Chandler Smith Finds Victory Lane at North Wilkesboro Speedway

Kelsey Christman - Staff Writer

Chandler Smith, an alumni of Kyle Busch Motorsports, pays tribute to the late Kyle Busch with his signature bow during his celebration. (Alex Bialek, NASCAR Digital Media, July 2026)

North Wilkesboro, NC - The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returned to racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway early on Saturday to beat the rain for the FaithFest 250. The No. 25 Ram with Kaulig Racing featured the return of Ryan Newman to the track after retiring in 2023. Spire Motorsports featured three Cup Series drivers for their line up with Carson Hocevar, Chase Elliott, and Shane van Gisbergen. Timmy Hill’s truck suffered an axle seal issue and was unable to make a qualifying lap to earn a spot in the race. Landon Huffman also did not qualify for the starting grid for this race. Layne Riggs scored the pole to start the race from the lead with Hocevar joining him on the front row.

The race ran green with only two cautions unrelated to the stage completions.  Donovan Strauss spun through Turn Two on Lap 13 in an isolated incident while on Lap 119 Luke Baldwin spun off Turn Four after contact with van Gisbergen. 

Layne Riggs claimed the victory for Stage One, but not without challenge. Hocevar battled him throughout the entirety of the stage with both drivers exchanging the lead. Chandler Smith was able to gain 8 stage points in third as well for the first stage of this race.

After staying out during the Lap 119 caution, Ty Majeski was able to capture the green and white checkered flag for Stage Two. Smith was again looming behind him to capitalize on stage points in second as the playoffs approach. 

Chandler Smith led the field to start the final stage where he stayed for the entirety of the 98 lap segment. Lapped traffic failed to interfere as his lead continued to grow over Riggs. Only ten cars remained on the lead lap as Smith continued to map his way around the short track. 

Chandler Smith reached the checkered flag with a 8.47 lead over his Front Row Motorsports teammate, Riggs, to mark a dominant race for the team. This marks the largest margin of victory on a short track for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

UP NEXT:

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will head to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at IRP. The race will be at 8:00 PM ET on Friday, July 24th, and can be found on FS1.