Mission 200 at Watkins Glen International
No. 81 Smith General Construction Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- SMITH AT WATKINS GLEN: Chandler Smith made his track debut at Watkins Glen International in last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race. Smith finished the race in eighth-place. Smith has finished in the top-10 in two road course races so far in 2024 – Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma Raceway.
- ATLANTA RECAP: Last weekend, Smith returned to his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 81 started eighth and earned a few stage points with a ninth-place finish in Stage 1 and a eighth-place finish in Stage 2. Smith led twice in Stage 3 for a total of 28 laps. Smith made a run at the lead on the last lap, but fell back for a fourth-place finish.
- ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief of the No. 81, JeffMeendering has visited Victory Lane 10 times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Richmond in March 2024. His teams have collected 68 top-five finishes, 139 top-10 finishes, and 14 pole positions under his leadership.
- JGR AT WATKINS GLEN: Joe Gibbs Racing owns two Xfinity Series wins at Watkins Glen International. In 52 combined starts at the track, the organization has recorded 18 top-five finishes, 27 top-10s, two pole awards, and 327 laps led.
- FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Smith’s 2024 NXS Season.
Twitter: @CSmith_Racing I Facebook: Chandler Smith I Instagram: @csmith_racing
- RACE INFO: The Mission 200 at the Glen is scheduled for 3:00 PM EST on Saturday, September 14. Coverage of the race will be on USA Network, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio and available to stream on the NBC Sports app.
From the Driver’s Seat:
Chandler Smith: “I feel like road course races have been good for us this year. We had good results at COTA & Sonoma and in Portland we had a good car before we got some damage. I think this weekend will be no different. We’ve got a couple of races left to earn some points for the playoffs, so hopefully this weekend will get us those few extra points.”
Smith’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Watkins Glen International:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 8.0 |
Smith’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
24 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 446 | 7.8 | 12.3 |
Smith’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
60 | 3 | 17 | 28 | 4 | 76 | 9.2 | 14.6 |
About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, four NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, an ARCA Series team, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top 10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, capturing more than 400 wins over that span. No team has more combined wins across the sport’s three national series in the history of NASCAR. In addition, JGR has won five Cup Series championships along with four Xfinity Series driver championships and six Xfinity Series owner’s championships. The organization also has captured four Daytona 500 titles, considered to be NASCAR’s premier event each season.
-JGR-