Chandler Smith Dominates and Wins at Richmond

It was a well-earned and dominating win at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night by Chandler Smith, as he earned his third win of the 2022 Camping World Truck Series Season.

It was the second race of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs and the second race of the first round. After the end of stage one, Smith was able to win the battle off of pit road and set the tone for the rest of the race, going on to lead the final 175 laps of the race. Chandler Smith, with this win, will advance to the second round of the playoffs, joining Grant Enfinger who won the first race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Smith’s Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, finished second, 2.970 seconds back from the lead.

“I feel like the track just came to us there at the very end, especially Stage 2,” Smith said in his post-race interview. “My pit crew did a bad-ass job, excuse my language, but they deserve that recognition. They did an amazing job, got me the lead, and we never gave it up.”

John Hunter Nemechek felt the final caution in turn one that involved Nick Leitz and playoff driver Carson Hocevar cost him a chance at the win. Nemechek was cutting into Smith’s lead during the long green flag run.

“I felt I had saved my stuff a little better on that run,” Nemechek said. “I was running him down pretty quick.”

Grant Enfinger finished fourth while non-playoff drivers Corey Heim and Taylor Gray finished fifth and sixth in that order.

Ty Majeski, who led the first 73 laps of the race and won the first stage, had a scary moment on pit road when jackman Paul Steele fell in front of the oncoming No. 66 Truck while trying to go to the right side. Majeski was hard on the brakes to avoid further injury for Steele, but the mishap cost him two positions he never was able to regain.

“I saw him trip, and I slammed on the brakes so I didn’t hit him,” said Majeski, who finished third. “He did a great job, he’s actually first-time tonight, he recovered well, really salvaged that pit stop. He rebounded and had a couple of great stops. That’s what teamwork is all about.”

The bottom two drivers in the standings will be eliminated from the playoffs after the next race on September 9th at Kansas Speedway.