By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
How about a brand-new name for this week’s mid-pack winner?
After more than a year on the sidelines, working on the TV side with FOX Sports, Regan Smith was tapped to return to the cockpit this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It would be his first NASCAR start of 2018.
The opportunity came in an unfortunate circumstance, as Kasey Kahne chose to side out Monday’s race due to complications from heat exhaustion suffered at Darlington last weekend. In fact, Kahne will miss the next three races due to the issues.
Due to this, the door opened for Smith to return to racing and make his first start with Leavine Family Racing and their No. 95 Chevrolet.
Coming in with more than 200 Cup starts, Indy would present a new challenge to Smith and the entire field with practices and qualifying canceled due to rain. With zero on-track time for Smith, the green flag would finally offer Smith that updated feel of today’s Cup cars.
And the day went well for the small family team. After starting from the rear, Smith ran as high as seventh and maintained an average running position of 24th throughout the 10-caution event. The No. 95 went from 30th at the end of Stage 1 to 16th in Stage 2 before lining up for a top 20 in the final stage of the day.
The final 10 laps saw multiple restarts, which gave Smith an opportunity to bump into the top 20. And that’s just what he did, pushing the No. 95 into the 20th spot at the checkered flag.
With the next three races now official for Smith and LFR, a top-20 fun will give them a stable foundation moving forward. They may need it with a 1.5-miler, a short track and the Charlotte ROVAL next up.
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Texas: Gray Gaulding(2)
Bristol: Landon Cassill
Richmond: Ty Dillon
Talladega: DJ Kennington
Dover: Chris Buescher
Kansas: Michael McDowell
Charlotte: Kasey Kahne
Pocono: Clint Bowyer
Michigan: Jimmie Johnson
Sonoma: Kasey Kahne(2)
Chicagoland: William Byron(2)
Daytona: Trevor Bayne(3)
Kentucky: William Byron(3)
New Hampshire: Chris Buescher(2)
Pocono: Jamie McMurray
Watkins Glen: Chris Buescher (3)
Michigan: Chris Buescher (4)
Bristol: Kyle Busch
Darlington: Michael McDowell (2)
Indianapolis: Regan Smith
Mid-Pack With Zach: Regan Smith, Leavine Family Racing
By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
How about a brand-new name for this week’s mid-pack winner?
After more than a year on the sidelines, working on the TV side with FOX Sports, Regan Smith was tapped to return to the cockpit this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It would be his first NASCAR start of 2018.
The opportunity came in an unfortunate circumstance, as Kasey Kahne chose to side out Monday’s race due to complications from heat exhaustion suffered at Darlington last weekend. In fact, Kahne will miss the next three races due to the issues.
Due to this, the door opened for Smith to return to racing and make his first start with Leavine Family Racing and their No. 95 Chevrolet.
Coming in with more than 200 Cup starts, Indy would present a new challenge to Smith and the entire field with practices and qualifying canceled due to rain. With zero on-track time for Smith, the green flag would finally offer Smith that updated feel of today’s Cup cars.
And the day went well for the small family team. After starting from the rear, Smith ran as high as seventh and maintained an average running position of 24th throughout the 10-caution event. The No. 95 went from 30th at the end of Stage 1 to 16th in Stage 2 before lining up for a top 20 in the final stage of the day.
The final 10 laps saw multiple restarts, which gave Smith an opportunity to bump into the top 20. And that’s just what he did, pushing the No. 95 into the 20th spot at the checkered flag.
With the next three races now official for Smith and LFR, a top-20 fun will give them a stable foundation moving forward. They may need it with a 1.5-miler, a short track and the Charlotte ROVAL next up.
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Texas: Gray Gaulding(2)
Bristol: Landon Cassill
Richmond: Ty Dillon
Talladega: DJ Kennington
Dover: Chris Buescher
Kansas: Michael McDowell
Charlotte: Kasey Kahne
Pocono: Clint Bowyer
Michigan: Jimmie Johnson
Sonoma: Kasey Kahne(2)
Chicagoland: William Byron(2)
Daytona: Trevor Bayne(3)
Kentucky: William Byron(3)
New Hampshire: Chris Buescher(2)
Pocono: Jamie McMurray
Watkins Glen: Chris Buescher (3)
Michigan: Chris Buescher (4)
Bristol: Kyle Busch
Darlington: Michael McDowell (2)
Indianapolis: Regan Smith