“Nothing makes me happier than to see an 18-year-old outdrive Kyle Busch”- NASCAR Twitter reacts as highschooler Sammy Smith’s milestone Phoenix Xfinity race win
Sammy Smith broke the youngest winner record previously held by William Byron. He won his first race in 2017 at the age of 19.
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Sammy Smith
The 2023 season has been full of surprises for NASCAR fans as each race had to offer a different story for the fans. Fans didn’t have to wait long going into Phoenix race week as 18-year-old Sammy Smith made sports history. The high school senior won the United Rentals 200 and became the youngest-ever Xfinity race winner.
Smith secured Joe Gibbs Racing’s 16th victory at the Championship finale track. He led 92 laps of the 200 scheduled laps and held off teammate Ryan Truex for 15 laps in the final restart. Smith took the lead of veteran Kyle Busch on lap 149 and survived three re-starts on the way to his maiden win in the second-tier stock racing series.
“That was tough with all of those restarts—and going against some of the best. I just have to thank everybody on Pilot/Flying J, Toyota, JGR guys, and everybody on this 18 team for giving me an awesome car. This is awesome. This is a dream come true, and I did know that, at some point, this was coming. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of great people around me. Without all of these guys, I wouldn’t be here,” Sammy Smith said after the win.
The high school student who takes tuition online while chasing his NASCAR dream was also fortunate as a battle among teammates took out his biggest challengers. Kaulig Racing’s Kyle Busch and Chandler Smith came together in the final laps, while teammate Sam Mayor spun JRM’s, Josh Berry. JRM’s Justin Allgaier, who won the initial stages, was removed by teammate Brandon Jones.
Sheldon Creed finished P3 behind Truex. Riley Herbst scored P4, while John Hunter Nemechek secured P5. Kyle Busch finished P9 behind Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, and Josh Berry, while Daniel Hemric, capped of the top 10.
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How fans on Twitter reacted to Sammy Smith’s win
Fans rejoiced the youngster victor. They quickly praised the JGR No:18 crew for helping the youngster score the inspiring win. Some also used the occasion by trolling Kyle Busch, the most successful Xfinity series driver, for losing to a high schooler.
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Justin P Joy
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