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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 30, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 30, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
With the 2024 NASCAR season so close, the grid is almost set. In the Xfinity Series, one massive change was when Sammy Smith jumped ship from Joe Gibbs Racing to Dale Earnhardt Jr-owned JR Motorsports during the off-season. The change was big because Smith had been with JGR for a long time, so this was his first time stepping out of the nest. Recently, he opened up on his 2024 move and what he is looking forward to in the Xfinity Series.
Why is this move tough for Sammy Smith?
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Since 2021, he has long been associated with JGR and Toyota. So making the jump to Chevrolet would be a massive culture shock. Especially considering that he is just 19 years old.
He told Bob Pockrass, “It’s been good. Definitely a lot of information to process with all the Chevy stuff. Different from what I was used to. Then obviously the team, there’s a different kind of culture changes as well. Really positive for the better I think and really excited to get started. Everything’s really different from how I used to do things at JGR and Toyota, the last three years. I’m sure the car will be a little bit different, but at the end of the day, it’s just another race car. They’ve proven that they can win, week in and week out, and I’m excited to try and do that.”
Sammy Smith moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to JR Motorsports in the offseason. What he says is different. pic.twitter.com/oegAzjMHzw
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 6, 2024
Under the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella, he excelled in the ARCA Series, bagging six wins and finishing fourth in the 2022 championship. A year later, he moved up to the Xfinity Series and seized his first win, in just his fourth race, at Phoenix.
Later on, as the season progressed, he ended his debut campaign in 6th place in the Xfinity Series. During that tenure, he had been hugely consistent, with a number of Top 5 and Top 10 finishes. That was extremely useful in ensuring that he was a top contender for the championship, even in his first season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr has a lot of faith in his recruit
When Dale spoke about Smith’s recruitment, he acknowledged that Smith was one of his targets. The 2-time Xfinity Series champion is confident that the 19-year-old will fit in well with his JR Motorsports teammates. Dale Jr said, “He’s a young, talented racer who’s willing to learn and carries himself with a lot of professionalism. He has a bright future ahead. I’m excited for our team to help him continue his journey.”
Now, with his new organization, Smith will be keen to hit the ground running. He has some big shoes to fill because his #8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet used to be driven by Josh Berry. Berry is a talented driver with five wins in the Xfinity Series to his name, and he recently earned a promotion to the Cup Series. So there may be a little bit of pressure on Smith to try and keep up with his teammates.
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