[autotag]Sammy Smith[/autotag] currently drives the No. 18 Xfinity car for Joe Gibbs Racing in his first full-time season and has experienced several ups and downs along the way. Smith had a strong start to the year after winning his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Phoenix Raceway but has struggled to finish races lately.
The driver of the No. 18 car doesn’t have a ride secured at Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2024 NASCAR season and would likely be a hot commodity if he enters the open market. On Tuesday afternoon, Smith gave a promising update on the 2024 season when asked if he was close to finalizing his plans.
“I think we are close,” Smith said. “Still figuring out some things. I have a good management team, and hopefully, we have some stuff to announce soon.”
RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE SAMMY SMITH ON HIS FIRST NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WIN! https://t.co/zomS5Ki6c6 pic.twitter.com/1WGxy2OZS7
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 12, 2023
The 19-year-old driver has shown flashes of brilliance but will that exist with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024? Smith didn’t want to dive deep into the contract talks as he refused to discuss the odds of him returning to his current organization.
“Yeah, I’m not going to talk about that stuff today, I’m here to focus on the Playoffs,” he said. “I know you have a job to do. I’m still working on things.”
For now, Smith will focus on trying to elevate the No. 18 team into a Championship 4 contender. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has shown enough promise to suggest that it is possible if he cleans up his mistakes over the next seven weeks. It will be a challenge but the speed is present for Smith to make a run at a title.
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