Garrett Smithley’s rookie season in the Xfinity Series has seen the young driver facing all sorts of new challenges and new race tracks, but the biggest test might sit straight ahead this week.
Smithley will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 0 Chevrolet in the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 Xfinity race at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway and one of the toughest tracks in all of motorsports.
“Darlington is a tough place,” Smithley said. “But I’m looking forward to getting there and getting used to the track and getting some good laps in. We’ll have a good car, so I know we’ll have a chance of doing well.”
Smithley will drive the No. 0 car in tribute to Gaffney, S.C. driver Charlie Blanton, who raced in the Sprint Cup and Grand National East series in the 1970s. The JD Motorsports team is based in Gaffney.
Practice is scheduled at noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET) Friday. Qualifying is set for 11:45 a.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3:30 p.m.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
