NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Garrett Smithley is set to make his Cup Series debut driving for StarCom Racing at Michigan this Sunday.
Garrett Smithley, the 26-year-old who drives the #0 Chevrolet as a full-time driver for JD Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is set to make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.
Smithley is set to make his Cup Series debut driving for StarCom Racing in the #99 Chevrolet this Sunday in the 2018 FireKeepers Casino 400, which is set to take place at the four-turn, 2.0-mile Michigan International Speedway oval in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Smithley has driven full-time in the Xfinity Series since the 2016 season. In each of his three seasons as a full-time Xfinity Series driver, he has driven the #0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports.
Since making his Xfinity Series debut in the season finale of the 2015 season for Derrike Cope Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, Smithley has only stated one Xfinity Series race for a team other than JD Motorsports. He drove for MBM Motorsports in the race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois last year.
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In the 2016 season, Smithley finished in 18th place in the championship standings after driving in 32 of the season’s 33 races. He recorded eight top 20 finishes, including a season-best 13th place finish at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Last season, Smithley only finished in 21st place in the championship standings after driving in all 33 of the season’s races, but his best results were better than they were in the 2016 season. While he only recorded two top 20 finishes, both of those top 20 finishes were top 10 finishes. He finished in eighth in the season opener at Daytona and 10th at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
Through 12 races so far this season, Smithley sits in 19th place in the championship standings. He has recorded four top 20 finishes, including two top 10 finishes and one top five finish. His top five finish was a fifth place finish, which is his new career-high finish. He recorded that finish in the season opener at Daytona.
Smithley has also driven in several Truck Series races and several ARCA Racing Series races, seven in the former and five in the latter to be exact, but he has never driven full-time in either of those series.
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How will Garrett Smithley perform in his NASCAR Cup Series debut? Tune in to Fox to watch the live broadcast of the 2018 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway this Sunday, June 10 at 2:00 p.m.