TRUCKS: Multi-truck wreck sends Chandler Smith behind the wall in Charlotte
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Front Row Motorsports, @Team_FRM
Chandler Smith picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when his #38 QuickTie Ford was involved in a multi-truck accident after 70 of 134 laps.
The finish, which came in Smith’s 73rd series start, was his first of the season and first in a Truck Series race since August 7, 2021 at Watkins Glen, 87 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 19th for the #38, the 133rd for Ford, and the 200th from a crash. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 62nd for the #38, the 1,065th for Ford, and the 1,417th from a crash.
Less than a week ago in North Wilkesboro, it was Smith who prevailed in a dramatic last-lap battle that saw his teammate Layne Riggs tangle with Corey Heim for the lead, allowing him to slip past and take the victory. That had already been Smith’s second victory on the season, following a dominant performance at Bristol the previous month. These have been the rewards of a timely new ride with Front Row Motorsports, which expanded to a second full-time Truck Series team for the first time, running alongside Riggs in the #34. The deal came together after Smith parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing’s XFINITY program last year, a season where he also earned two wins and finished just outside the “Championship Four.” Up until then, Smith wasn’t sure he’d even be racing this year.
At Charlotte, Smith was one of 34 trucks entered to attempt a possible grid of 36 available spots. He ranked just 24th in opening practice with a best lap of 31.332 seconds (172.348mph), but improved significantly in qualifying, securing the 9th spot on the grid with a lap of 30.375 seconds (177.778mph).
Securing the 34th and final starting spot was Mason Maggio, back behind the wheel of Reaume Brothers Racing’s #22 Control Alt Protect Ford. Maggio incurred a redundant tail-end penalty for unapproved adjustments, the same handed down to 29th-place Cody Dennison in the #2 Timcast / Flux Ford, 30th-place Justin S. Carroll in the #90 Carroll’s Automotive Toyota, and 31st-place Frankie Muniz in the #33 More Core Diamond Drilling Ford, which didn’t complete a timed lap. Also docked was 33rd-place Luke Fenhaus, sent to a backup truck after the hood came loose in practice, smashing against the windshield hard enough to damage the roof of the #66 Soda Sense Ford. The ThorSport team scrambled to prepare their backup – an unevenly painted gray truck with a black hood and valence – and scrawled Fenhaus’ last name on the rear glass. This truck also didn’t fire at the command to start engines, and ultimately rolled off pit road just after the pace car received the “one to go” signal.
When the green flag dropped, it was Muniz’ penalized #33 which was last across the stripe, 3.360 seconds back of the lead to the now 33rd-place Maggio, 2.999 behind. By the end of Lap 1, Muniz was 5289 back of the lead, and was told by his team to “just plan your passes here.” By Lap 4, when Muniz was 10.254 back of the lead, he worked over Justin S. Carroll, who Cody Dennison had just dropped to 33rd moments earlier. Muniz completed the pass on Lap 5, dropping Carroll to last, but Muniz also radioed that “I’ve got my hands full.” Muniz opened a half-second advantage, but Carroll caught him again by Lap 7, by which point both were 3.5 seconds back of 32nd-place Dennison. That gap increased to 7 seconds on Lap 10, then 10 seconds on Lap 12, by which point Carroll was 28.759 seconds back of the leader. By Lap 13, Carroll was the first to be lapped, followed quickly by Muniz. The 32nd-place Dennison was lapped by the leaders on Lap 22 as he negotiated Turns 1 and 2, followed by 31st-place Maggio on the backstretch. By Lap 25, Carroll lost a second lap on track followed again seconds later by 33rd-place Muniz. When the caution fell to end Stage 1 on Lap 32, Carroll remained in last, but another driver had joined the battle.
At the same moment the Stage 1 caution fell, Tony Breidinger’s #5 Celsius Toyota cut down a right-front tire and bounced off the outside wall, her truck trailing so much smoke that FS1 broadcaster Kevin Harvick thought she lost an engine. Breidinger made it to the apron under the caution and came to pit road, where she lost a second lap and took last from Carroll on Lap 34. She returned to the track and was told to pit again if her truck felt tight or notice smoke in the cockpit. She incurred a penalty for pitting on a closed pit road, which put her at the tail end of the inside line, but dropped Carroll to last on Lap 38, just before the restart.
On the Lap 39 restart, Breidinger quickly caught Muniz, but the next time by felt another right-front tire going down. She dropped to last on Lap 40 and made it back to pit road, this time still under green. Her spotter reported Breidinger’s truck shot up the track twice after the restart, but reported no smoke off the right-front wheel. The team took even longer this time to clear the right-front tire, also clearing a piece of debris from under the left side of the splitter. She returned to the track by Lap 50, now showing 9 laps down in last place.
As Breidinger returned to the track both Carroll and Maggio were struggling. By Lap 52, Maggio had bounced off the wall at least once, forcing him to pit road. He, too, had pitted before pit road was open under the previous caution. Carroll was struggling for pace, much as he had at Rockingham, though NASCAR didn’t specifically radio a warning to him on the main channel. Regardless, both drivers made multiple pit stops. On Lap 55, Maggio’s crew was cutting away a damaged fender, dropping him 7 laps down. Carroll fell 8 down after serving a pit road speeding penalty, then incurring a second penalty after that. Maggio returned to the track, and was handed a penalty of his own, dropping both drivers 8 laps down by Lap 56. By Lap 61, when the caution fell to end Stage 2, Carroll was now 9 laps down in 33rd, one lap behind Maggio and one ahead of last-place Breidinger, who was now 10 down.
Under the Stage 2 caution, Carroll and team discussed whether to get more sets of tires for the remainder of the race, but the driver said there was little point since he was multiple laps down. The team had difficulty trying to improve the truck’s handling, the driver reluctant to free it up as it broke loose over the bumps. Carroll also said he had to back off when running the low lane to maintain control. Maggio also struggled, incurring two pit penalties under yellow for coming in to a closed pit road, and too many crew members over the wall – his third and fourth penalties on the night. After another round of pit stops, the final three drivers in the running order remained the same with Breidinger in last, 10 laps down, then 33rd-place Carroll 9 down and 32nd-place Maggio 8 down.
Through the first two stages, the racing up front remained tight but largely clean. That changed shortly after the restart to begin the final stage. Up to this point, Chandler Smith had yet to lead, but finished 8th in Stage 1 and 9th in Stage 2. He was around that position on Lap 69 when he broke loose off the corner and crossed the nose of Connor Mosack’s #81 Apollo Pex Chevrolet, hooking Smith directly into the path of Ty Majeski’s #98 OverPlay / Curb Records Ford. Both Smith and Majeski spun into the infield grass while others checked-up, at least two others tangling in the quad-oval as a result. All three trucks made it to pit road for repairs, including Smith, who had significant damage to both the left-rear and right-rear of his #38. It was Smith who was first to pull behind the wall on Lap 73, ending his night. He dropped to last place on Lap 82 and was declared out by NASCAR on Lap 108. While NASCAR declared Smith out under the “Damaged Vehicle Policy” (DVP), the official results showed him out by “accident.”
Carroll’s night didn’t last much longer as he pulled behind the wall on Lap 88, citing suspension issues. “We may as well be done,” said the team at that time. “NASCAR might park us if we stay out there.” Majeski returned to the track after his tangle with Smith and cleared minimum speed, allowing him to go behind the wall on Lap 82. Majeski returned to the track with 29 laps to go, but came up one lap short of climbing from 32nd to 31st. The driver he didn’t catch was Dawson Sutton, whose #26 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet sheared its driveshaft from the yoke, sending him behind the wall on Lap 108. In the final laps, Sutton dropped to 31st behind Breidinger, who came home 13 laps down, but under power.
McLeod recovers from damage to take 15th
Also involved in Smith’s wreck was longtime Cup Series owner-driver and LASTCAR champion B.J. McLeod, who made his first Truck Series start since 2021 in the high-powered #07 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. Carrying sponsorship from Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster, which backed his Live Fast Motorsports Cup team at Talladega last month, McLeod struggled with a truck that was hitting the splitter in practice, then as he steadily improved was reportedly collected by Jack Wood’s #91 Chevrolet as the two cleared Smith’s wreck in the quad-oval. McLeod overcame the damage to his right-front fender to finish 15th, tying his series-best run he earned at Bristol in 2012 and matched at Kansas in 2016. Plans for possible future races in the #07 are not yet confirmed.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #38 in a Truck Series race at Charlotte since May 20, 2011, when Mike Garvey’s #38 S&W Services Chevrolet – fielded by current XFINITY Series team RSS Racing – fell out with transmission issues after 4 laps of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
34) #38-Chandler Smith / 70 laps / crash
33) #90-Justin S. Carroll / 75 laps / suspension
32) #98-Ty Majeski / 103 laps / running
31) #26-Dawson Sutton / 104 laps / driveshaft
30) #5-Toni Breidinger / 121 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Reaume Brothers Racing (4)
2nd) Front Row Motorsports, Norm Benning Racing (2)
3rd) Freedom Racing Enterprises, Henderson Motorsports, Niece Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Ford (6)
2nd) Chevrolet (5)
2025 LASTCAR TRUCK SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
