Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Homestead Media Availability
Friday, March 21, 2025
Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150, is fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings. He stopped by the infield media center at Homestead-Miami Speedway before today’s practice, qualifying and race to talk about the start to 2025.
CHANDLER SMITH, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 – THREE TOP 10S TO START THE YEAR. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE ADAPTED BACK TO THE TRUCK SERIES AND WITH THIS TEAM FOR AS QUICKLY AS IT CAME TOGETHER? “Especially that last point. It came together, I think we finally finished the hiring process two weeks before Daytona, maybe a week and a half before Daytona on our last guy. We didn’t get our crew chief hired until maybe two weeks, maybe three weeks out of Daytona, so it definitely was very last-minute, but I couldn’t be happier with the group that we assembled, honestly. I mean, it’s turned out great. Everybody is working together great. We’ve got really fast trucks. We’ve got a lot of motivated individuals that are on our team and I feel like in the position that I’m in, I’m looking at this as helping to build this program up a little bit. I’ve taken it on my shoulders a little more to step up to that role even more than I have in year’s past, just like last year being at Gibbs – well established and respected organization. It’s kind of just a plug-and-play deal. This was not a plug-and-play deal. This was a lot more than just that. It’s definitely been an experience. I wouldn’t change it for anything and I’m super grateful for the opportunity that Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze has given me.”
DO THE TRUCKS DRIVE THE SAME AS A FEW YEARS AGO BEFORE YOU WENT TO XFINITY? “They’re definitely different than an Xfinity car. They drive the same as what they did a few years ago when I was in them. Obviously, I’m driving for a different organization. They have different approaches on setups and different approaches on how they build their race trucks compared to where I was in year’s past, so it’s been adjusting to that a little bit and taking what’s worked for them in the past and what’s worked for me in the past and different organizations and kind of bringing it together and coming up with an even better product. That’s kind of where we’re at right now. I felt like Las Vegas was our first race. It was a good read. It felt like both me and Layne got a really good data point of where we were and what we needed to do. My crew chief, Jon Leonard, we both talked and had some great ideas going forward and hopefully we can see how good they turn out today. We’ve implemented some changes, but it’s definitely a lot different than what I’ve been accustomed to for the past two years.”
WHAT DOES YOUR TRUCK NEED TO DO TONIGHT TO SUCCEED? “It just needs maneuverability. That’s all Truck racing is now. You’re running so much throttle time, granted you’re not gonna have a bunch of throttle time here at Homestead, but to go after the pole in three and four you’re gonna barely be lifting at all, so you’re still running a lot of throttle time, so being able to have good maneuverability and good lateral grip is pretty key for here.”
DO YOU TAKE MORE OF A LEADERSHIP ROLE NOW? “Yeah, for sure, just because I’ve worked with so many great individuals in my past five seasons in NASCAR. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve experienced a lot and have had great mentors through that whole process, so I’m definitely more confident in myself and knowing what works and what doesn’t work, what works for me and what may not work for others and trying to come to a happy medium of having a good product.”
HOW DIFFERENT IS IT RIDING THE WALL IN AN XFINITY CAR VERSUS A TRUCK? “An Xfinity car, I feel like it’s more of a given than it is in a truck. The composite bodies, you can beat the crap out of them and be fine. In a truck, you go and hit it and you could end your day right there. We’ve seen it. My last full-time season in trucks, John Hunter was on the cutline and went and hit the fence in turn three on lap four and he was done, and that’s your season right there. We’re not in that situation. If there’s speed up on the fence and Larson is really ripping it and there’s a bunch of speed up there, then, yeah, we’re still in the regular season so why not? For a truck, it’s just risk versus reward, where in an Xfinity car it’s kind of double edge too. Last year, some of the really good guys were able to rip the fence, but Austin Hill kicked our teeth in running the bottom in an Xfinity car and you don’t see that anymore. It all depends on the balance of your race vehicle.”
WITH KYLE IN THE RACE TONIGHT DOES IT CHANGE YOUR MENTALITY? “Yeah, I still want to beat him. The goal is still the same. It’s the same when KB comes down. At the end of the day, we’re all racers and I feel like I’ve kind of proven where I stand in this sport right now and I feel like if we have a good truck, we can go out there and compete.”
ARE YOU EXPECTING THE TRACK TO RACE ANY DIFFERENT WITH THE RACE BEING IN THE SPRING? “Yeah, for sure, especially it being a night race, too. Usually, the truck race is in the middle of the day and it doesn’t matter what racetrack you go to, it’s gonna swing from being out in the sun from it not being out in the sun. I think it’ll race a lot different than what we’ve seen in year’s past. I think it will be very similar to what it was in 2020 and year’s previous, but I’m excited for it. I think it’s gonna make for a good product tonight, honestly.”
HOW DOES WHAT YOU LEARNED AT LAS VEGAS GIVE YOU MORE CONFIDENCE THIS WEEK? “Just knowing where our mile and a half program really is. We’ve had those first two races that were just speedways. That’s kind of what it is, right? So, it was a good benchmark of, ‘Oh, OK. This is where we’re at with our aero. This is where we are with mechanical grip.’ And those deltas between the two of what we’re trading off, and just kind of dissecting each different piece of why we get to where we are in a package. I felt like we got a really good data point of where we were and what we needed to work on and we implemented some changes for this weekend, which I think we’ll be able to see a little bit of those, but I don’t know that it’s more of when we go to Nashville or Charlotte and places like that. That’s where it would really show up.”
IF YOU FIND YOURSELF BEHIND KYLE, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU LOOK FOR ON HOW THEY’RE HANDLING THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT TO TRY? “Yeah, just being more mindful of paying attention to their detail and trying to dissect why did they do that? Why did they take that certain line? Why did they straddle that seam that way? What did that do to their car position and their car angle, and also being mindful that I’m gonna probably have to work harder to pass them. They’re gonna be good. I’m not bashing people in the Truck Series, but this is the feeder series to Xfinity and Xfinity is a feeder to Cup, so it’s kind of the bottom of the totem pole in experience, so you’re gonna have to work at it a little harder to pass those guys that you know have won Cup championships.”
CAN YOU EXPAND ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN XFINITY AND TRUCK? “As far as driving differences, it’s night and day different. A truck has a bunch of downforce and a lot of rear side force, and an Xfinity car doesn’t even have close to the amount of overall downforce that a truck does. That right there alone is pretty much it, and then you’re obviously racing a truck and in Xfinity it’s a car, so the body difference and what not, too. The organization standpoint, it’s just a lot different because Gibbs is run more corporate. That’s probably the best way to put it, and Front Row is run more like a grassroots race team. That’s the best way I can explain it. It’s definitely two complete polar opposites from each other, but I’m having an amazing time at Front Row and I had an amazing time at Gibbs.”
