The best way for drivers to make their name known is to perform up front until they’re regarded as a permanent fixture at the top of the leaderboard.
Before his first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Wisconsin’s Road America in July, the name Sammy Smith was new around the garage area. Now, after a handful of starts piloting the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, the 18-year-old has become a driver who cannot be ignored.
For the Johnston, Iowa, native, his introduction to racing came 10 years ago.
“I grew up running go-karts. I started when I was eight,” Smith said. “Mr. (Harrold) Annett who owned TMC (Transportation) got me into it. Him and my dad were the first ones to take me to the go-kart track. And then, I ran go-karts for a couple years and then I ran Legend Cars, then late models, and then now, obviously, ARCA and Xfinity. I started when I was eight, lived in Iowa, really all up until this summer then I moved down here (N.C.) for the summer.”
That spark and aspiration to make a career out of racing didn’t come at first. For Smith, what once was a fun activity became a lifelong dream as he grew more comfortable in the cockpit.
“Yeah, I think honestly just always watching it, I always wanted to do it,” Smith said. “I feel like it was kind of a hobby for the first couple years in go-karts and then Legend Cars. I wouldn’t say I took it as seriously. I would just go to the go-kart track or Legend Car track and have fun.
“Obviously, I’m still having fun now, but I feel like it kind of clicked during the last year I ran Legend Cars and we were able to run for a national championship, it kind of clicked that it takes a lot of effort to, obviously, win races,” Smith continued. “Then to try and be the best, it’s going to take a whole lot more. I think that’s when it clicked and I feel like I’ve always dedicated my life. Racing is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Once Smith got comfortable with a go-kart, the next step of the stock car grassroots ladder was Legend Cars.
In three seasons of Legend Car competition, Smith’s versatility blossomed, scoring 31 victories on eight different tracks. He claimed the Big Top Nationals trophy at Texas Motor Speedway in 2018 and a year later traded his 1,250-pound Legend Car for a nearly 3,000-pound stock car.
In 2019, Smith piloted a pro late model, seamlessly scoring a championship in the World Series of Asphalt, the annual February event at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. Smith capped his New Smyrna success by winning the Governor’s Cup, a race that’s been won before by the likes of Bubba Pollard, Erik Jones and Dick Trickle.
Even though success came quickly in the new discipline, the difference in the size of the cars was a big hurdle to overcome.
“I think probably the biggest thing was more of a race craft side of things,” Smith said. “I think a Legend Car, they’re tough to drive, just because it’s a short wheelbase and how much horsepower they do have. I think honestly, probably the longer races, the racing around bigger cars, just getting used to it. In Legend Cars, you sit kind of square in the car. You can kind of see left to right pretty well, so getting into a late model was a little bit different.
“Just with the right side being farther away from you than a Legend Car. I think the biggest thing was obviously bigger tracks, different car, kind of everything was honestly different. I felt like the transition from Legend Car to late model was good, and I feel like I did a pretty good job as I look back at it, and just think, ‘What could I have done better?’ And I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of adapting to different cars I’ve got into in my career.”
Smith’s quick learning skillset caught the eye of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
In 2020, Busch brought the Iowa-native under the Kyle Busch Motorsports banner to race the No. 51 TMC Transportation super late model.
Smith’s breakthrough with KBM and Toyota opened the door for more opportunities.
“I think it was 2019, where toward the end of the year, I started with Toyota. And then, I think that’s kind of how it all started with going to the super late model at KBM was through Toyota, and that’s when I started as a TD2 driver (Toyota Racing Development), and then, obviously, ran there when I was 15 and 16,” Smith said. “Then, the year after that, I got into the Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) program just running the (ARCA Menards Series) East stuff, the stuff that Ty (Gibbs) couldn’t run because he was going to go run Xfinity. So I was really fortunate to be able to go run for the East championship and win it. That’s how I got these awesome opportunities from Toyota.”
The ARCA Menards Series East title came after he won three times and scored seven top-five finishes during an eight-race season in 2021.
“It was pretty cool to win. We were luckily able to get a big points lead, have a good first five races,” Smith said. “Then, the last three were definitely more of a learning curve, because I feel like the first five were all short tracks I’d been on, either in a pro late model, late model stock or super late model. So, it was more of just learning the car to the short track, and then we went to Iowa, Milwaukee (Wis.) and Bristol (Tenn.), and, obviously, Dover (Del.).
“Those were probably more learning experiences. You want to go out and win every race. I had Ty (Gibbs) as a teammate, Corey (Heim) and a couple other guys that were really competitive and really good. But I feel like I did an OK job, and we were able to still get some good finishes, and was able to get that championship.”
With the addition of another championship to an already ever-growing résumé, Smith got the opportunity to take another step closer to NASCAR’s premiere series this year.
Smith had an eight-race Xfinity Series deal with JGR for this season and has shown flashes of brilliance, including at third-place finish at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l.
“I feel like I’ve done a good job acclimating to the different cars and tracks,” Smith said. “It’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done, getting into a race car with limited practice and then qualifying. Obviously, I never ran a big track until I turned 18. When I turned 18, I just went straight to it. I feel like I’ve done pretty well.
“Road America, we were going to probably finish top five and had an issue mechanical-wise with five to go,” Smith continued. “Then Pocono (Pa.), I put myself in a bad position and I feel like we could’ve finished fifth to seventh there. Michigan was probably my best run and I sped on pit road. I think I’ve done a good job, and I’ve learned a lot throughout the way.
“But I definitely have to clean up mistakes and do a better job. Overall, I think it’s been good and I think it’s probably the most fun I’ve had in a race car in a while,” he added. “Just how they drive, the different tracks, but at the same time, competition-wise is pretty tough, just everything about it, but it’s a lot of fun.”
With only eight Xfinity races on his slate, Smith has been an ARCA regular this year, driving the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 Toyota.
At press time, Smith had won three races and racked up 10 top-five finishes in 11 ARCA Menards Series starts. He also led the ARCA Menards Series East standings with four victories and six top-five finishes through the first six races.
As Smith continues to climb through the NASCAR ranks, the 18-year-old’s modest, humble and even-keel perspective very well may lead to a full-time Xfinity Series ride next season.