TRUCKS: Disqualification negates Chandler Smith’s charge from the back to 4th place
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Front Row Motorsports, @Team_FRM
Chandler Smith picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Black’s Tire 200 at the Rockingham Speedway when his #38 QuickTie Ford finished 4th, then was disqualified after he completed all 200 laps.
The finish, which came in Smith’s 92nd series start, was his first of the season and first in a Truck Series race since May 23, 2025 at Charlotte, 19 races ago. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 13th by disqualification, the 20th for the #38, and the 142nd for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 63rrd for the #38, the 68th by disqualification, and the 1,089th for Ford.
Adam Andretti picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s Black’s Tire 200 at the Rockingham Speedway when his #5 TopLiner Toyota crashed after 60 of 200 laps.
The finish came in Andretti’s third series start. In the Truck Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 5th for the #5, the 61st for Toyota, and the 207th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 43rd for the #5, the 436th for Toyota, and the 1,451st due to a crash.
When he was last featured in a Truck Series article here, Smith had just scored what turned out to be his second and final win of his first season driving Front Row Motorsports’ new second team. He finished the season just eighth in points, eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs after a pair of disastrous runs at Darlington and Bristol, then a narrow loss to Corey Heim in the cutoff race at Loudon. The dark cloud seemed to follow him into Daytona, where on Thursday, he fell to 0-and-3 on attempts to qualify for the Daytona 500, each with a different team. But things quickly changed the next night at the track when he pulled off a daring last-lap pass to win the Truck Series opener. He arrived in Rockingham as the point leader by 33 points, having only once finished worse than 6th, and looked to keep his early season momentum going.
In practice, Smith ranked 4th-fastest of the 38 entrants for 36 starting spots, his best of 30 laps clocking in at 23.050 seconds (146.811mph), just under three-tenths off Kaden Honeycutt’s session-leading pace. His was the 28th truck on track for qualifying, but he struggled to a dismal 33rd with a lap of 24.469 seconds (138.297mph), forcing him to fall back on Owner Points. According to Front Row’s social media, Smith said he felt like something broke during his lap, forcing repairs that constituted unapproved adjustments and thus, a tail-end penalty prior to the start.
The first driver sent home was Jonathan Shafer, who on his second timed lap in practice broke loose in Turn 3 and backed into the outside wall, forcing Motorsports Business Management to withdraw his #69 Ford. The other team sent home was Justin S. Carroll, who after rain kept him from attempting to make his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut in Martinsville, was also sent home in his #90 Carroll’s Automotive Toyota. Ironically, Carroll’s lap of 23.757 seconds (142.442mph) was faster than those of all five teams that fell back on Owner Points, including Smith. But Carroll was sent home after running six-tenths slower than the transfer spot held by 31st-place Timmy Hill in his #56 Coble Enterprises Toyota.
Securing the 36th and final starting spot was Spencer Boyd, whose #76 Desnuda Organic Tequila Chevrolet didn’t turn a lap in qualifying along with both 35th-place Clayton Green in the #22 Royal Vista, Inc. Ford and the withdrawn #69 of Shafer. Smith incurred his penalty, which would have dropped him to last place. But intervals showed Smith take the green in the 32nd spot, 4.428 seconds back of the lead, moving him ahead of 33rd-place Franke Muniz in the #33 Panini Ka-Vroom Ford (4.446), 34th-place Caleb Costner in the #93 AutoBank RV Sales and Services Chevrolet (4.715), then 35th place Clayton Green (4.715) and the again last-place Spencer Boyd (4.877).
At the end of Lap 1, Boyd dropped Costner to last place, 6.464 seconds back of the lead, and by Lap 3 he was a full second back of new 35th-place runner Muniz as Boyd climbed to 33rd. Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, 12th-place qualifier Andres Perez de Lara snapped loose running the high lane in Turns 1 and 2, hitting the outside wall with the right-rear. He managed to regain control, only to again be in the wrong place at the wrong time a few laps later. This time, it was when Mini Tyrrell’s #14 RAM-sponsored RAM checked-up off Turn 2, bouncing Perez de Lara off the outside wall. Over the radio, Perez de Lara reported he had “nothing to lean on,” then plummeted to last place on Lap 9, taking the spot from Costner.
Andres Perez de Lara makes an early unscheduled stop after right-rear damage. (PHOTO: Niece Motorsports, @NieceMotorsport)
With massive damage to his right-rear, Perez de Lara tried his best to get to the end of Stage 1. He lost his first lap to leader Corey Heim on Lap 14, then came down pit road for quick repairs, including a broken spoiler brace. By Lap 16, he was three laps down, then on Lap 20 lost the “Lucky Dog” spot when the leaders lapped both Costner and Muniz, followed on Lap 21 by Boyd. On Lap 24, Heim moved to the high lane off Tun 4 to put Perez de Lara a fourth lap down. Ahead of him, Costner dropped Muniz to 35th on Lap 31, and Muniz lost his second lap on Lap 37. Three laps later, on Lap 40, Perez de Lara lost his fifth lap, and still had to struggle on until Lap 47, when the first caution finally fell to end Stage 1. By the end of that caution, he’d lost another three laps, and the #44 took the Lap 55 restart a full eight laps down.
Adam Andretti’s wreck on the backstretch. (PHOTO: TRICON Garage, @TRICONGarage)
On Lap 61, Adam Andretti was among the lapped drivers when his #5 Top Liner Toyota broke loose off Turn 2 and smacked the inside wall with the right-front of his truck, drawing the second caution of the afternoon. He soon dropped the window net, done for the day, with fluid leaking from his truck’s radiator. Checked and released from the infield care center, he reported his truck was running loose in dirty air, and was racing hard to get his lap back when he lost control of the truck. He immediately fell to 33rd, then to 35th on Lap 62. Perez de Lara lost a ninth lap on Lap 65, but continued to finish the race under power. This let Andretti fall to last place on Lap 69. The FS1 broadcast reported Andretti may have been driving the same truck with which teammate Heim scored his thrilling last-lap victory at Darlington two weeks ago. Heim won this race in dominant fashion, though had to hold off a spirited charge by teammate Kaden Honeycutt.
Finishing 35th was Carson Hocevar, whose developing engine issue on the #77 Delaware Life Chevrolet ultimately put him behind the wall, the only other retiree from the race. Costner took the 34th spot, his #93 truck shown running slow on the apron of Turns 3 and 4 as the leaders battled for the win. Perez de Lara ended the race on the same lap as Costner, both 13 laps down at the checkered flag. Muniz took 32nd, another five laps ahead.
Meanwhile, Smith, who took the green in 34th after his tail-end penalty before the start, came back to finish on the lead lap in 4th. But in post-race inspection, his truck failed post-race inspection as to the rear body inspection height requirements. This dropped Smith to last place, bumping Muniz out of the Bottom Five and first-time series starter Parker Eatmon out of the Bottom Ten in his #42 Vetted Ventures Chevrolet. Smith now falls to 4th in the point standings, 17 markers out of the lead.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish by disqualification for a Truck Series race at Rockingham. It’s also the fifth time in the last eight Truck Series last-place finishes by DQ dating back to 2022 that the truck was entered by Front Row Motorsports.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
36) #38-Chandler Smith / 200 laps / disqualified
35) #5-Adam Andretti / 60 laps / crash
34) #77-Carson Hocevar / 116 laps / drivetrain
33) #93-Caleb Costner / 187 laps / running
32) #44-Andres Perez de Lara / 187 laps / running
2026 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Front Row Motorsports, Halmar Friesen Racing, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, Niece Motorsports, ThorSport Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet, Ford (2)
2nd) Toyota (1)
2026 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
