Sammy Smith will continue his pursuit of a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2026 with JR Motorsports. Both sides announced a continuation of their partnership Monday (Sept. 8) that will see Smith remain behind the wheel of the No. 8 for the full 33-race NXS schedule.
It’ll be the third straight year Smith has driven for JRM with continued support from primary sponsors Pilot, TMC Transportation, and Allstate Peterbilt Group, among others.
“I am looking forward to continuing to build on what we’ve accomplished together here at JRM,” said Smith in a Monday release. “I am thankful for the continued support from Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group as we go into these playoffs and into next season as a team.”
Smith is currently seeded sixth in the NXS playoffs, four points above the cutline after qualifying through his win at Rockingham Speedway earlier this year. Making his 60th start for JRM this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, he’s racked up top-10 finishes in nearly half the races (29) to go along with two wins and a pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
That has left Smith in strong position to compete for the Championship 4 and JRM confident in his abilities to continue those strong performances in 2026.
“It’s been a pleasure getting to know and work with Sammy these past two seasons,” said JRM CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller. “And we’re looking forward to seeing what the future will hold next year after our run for a championship with the No. 8 team in 2025.”
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
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