Chandler Smith to leave Front Row after 2026 Truck season
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 28, 2026
Chandler Smith exit
Front Row Motorsports driver Chandler Smith will leave the team’s No. 38 Ford F-150 after this Truck Series season, closing a run that brought speed, wins and steady playoff pressure to the organization. Front Row Motorsports announced the split and said Smith will not return to the seat. Smith joined the team before this Truck Series run and quickly became one of its top performers, delivering four of his nine career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories for Front Row. He has also won twice this year, taking checkered flags at Daytona International Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway. That kind of production gave the No. 38 a clear place in the front half of the series and kept Front Row in the mix as the postseason picture tightened. Smith’s time with the team has been built on results, and those results have been consistent enough to make the departure a meaningful change for both sides. Front Row thanked him for representing the program, a sign of how much value the team placed on what he brought to the garage and to the track. The announcement leaves the organization with a proven winner moving on and a seat to fill after a stretch that added real weight to its Truck Series effort.
Smith’s Truck success
Smith’s recent form shows why the change lands with some weight. He finished fourth at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday and enters the final stretch of the season third in the standings, 153 points behind leader and teammate Layne Riggs. He has already secured a spot in the 10-man Chase, which keeps his title hopes alive even with the future of the No. 38 already settled. Over his last six starts, Smith has one win and four top-five finishes, a run that points to speed at multiple tracks and a truck that has stayed near the front. The numbers also reinforce the level he has reached in the series. Nine career Truck Series wins put him among the established race winners in the garage, and four of those victories came while driving for Front Row Motorsports. His pair of wins this season has kept him in the conversation every week, and the standings position backs that up. Third place and a playoff berth give him a strong platform for the rest of the run, and the combination of recent finishes and season-long production shows a driver still racing with purpose. Front Row has had a front-row seat for much of that success, and Smith has rewarded the team with both victories and the points that come with them.
Front Row Motorsports response
Front Row Motorsports framed the split with appreciation and a forward-looking message. The team thanked Smith for representing the program and said it will continue pursuing championships. That message fits the place the organization has reached with the No. 38 team. Smith gave Front Row four wins and a steady presence among the series front-runners, and that kind of return matters in a championship-focused environment. The team did not dwell on what comes next for the seat, and it did not need to. Smith’s record with the organization tells the story. He brought a winning resume into the truck and expanded it once he got there, while Front Row used his pace to stay relevant in the standings and in the playoff race. Now the team moves toward a new chapter after the season, and Smith moves toward the Chase with a shot to add another layer to an already strong year. For Front Row, the path stays clear. Keep building, keep winning and keep pushing for titles. For Smith, the focus stays on the track, where the results have already shown why his departure matters.
