panel broke off after a slight brush with the wall and the first caution flew for the debris just as Joe Graf Jr knocked it out of the middle of the track and against the wall.

Justin Allgaier used the caution to take the lead from Custer until Josh Berry’s spin from a bump by Chandler Smith brought out a short caution that led to a two-lap dash to end the first stage. Allgaier went on to with the stage, with Kyle Busch all the way to seventh place at the green and white checkered flag. Sheldon Creed followed Allgaier by just over a half second, with Sammy Smith, Riley Herbst and Daniel Hemric the top five. Early leader Cole Custer was next, just ahead of Busch after a problematic pit stop.

John Hunter Nemechek led the restart but Brett Moffett got spun by a touch from Jeremy Clements to bring out an immediate caution.

Conor Mosack spun in Turn One to cause another caution. Nemechek was called for a restart violation by dropping below the yellow line before he passed the start/finish line. He managed to execute the drive-through penalty without going a lap down while Austin Hill inherited the lead. Sam Mayer bumped his teammate Josh Berry, sending Berry into his second spin to cause the sixth caution with only a handful of laps left in the second stage. Allgaier swept the sixth stage win of his career at the desert track, winning the second stage in this race, followed by Austin Hill, Daniel Hemric and Sammy Smith, with Kyle Busch in fifth position at the end of the stage.

Austin Hill and Hemric led on the restart, while Allgaier started thirtieth after a pit stop. Kyle Busch darted to the lead from fourth at the restart and Sammy Smith answered the challenge, battling for the lead and using the apron to take the lead.

Gray Gaulding caused the eighth caution of the race with a hard impact in the first turn, walking to the emergency truck unaided after he exited the car.

Austin Hill got off pit road first, then Sheldon Creed’s spin with a flat left-rear tire caused the race’s ninth yellow flag. Sammy Smith and Kyle Busch held the front row at the restart with Austin Hill and John Hunger Nemechek in the second row.

Anthony Alfredo had a solo snap spin in the second turn for the tenth yellow of the afternoon, Sammy Smith held onto the lead but John Hunter Nemexhek tried too hard on the restart and scraped the wall but a chain reaction hit between Justin Allgaier and Kaz Grala sent Allgaier to the garage and out of the race.

Sammy Smith took off into the lead on the restart, followed by Kyle Busch with Chandler Smith third and Austin Hill fourth. Chandler Smith challenged Busch for second then Ryan Truex took advantage of their battle to take second place.

Sammy Smith took his thirteenth start to a first career victory 

Unofficial Results: United Rentals 200, March 11, 2023, Phoenix Raceway
Fin, St, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts , Pts, Status
1) 11, Sammy Smith #, No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota, 200, 3, 4, 2, 92, 5, 55, Running
2) 12, Ryan Truex, No. 19 Toyota Genuine Parts Toyota, 200, , , , , , 35, Running
3) 5, Sheldon Creed, No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, 200, 2, 10, , , , 44, Running
4) 10, Riley Herbst, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford, 200, 4, 8, , , , 43, Running
5) 6, Chandler Smith #, No. 16 Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet, 200, 10, , 2, 2, , 33, Running
6) 4, John Hunter Nemechek, No. 20 Safeway/Albertsons Toyota, 200, 9, , 1, 19, , 33, Running
7) 8, Austin Hill, No. 21 United Rentals Chevrolet, 200, , 2, 3, 22, , 39, Running
8) 7, Josh Berry, No. 8 Jarrett Logistics Systems Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 29, Running
9) 38, Kyle Busch(i), No. 10 LA Golf Chevrolet, 200, 7, 5, 2, 3, , 0, Running
10) 3, Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Cirkul Chevrolet, 200, 5, 3, , , , 41, Running
11) 14, Sam Mayer, No. 1 Accelerate Pros Talent Chevrolet, 200, 8, 7, 1, 4, , 33, Running
12) 1, Cole Custer, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford, 200, 6, , 2, 38, , 30, Running
13) 17, Brett Moffitt, No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford, 200, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 25, Anthony Alfredo, No. 78 Ticket Smarter Chevrolet, 200, , 6, , , , 28, Running
15) 37, Parker Kligerman, No. 48 Big Machine Racing Spiked Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 22, Running
16) 9, Ryan Sieg, No. 39 CMRroofing.com Ford, 200, , , , , , 21, Running
17) 18, Kyle Weatherman, No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 20, Running
18) 15, Parker Retzlaff #, No. 31 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 19, Running
19) 19, Ryan Ellis, No. 43 Rolling Plains Construction Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 27, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Fox Sports/Spartan Waste Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 17, Running
21) 20, Josh Williams, No. 92 Call 811/Alloy Employer Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 16, Running
22) 16, Jeb Burton, No. 27 Bommarito.com/EasyCare Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 15, Running
23) 21, Brandon Jones, No. 9 Menards/Barracuda Pumps Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 14, Running
24) 36, Connor Mosack, No. 24 Toyota Racing Development Toyota, 200, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 22, Kyle Sieg, No. 28  Ford, 200, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 33, Joey Gase, No. 35 Nevada Donor Network Toyota, 200, , , , , , 11, Running
27) 23, Leland Honeyman, No. 45 Klean Freak Body Wipes Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 10, Running
28) 32, Bayley Currey, No. 4 Mikes Weather Page/Firman Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 9, Running
29) 28, Brennan Poole, No. 6 Rudy's Barbecue/Macc Door Systems Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 8, Running
30) 34, Patrick Emerling, No. 53 Sci Aps Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 24, Joe Graf Jr, No. 38 GTECHNIQ Ford, 200, , , , , , 6, Running
32) 30, Garrett Smithley, No. 91 DozerWinchParts.com Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 5, Running
33) 31, Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 44 Gas POS/BZ Mart Chevrolet, 200, , , , , , 4, Running
34) 13, Kaz Grala, No. 26 Fire Department Coffee Toyota, 199, , 9, , , , 5, Running
35) 35, Blaine Perkins #, No. 07 Swift Chevrolet, 192, , , , , , 2, Suspension
36) 2, Justin Allgaier, No. 7 hellowater Chevrolet, 178, 1, 1, 2, 20, 2, 21, Accident
37) 26, Gray Gaulding, No. 08 Panini NFT Ford, 137, , , , , , 1, Accident
38) 29, Dawson Cram, No. 74 Lerner & Rowe Injury Lawyers Chevrolet, 99, , , , , , 1, Fuel Pump
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie

Total Race Length: 200 Laps, 200. Miles
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 26 Mins, 12 Secs.
Average Speed: 82.079 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.641 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 7, 2, 18, 98, 11, 00, 10, 1, 20, 16
Stage 2 Top 10: 7, 21, 11, 18, 10, 78, 1, 98, 26, 2

Comments: Sammy Smith won the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway, his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.

Prior to the start the following cars dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reason indicated: No. 10, No. 44(unapproved adjustments), No. 48 (backup car).

Failed to Qualify: (1) 66 Timmy Hill(i).

Cautions: 11 for 69 laps;
Laps: 30-35 (Debris [07]);
40-43 (No. 8 Spin Turn 3 [53]);
47-55 (Stage 1 Conclusion [None]);
57-62 (No. 25 Spin Turn 3 [74]);
70-74 (No. 24, No. 92 Incident Turn 2 [74]);
85-88 (No. 1, No. 8 Incident Turn 2 [74]);
92-100 (Stage 2 Conclusion [74]);
140-147 (No. 08 Incident Turn 1 [24]);
150-156 (No. 2 Spin Turn 2 [91]);
172-176 (No. 78 Spin Turn 2 [07]);
180-185 (No. 25, No. 26, No. 7 Incident Turn 4 [44]).

Lead Changes: 14 among 8 drivers;
C. Custer 1-37;
J. Allgaier 38-49;
C. Custer 50;
S. Mayer 51-54;
J. Nemechek 55-73;
A. Hill 74-85;
C. Smith # 86;
J. Allgaier 87-94;
A. Hill 95-100;
K. Busch(i) 101-102;
S. Smith # 103-142;
C. Smith # 143;
A. Hill 144-147;
K. Busch(i) 148;
S. Smith # 149-200.

Unofficial Points: United Rentals 200
Rank    Driver    Car    Starts    GL    Points    Ldr    Nxt    Race Wins    Stage Wins    Playoff Pts
1)    Austin Hill    21    4    0    195    0    0    2    2    12
2)    John Hunter Nemechek    20    4    1    165    -30    30    1    1    6
3)    Justin Allgaier    7    4    -1    156    -39    9    0    3    3
4)    Chandler Smith #    16    4    0    155    -40    1    0    0    0
5)    Riley Herbst    98    4    0    155    -40    0    0    0    0
6)    Sammy Smith #    18    4    5    128    -67    27    1    0    5
7)    Sam Mayer    1    4    -1    128    -67    0    0    0    0
8)    Cole Custer    00    4    -1    118    -77    10    0    2    2
9)    Josh Berry    8    4    -1    114    -81    4    0    0    0
10)    Daniel Hemric    11    4    4    106    -89    8    0    0    0
11)    Sheldon Creed    2    4    5    105    -90    1    0    0    0
12)    Parker Kligerman    48    4    -2    99    -96    6    0    0    0
13)    Brett Moffitt    25    4    2    87    -108    12    0    0    0
14)    Ryan Sieg    39    4    -1    86    -109    1    0    0    0
15)    Jeb Burton    27    4    -3    86    -109    0    0    0    0
16)    Joe Graf Jr    38    4    -7    84    -111    2    0    0    0
17)    Anthony Alfredo    78    4    4    79    -116    5    0    0    0
18)    Brandon Jones    9    4    -1    73    -122    6    0    0    0
19)    Parker Retzlaff #    31    4    0    70    -125    3    0    0    0
20)    Jeremy Clements    51    4    0    68    -127    2    0    0    0
21)    Kyle Sieg    28    4    -3    67    -128    1    0    0    0
22)    Josh Williams    92    4    0    66    -129    1    0    0    0
23)    Kaz Grala    26    4    0    48    -147    18    0    0    0
24)    Kyle Weatherman    02    2    7    41    -154    7    0    0    0
25)    Joey Gase    35    4    1    39    -156    2    0    0    0
26)    Ryan Truex    19    1    33    35    -160    4    0    0    0
27)    Myatt Snider        1    -3    33    -162    2    0    0    0
28)    Ryan Ellis    43    4    7    33    -162    0    0    0    0
29)    Jeffrey Earnhardt    44    4    -2    32    -163    1    0    0    0
30)    Alex Labbe        2    -5    28    -167    4    0    0    0
31)    Brennan Poole    6    4    1    28    -167    0    0    0    0
32)    Bayley Currey    4    4    2    26    -169    2    0    0    0
33)    Stefan Parsons        1    -5    24    -171    2    0    0    0
34)    Gray Gaulding    08    4    -5    24    -171    0    0    0    0
35)    Parker Chase        1    -5    21    -174    3    0    0    0
36)    David Starr        2    -3    17    -178    4    0    0    0
37)    Connor Mosack    24    1    17    13    -182    4    0    0    0
38)    Jade Buford        1    -2    12    -183    1    0    0    0
39)    Blaine Perkins #    07    4    -2    11    -184    1    0    0    0
40)    Leland Honeyman    45    1    22    10    -185    1    0    0    0
41)    Patrick Emerling    53    2    0    10    -185    0    0    0    0
42)    Jesse Iwuji        1    -4    7    -188    3    0    0    0
43)    Cj Mclaughlin        2    -4    7    -188    0    0    0    0
44)    Josh Bilicki        1    -4    6    -189    1    0    0    0
45)    Garrett Smithley    91    2    -3    6    -189    0    0    0    0
46)    Dawson Cram    74    1    9    1    -194    5    0    0    0
47)    Kyle Busch(i)    10    2    -4    0    -195    1    0    0    0
48)    Austin Dillon(i)        1    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
49)    Justin Haley(i)        1    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
50)    Tyler Reddick(i)        2    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
51)    Rajah Caruth(i)        2    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
52)    Ross Chastain(i)        1    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
53)    Timmy Hill(i)        1    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
54)    Dexter Stacey        0    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
55)    Mason Maggio(i)        0    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
56)    Ryan Vargas        0    -4    0    -195    0    0    0    0
 -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series