By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Sammy Smith entered Martinsville Speedway nearly 100 points below the Xfinity Series Championship 4 cutline. In other words, he sure needed a win Saturday night.
And despite being in such a deficit, Smith showed up when it counted, giving Aric Almirola a run in the race’s multi-restart finale.
Jumping as high as second, Smith’s No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was one spot from winning his way into next week’s title hunt in Phoenix. However, as the final 16-lap run to the end unfolded, Smith lost ground to Almirola, who capped off a dominant night to score a third win of 2024.
For Smith, a second-place finish was perhaps the best option on the table given Almirola’s performance.
“I could have [bumped Almirola for the lead], but there was no way to get to him,” Smith said. “I was so far back. I probably would need to be three car lengths to be able to move him, but at that point it probably would have been close to wrecking him, and it’s just a tough spot there.”
Smith is wrapping up his first season with JRM following one year with Joe Gibbs Racing, which saw one victory and six top-five finishes.
This year, Smith has one win and now a career-high seven top fives following Saturday’s runner-up.
“Overall, I felt like we have made a lot of progress,” he said. “We had an up-and-down day, our car was hitting both sides of the spectrum, tight, loose, tight, loose. Overall, it was a good day.”