By Jerry Jordan, Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As he climbed out of his red “Number Nuthin” JD Motorsports Camaro after the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Garrett Smithley was obviously tired but also overcome with emotion after Top 5 finish – the best of his NASCAR career.
In a race that saw five overtime restarts, a record number of cautions and the closest finish in NASCAR history at 0.000 seconds, Smithley dodged wreck after wreck and worked his way through the field. It was an achievement that he credited to a guardian angel” riding with him in the car.
“We were about 30th with 10 to go, we rode and rode and rode. That was our strategy all day long,” said Smithley, who started the race in 26th. “It paid off and we got up to 14th.”
Smithley said he made a mistake on the final restart and rather than go high he fell back but he was lucky to get a strong push from the 18 car that propelled him back to fifth from eighth on the final lap.
“I didn’t go high when those guys went but it worked out,” he said. “They gave us a heck of a push down the backstretch and we got by the No. 24.”
From there, Smithley was digging hard coming around Turn 4 and looked like he might finish fourth but the No. 24 got back out front on the outside and just edged him out. Smithley, and all of the JD Motorsports teams, were racing with heavy hearts as they found out before the race that Harold Davis, the father of team owner Johnny Davis, had died. With some of Harold’s old race cars still stored at the JD Motorsports’ Gaffney, S.C. race shop, it was a constant reminder of the team’s racing roots.
“We didn’t have to use Flex Tape this time, so that was a good thing,” Smithley said, referring to his Top 10 at Daytona in 2017 where all but destroyed the No. 0 Camaro and the team taped it back together. Smithley didn’t have to use his sponsor’s product to keep this car together, on Saturday, but his day wasn’t without a few nervous moments.
At one point he was clipped by another car and sent spinning through the infield grass. It had the makings of disaster for the low-budget team but Smithley managed to drive away relatively unscathed. Then, late in the race, he got shoved into the outside wall. Again, he maintained control of the car and was able to drive away.
“Yeah, I’ll tell you what, I had a guardian angel,” Smithley said, as his eyes began to fill with tears. “Johnny Davis lost his dad this week and we’re all such a big family here. It is stupid to be crying about a fifth-place finish but we are such a big family here. It is so freaking cool. It’s Daytona man.
“I thought I was going to end up, I don’t know, 30th or something but I got up to fifth somehow but like I said, I had a guardian angel with Mr. Davis up there in Heaven.”
The strong finish was a boost for Smithley in another way, as well. Next week, the Xfinity Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway – Smithley’s home track. Just a few weeks ago, he wasn’t sure if he would even have a ride for the 2018 season and now he heads home with the best finish of his NASCAR career and the second-best finish for the JD. Motorsports organization.
“It’s everything we need for the start of the season,” Smithley said. “I have been telling everybody that this thing came together so incredibly late in the game and to come here and do this and have the momentum going into the season, it’s cool.”