Roughly two hours after Front Row Motorsports' Chandler Smith crossed the finish line fourth at Rockingham Speedway to retain the lead of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings, he found himself fourth in the point standings instead.
Smith's No. 38 Ford, which was set to the rear of the field at the start of the Black's Tire 200 due to a shock change, failed post-race technical inspection when it was discovered that it did not meet the rear height requirements, so he was demoted from fourth to 36th (last) in the official finishing order.
Smith did not score any stage points, so he simply lost 32 of the 33 points he initially scored with his fourth place finish, and all 32 drivers who initially finished behind him were promoted by one spot, with those eligible for Truck Series points each gaining a point. Because he didn't score any stage points, nobody gained any extra stage points.
Just three drivers did not gain any points from Smith's disqualification, thanks to the fact that they finished the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 0.94-mile (1.315-kilometer) Rockingham, North Carolina oval ahead of him initially. However, they all moved up in the point standings.
And the NASCAR Truck Series now has a new points leader.
Tricon Garage teammates Corey Heim and Kaden Honeycutt and Front Row Motorsports' Layne Riggs finished the race in first, second, and third place, respectively, and were second, third, and fourth in points before Smith was disqualified. They are now 1-2-3 in points as well.
Heim and Honeycutt are technically tied, but Heim owns the tiebreaker, having won twice this year; Honeycutt has yet to find victory lane. Both drivers have scored 190 points, placing them 11 points ahead of Riggs and 17 ahead of Smith. Smith had held a 15-point lead over the Tricon Garage teammates before his disqualification.
However, the reigning series champion is not actually eligible for the championship since he is a part-time driver, which makes the fact that he has scored as many points as the top championship contender in just three starts, compared to five, even more impressive.
Heim, who is also currently competing part-time in the Cup Series for 23XI Racing, is set to run select Truck Series races throughout the remainder of the 2026 season, although he is slated to lose the points lead at Bristol Motor Speedway this coming Friday night, as he is not currently lined up to compete in the Tennessee Army National Guard 250.
That race is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 from the "Last Great Colosseum" beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, April 10. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action from the track where both Smith and Riggs won a year ago!