No. 18 Pilot Flying J/Pringles Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- SMITH AT MARTINSVILLE: Sammy Smith has two NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at Martinsville Speedway. In both races, Smith battled for the win towards the end of the race. Last fall, he finished 18th after being wrecked on a green-white-checkered finish. Smith finished second behind teammate John Hunter Nemechek earlier this year.
- ON THE HOOD: The No. 18 will carry the Pringles® logo on the hood of the car this weekend at Martinsville.
- MIAMI RECAP: Smith collected a top-10 finish last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He currently sits 49 points below the Championship Four cutline in the NXS Playoffs standings.
- ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Smith is eligible to compete for the 2023 NXS Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY). The other drivers competing for the title are Chandler Smith, Parker Retzlaff, and Blaine Perkins.
- ARCA EAST CHAMPION x2: Smith defended his 2021 ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) Championship in 2022 on the strength of five wins and a top-five finish in all of the AMSE races. He also won four ARCA Menards Series races and one ARCA Menards Series West race in 2022.
- ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief Jeff Meendering will head up the No. 18 team during the 2023 season. He has visited Victory Lane eight times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Phoenix in March 2023. His teams have collected 58 top-five finishes, 123 top-10 finishes, and 11 pole positions under his leadership.
- JGR AT MARTINSVILLE: Joe Gibbs Racing has claimed four wins in six races since the Xfinity Series returned to Martinsville Speedway in October 2020. In 22 combined starts at the track, the organization has tallied 10 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s, three pole awards, and 871 laps led. Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, and Brandon Jones join Nemechek on the list of drivers who have taken JGR to Xfinity Series victory lane at Martinsville.
- FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Smith’s 2023 NXS Seasons.
Twitter: @SammySmithSS I Facebook: Sammy Smith Racing I Instagram: @sammysmithss_
- RACE INFO: The NXS Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville is scheduled for 3:30 PM EST on Saturday, October 28. The race will be broadcast on USA, MRN, Sirius XM and available to stream on the NBC Sports app.
From the Driver’s Seat:
Sammy Smith: “I’m ready to get to Martinsville this weekend. This is a track that has been one of my best. In both races I have raced in, we ran up front and competed for the win, so I’m confident this weekend will be no different. I think we have a great shot at taking our Pilot Flying J/Pringles Toyota GR Supra to Victory Lane and securing ourselves a spot in the Championship Four.”
Smith’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Martinsville Speedway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5.0 | 10.0 |
Smith’s 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 21 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 176 | 9.6 | 16.0 |
Smith’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 40 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 194 | 9.0 | 16.3 |
JGR PR
