NASCAR: Ex-Joe Gibbs Racing driver leaves Toyota for a second time

Toward the end of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, his first with Joe Gibbs Racing and second in the series as a full-time driver, Chandler Smith announced that he may not be able to continue competing in 2025, noting that he effectively had a job lined up with his father's Smith Construction business in 2025 if a NASCAR deal didn't come together.

Money over talent has unfortunately been a common theme in motorsport when it comes to who gets which seat, and that is true, to a large extent, even below the Cup Series. Despite a two-win season in which he made a deep playoff run with Joe Gibbs' team, Smith was not extended by the team beyond the 2024 season.

Instead, the team brought back veteran Brandon Jones, who competed for the organization from 2018 to 2022, and signed promising rookies Taylor Gray and William Sawalich.

But Smith recently confirmed that, while a return to Joe Gibbs Racing was off the table, he does indeed plan to compete in 2025.

Now his new ride has been confirmed.

The 22-year-old Talking Rock, Georgia native is set to join Front Row Motorsports in the Truck Series. He is slated to drive a second truck (number TBD) for the Ford team, with Layne Riggs having been confirmed to return for a second year behind the wheel of the No. 38 Ford following a two-win 2024 rookie season.

Since entering the Truck Series in 2020, Bob Jenkins' team have never run more than a single truck full-time, so the addition of Smith marks an expansion for the entire organization.

It marks the second time in three years that Smith, once considered among Toyota's most promising prospects, has left the manufacturer. His Toyota days in NASCAR date back to his first part-time ARCA Menards Series ride with Venturini Motorsports in 2018.

After running two full Truck Series seasons for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2021 and 2022, he decided to leave Toyota for Chevrolet to move up to the Xfinity Series. He initially had a multi-year deal in place with Kaulig Racing, which also included select Cup Series starts, but he was bought out of his deal by Joe Gibbs Racing and reunited with Toyota in 2024.

The 2025 Truck Series season is scheduled to begin on Friday, February 14 with the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Live coverage is set to be provided by Fox Sports 1 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.