Homestead Xfinity Pole Belongs To Chandler Smith
Chandler Smith celebrates his NASCAR Xfinity Series pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (John Harrelson/NKP for Toyota photo)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Chandler Smith led a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying Friday evening at Homestead-Miami Speedway en route to his third pole this season.
Smith toured the 1.5-mile oval in 33.067 seconds (163.305 mph) with the No. 81 QuickTie Toyota GR Supra to earn the top starting spot for the Credit One NASCAR AmEx Credit Card 300.
It marked the sixth Xfinity Series pole in 67 starts for the 22-year-old from Talking Rock, Ga.
“Honestly, I felt really good about our car in practice, even though I was kind of conservative by just not running the fence,” Smith noted. “I was trying to save that for the race and just focused more on my balance and maneuverability.
“I felt good about that, and it feels good to see three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas in the top three in qualifying; having teammates close by at the start is never a bad thing,” he added. “The team’s hard work has been paying off and I’m glad that we’re showing where we are right now.”
Smith is one of seven playoff drivers hoping to win Saturday and join Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger as locked into the Championship 4.
“Track position will definitely be big to start the race, but we’re at a track where there’s a lot of fall off and there will be a lot of comers and goers, so managing your equipment will be key to success,” he explained. “This is definitely a step in the right direction and will help us starting the race tomorrow, but it’s not going to mean everything.”
Sheldon Creed qualified second (33.165/162.822) in the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota to join Smith on the front row, with Aric Almirola (33.180/162.749) third in the No. 20 Samaritan’s Purse Toyota as JGR earned the top three starting spots.
Defending series champion Cole Custer (33.219/162.558) landed the fourth position on the grid in a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier fifth (33.220/162.553) in the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet Camaro.
Allmendinger lines up sixth for Saturday’s 200-lap race, followed by Parker Kligerman, Riley Herbst, Sam Mayer, and Sammy Smith.
Creed was the only non-playoff driver to time trial inside the top five, with six of the eight remaining title contenders landing among the top 10.
Rookie Jesse Love starts deep compared to most of the playoff drivers, qualifying 14th right behind fellow teenagers William Sawalich (12th) and Connor Zilisch (13th).
Love’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill timed in 16th-best and will have the furthest to climb of the championship hopefuls.
Notable names even deeper in the field include Ryan Sieg (17th), Anthony Alfredo (18th), Brandon Jones (20th), Ryan Truex (22nd), Shane van Gisbergen (25th), and Austin Green (34th).
Matt DiBenedetto’s Viking Motorsports entry had inspection issues and was unable to post a qualifying time. He’ll start last in the 38-car field.
No drivers failed to make the race with only 38 entries on the property.
Broadcast coverage of Saturday’s Credit One NASCAR AmEx Credit Card 300 at Homestead, the middle race in the Xfinity Series’ playoff Round of 8, is slated for 4 p.m. ET on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
