Chandler Smith powers by Zane Smith for exciting truck win
It was Smith vs. Smith on the last lap of Friday’s Victoria’s Voice 200 NASCAR Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Chandler Smith powered past Zane Smith and held on for the victory in an exciting kickoff to the Pennzoil 400 weekend.
It was the 19-year-old’s third career win and the eighth consecutive Truck Series victory by a driver 23 years old or younger.
“I’m just thankful for this opportunity,” Chandler Smith said after speeding across the finish line ahead of Zane Smith, the winner of the season opener at Daytona, and Chandler Smith’s truck owner Kyle Busch of Las Vegas, who completed the top three.
Defending race champion John Hunter Nemechek, driving a third KBM Toyota, also ran among the pacesetters before appearing to cut a tire and crashing on the final lap.
Busch took the lead with nine laps to go by powering around Chandler Smith on a restart. Chandler Smith eventually returned the favor with a similar move and then got around Zane Smith, who led for two laps following another yellow flag and late restart.
“The 18 (Chandler Smith) was definitely the best truck tonight,” said Busch after a race that featured 21 lead changes among 10 drivers. “But overall it was a really good night, (finishing) first and third.”
Allmendinger on pole
AJ Allmendinger posted a one-lap speed of 184.187 mph Friday to earn the pole position start for Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
“It was a little bit unexpected,” the versatile 40-year-old veteran said after claiming the fifth pole of his 63-race Xfinity career by edging Josh Berry for the top spot. “Practice, we were OK. But looking at the lap times, I didn’t think we’d contend for pole.”
It also was a good session for young Las Vegas drivers Riley Herbst and Noah Gragson, who lapped the 1.5-mile track at 182.741 and 182.315, respectively, to earn the second-row qualifying positions.
Teams race for Ukraine
NASCAR team owner Richard Childress said he will donate a million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine forces fighting the Russian invasion.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer, who is good friends with AMMO Inc. chairman Fred Wagenhals, told “Fox & Friends” that he decided to step up when he heard Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say “he didn’t want out, he needed ammunition.”
Fellow team owner Rick Hendrick said he would donate $200,000 toward the effort and also would contribute $2,000 for each lap his four drivers lead in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400. Hendrick cars paced 150 of the 267 laps at last spring’s race won by team driver Kyle Larson.
Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.