Trackin’ Trucks: Chandler Smith Wins at Daytona

Credit: Sean Gardner

 

Chandler Smith earned his eighth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory on Friday, February 13th at Daytona International Speedway. Smith earned the victory in overtime by getting a push from a fellow manufacturer teammate Ty Majeski.

 

Smith was running in the sixth position on the final lap of overtime, but simultaneously received a significant push from Majeski. At the same time, John Hunter Nemechek tried to secure his position by blocking Gio Ruggiero.

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ty Majeski!” Smith praised Majeski after securing the victory at the 2.5-mile track.

 

“He is all credit to how we just won that race, truthfully,” Smith said of Majeski’s push. “He stayed committed to a Ford and pushed a Blue Oval to a win.

 

“I was surprised the 62 (Nemechek) didn’t block it. I was just … the seas literally just parted, and the 88 (Majeski) stayed committed to me, and like I said, thank you, thank you, thank you, Ty Majeski. Definitely got to owe you one on that one.”

 

Ruggiero secured his second place position and Christian Eckes finished third, but Majeski and Nemechek battled for the final positions inside the top five. 

 

Credit: James Gilbert

NASCAR Cup Series regular Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished sixth, Brenden Queen secured seventh, while Kaden Honeycutt, Tyler Ankrum, and Stewart Friesen earned eighth through 10th place, respectively.

Garrett Mitchell’s, also known as Cleetus McFarland, series debut was cut short just six laps into the Fresh From Florida 250. McFarland’s No. 4 Chevrolet spun out of control before smacking the inside wall. After hitting the wall, McFarland also plunged through the infield grass before coming to a stop, effectively ending his day.

A two-car accident on Lap 36 took out legendary driver Tony Stewart, who has not competed in a NASCAR-sanctioned event since 2016. Stewart was in the wrong place at the wrong time after Jake Garcia lost control of his No. 98 Ford and collected Stewart.

A Look Ahead

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to EchoPark Speedway (formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway) next Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Kyle Busch has won the last two races in the series at the 1.5-mile track, beating Majeski in 2024 and Friesen in 2025.

Don’t miss a minute of the action on February 21st at 1:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.