By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
Number Nuthin’ (No. 0) driven by Garrett Smithley in the NASCAR XFINITY Series is debuting two sponsors this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
FAME and Trophy Tractor join the sponsorship lineup for JD Motorsports at Texas. Trophy Tractor is based out of the Fort Worth region of Texas that provides a cost-effective alternative in the purchasing and rentals of heavy machinery. FAME stands for the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education. FAME provides students hands-on training in the manufacturing industry.
This organization has a special connection to Smithley. His cousin was able to go through FAME and achieve a job at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. FAME came on board the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports for a minimum of eight races in 2018.
“FAME came on board in a big way. They are doing eight races this year minimum. Hopefully, we can grow that a little more,” Smithley stated on Friday.
“It’s not just another sponsor for me. I hope with my platform to grow the program and give opportunities for my generation and generations to come to have careers in manufacturing.”
According to Smithley, his fifth-place finish in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway was a catalyst for the sponsorship search.
“It’s really cool. For us, we started the year out at Daytona finishing fifth. A career best for me and I think the second best finish for JD Motorsports. That was the catalyst for what’s going on right now,” Smithley stated.