Sammy Smith will drive the No. 17 for TRICON Garage in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway, TRICON announced Feb. 3.
Smith will make his series debut in the truck.
He’s the first driver to be announced as a replacement for Taylor Gray, who will drive the majority of the season but will miss three races early in the year due to not yet being 18.
Smith is competing full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year for Joe Gibbs Racing in its No. 18.
In 2022, he scored one top five and three top 10s in nine Xfinity starts. He’s also the defending ARCA Menards Series East champion and won six races in 16 ARCA Menards Series starts.
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.