Chandler Smith seeks his first Daytona 500 start this year, as he will attempt to run “The Great American Race” with Front Row Motorsports.
Last year, Smith won two races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Front Row, finishing eighth in the final championship standings. The Georgia native now has seven career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories.
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Coming off that successful campaign, Front Row Motorsports is fielding the No. 36 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Smith before he sets his sights on a Craftsman Truck Series title.
“I’m really excited to take a shot at the Daytona 500 with the FRM Cup Series program,” said Smith. “This organization is known for its speed at superspeedways, and I am going to give it my best shot to win the Harley J. Earl Trophy or help my teammates if I am in the position to do so in the end.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity and will do my part to get FRM off to a great start to the 2026 Cup season, while I pursue my primary goal this year in winning the 2026 Truck Series Championship.”
Smith previously attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500 as an open competitor in 2023 with Kaulig Racing and 2025 with Garage 66. Front Row Motorsports has four wins in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 2021 Daytona 500 with Michael McDowell
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Last year, Smith finished sixth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Daytona International Speedway. He has also recorded a pair of top-five finishes in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Daytona, both coming in 2024.
Smith made three NASCAR Cup Series starts during the 2023 season for Kaulig, never finishing worse than 17th. He finished 15th in the August race at Daytona International Speedway that year, and 11th at Talladega Superspeedway.
Front Row Motorsports is fielding three full-time entries in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season alongside Smith’s Daytona 500 appearance. Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith all return to the team for the 2026 season.
Chandler Smith joins a growing list of open entries for this year’s Daytona 500. Earlier this week, Corey LaJoie was announced as the driver of a fourth entry for RFK Racing.
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Both Chandler Smith and Layne Riggs return to Front Row for the team’s pair of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entries in 2026. Riggs won three races during the 2025 season, finishing fifth in the championship standings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/racing-america as Chandler Smith Attempting 2026 Daytona 500 With Front Row Motorsports.
