Chandler Smith Steals Win Late at Martinsville!
MARTINSILLE, V.A. - Chandler Smith earned a big time race win late at Martinsville Speedway as he won the Black's Tire 200 on Friday, October 30! Smith took control of the lead with eleven laps to go, and never looked back once he took the point as he earned not just his first Martinsville Clock, but also the 10th win of his Craftsman Truck Series Career!
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Layne Riggs dominated the day early, as he led the first 100 laps of the race sweeping both of the stages. It was evidently clear Riggs had a truck to beat, but as it turned out, the only thing denying him from a win would be the wide variety of cautions in the final stage.
Riggs controlled the race until Lap 126, where young 16 year old Tristan McKee powered around Riggs to take control of the race. McKee made NASCAR history earlier in the day, as he became the youngest driver in National Series history to earn a pole at the top three levels. The previous record belonged to Cole Custer, who set the record at 16 years, 4 months, and 22 days. Mckee at the time of his pole was 16 years, 2 months, and 27 days, an accomplishment that very likely will not be beaten unless rules change in the future.
As for McKee the lead would not last as Layne Riggs powered back on the lap 155 restart to take control back. Riggs led all the way until the lap 189 restart, where Smith powered around him on the outside lane on the restart, securing the win.
On the final restart for Riggs, he also got shuffled around causing him to lose a spot and finish 3rd. Had Riggs won the race, he potentially would have left to Homestead with the points lead, but it became a what if as luckily for Riggs, his championship rival Kaden Honeycutt also found trouble on the final restart.
After restarting 6th, Honeycutt battled a tight issue, and then got hit by McKee top of three wide, shuffling Kaden out of the groove. As a result, Honeycutt lost numerous positions finishing the race in 14th. Luckily for Honeycutt though, Riggs not winning allows him a 20 points cushion heading into the final race of the season.
OTHER NOTES:
It was a career day for Andres Perez De Lara as he earned his best career finish of 6th in the Craftsman Truck Series. Perez found himself battling brief brake issues, but found himself in the mix all race long. With the late race success, he was able to lead his Niece Motorsport team to his fourth top ten of the season.
On top of a history making day for Tristan McKee, he ultimatley finished the race in the 5th position after the tangle with Kaden Honeycutt. This ties McKee for his best career finish, and will end his 2026 campaign off strong as he is not yet eligible to run at Homestead due to his age.
Lastly, Tyler Ankrum made it five consecutive top ten finishes at Martinsville as he led the McAnally-Hilgemann team with a 7th place effort. Also notably, Brenden Queen was involved in an accident that brought out the first red flag of the race on lap 120. He rebounded with significant damage to finish 12th for Kaulig Racing and Ram.
UP NEXT:
The Craftsman Truck Series will round out its 2026 season, Friday, November 6, at Homestead-Miami Speedway! Green flag for the 134-lap feature is slated for 7:30 P.M. ET, and coverage of the race can be found on FS1!
Motorsport Today will have on-site coverage for championship weekend, as well as the remainder of the weekend at Martinsville Speedway! Stick with us on X, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, and here at MotorsportsToday.net!
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