- Chandler Smith captured his second consecutive victory in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, beating Front Row Motorsports teammate Layne Riggs to the checkered flag; Shane van Gisbergen finished third with Christian Eckes fourth and Landen Lewis fifth
- Smith led a race-high 105 of 250 laps in securing his second victory of the season and Ford’s second 1-2 finish of the year
- Tickets for Sunday’s Window World 450 are sold out; Fans can lock in 2027 tickets by visiting www.northwilkesborospeedway.com
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (July 18, 2026) — Chandler Smith had no equal in Saturday’s FaithFest 250 presented by Mercer Transportation NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Smith took the lead with 105 laps to go, never surrendered it and, coupled with Front Row Motorsports teammate Layne Riggs’ runner-up result, clinched Ford’s second 1-2 finish of the year.
The win was also Smith’s second in a row in Truck Series competition at NWS. It came on a dominant day for Ford — whose trucks also swept the stages — with pole-winner Riggs (Stage 1) and Ty Majeski (Stage 2) taking mid-race honors.
NASCAR Cup Series star Carson Hocevar paced the field for 74 laps, but a flat tire doomed Hocevar to a 27th-place finish.
Shane van Gisbergen — another Cup Series standout — moved up to third by race’s end, tying his career-best result in the Truck Series. Christian Eckes and Landen Lewis completed the top five.
Giovanni Ruggiero was sixth with Chase Elliott seventh, Stewart Friesen eighth, Corey Heim ninth and Majeski 10th.
Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, made Saturday’s race his third of four starts over the weekend. He competed in Friday’s zMAX CARS Tour doubleheader at NWS and will attempt to score his first Cup win at the track in Sunday’s Window World 450.
Smith grabbed the bonus point for posting the fastest lap on Lap 157, which he completed in 19.148 seconds.
CHANDLER SMITH, NO. 38 FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS FORD (RACE WINNER): “Praise to God. He’s the source of all this. He’s the one who keeps the wheels flowing in my career and keeps these race teams going — specifically, this No. 38 race team. Our team is a Christian team. We went from the valley last weekend to the mountaintop today. (Saturday’s race) was fun. Right off the get-go from the start of the race, I knew we had a really good truck. I could race around guys and see where they struggled and where my strong suit was. Last year (Smith’s first NWS win) went really good but speed-wise, I wasn’t very happy with my truck. This year, we were really good, speed-wise, but I also had a really good-handling race truck.”
WINDOW WORLD 450 QUALIFYING CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
Inclement weather forced the cancellation of Window World 450 qualifying on Saturday. With the qualifying metric in place, Ryan Blaney will start Sunday’s race on the pole with Ty Gibbs starting second.
Race fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding the July 17-19 race weekend by following on X and Instagram or by becoming a Facebook fan.
