Jasper, Georgia’s Chandler Smith scored his first career ARCA Racing Series win in the Herr’s 200 at Madison International Speedway on Friday night.
The 15-year-old Smith also led the practice session earlier in the day, and earned his fourth consecutive General Tire Pole in qualifying.
Smith dropped to the tail of the lead lap with loose right side wheels. As Smith was slowing with those wheel issues on lap 37, Tommy Vigh, Jr. spun in turn four to put the field under the third caution of the evening, which allowed Smith to pit and stay on the lead lap.
Smith made an unscheduled stop under caution on lap 39, and when the green waved three laps later he restarted 13th. He quickly worked his way back up into the top five. By the halfway mark, he had moved back into third behind Zane Smith and Chase Purdy, both of whom looked like they could potentially be the car to beat. But by lap 126, Chandler Smith dipped to the low side on a restart and moved into the lead, a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
By the checkered flag, he built up and 11-second lead over Zane Smith, with Sheldon Creed in third, Chase Purdy in fourth and Gus Dean in fifth.
Natalie Decker, Bret Holmes, Eddie Fatscher, Colby Howard and Toni Breidinger rounded out the top five.
“We just had a little luck on our side,” Smith said. “I am really blessed with the group of guys I have behind me. Venturini Motorsports gave me a heck of a Toyota Camry tonight. That was the first time I ever got sprayed by potato chips in victory lane. Pretty wild.”
Smith completed the 200 laps in 1 hour, 25 minutes, 1 second at an average speed of 70.570 miles per hour. There were a total of six cautions for 43 laps. Fifteen of the race’s 19 starters were running at the finish.
The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returns to action next Friday night at Gateway International Speedway.
ARCA Racing Series
Madison International Speedway – Oregon WI
Herr’s Potato Chips 200 – June 15, 2018
1. Chandler Smith
2. Zane Smith
3. Sheldon Creed
4. Chase Purdy
5. Gus Dean
6. Natalie Decker
7. Bret Holmes
8. Eddie Fatscher
9. Colby Howard
10. Toni Breidinger
11. Travis Braden
12. Joseph Graf, Jr.
13. Riley Herbst
14. Brad Smith
15. Tommy Vigh, Jr.
16. Mike Basham
17. Con Nicolopoulos
18. Dick Karth
19. Darrel Basham
