MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Hettinger Racing has tabbed Chandler Smith to drive its No. 5 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the next two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races March 7 at Phoenix Raceway and March 14 Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Despite being just 23, Smith brings a wealth of race-winning experience to the first-year Hettinger Racing team.
The Ford Racing driver is a three-time winner in the O’Reilly Series and an eight-time winner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, with his most recent victory coming Feb. 13 in the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Smith also owns 10 ARCA Menards Series victories.
“It’s been a pretty steep learning curve so far this season and putting Chandler in our racecar will hopefully make the curve a little less steep these next two weeks,” said team owner Chris Hettinger. “Chandler’s young, but he brings a lot of experience to our organization. He knows how to win, and he just proved it a few weeks back at Daytona. His expertise and his feedback will be a major plus for us so we can get better, faster.”
Smith will make his milestone 70th career O’Reilly Series start in the GOVX 200 this Saturday at Phoenix, a race he won in 2024. In fact, Smith has two other victories at Phoenix – March 2020 in ARCA and November 2021 in the Truck Series.
“I love to race, and with the Truck Series off these next two weeks, the opportunity to race in the O’Reilly Series was an easy one,” Smith said. “Plus, anytime you can step into a new program and help it grow is pretty rewarding. It’s impressive to see Chris’ commitment to competing at this level. He wants more and I want more for him. Definitely looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”
Smith has a strong track record at Phoenix and Las Vegas. He has made four career O’Reilly Series starts at each venue, earning an average finish of 4.8 at Phoenix and 3.5 at Las Vegas. His lone result outside of the top-five at Phoenix was an eighth-place drive in November 2023, and his worst finish at Las Vegas is fourth.
“Phoenix and Las Vegas are two tracks where from the moment I got there, I felt comfortable. I understood what I needed out of the car and that allowed me to find speed and find it quickly,” said Smith, who won the pole at Las Vegas in his O’Reilly Series debut at the track in March 2023. “Between my past O’Reilly and Truck Series starts at both tracks, I’ve got a pretty good benchmark of where that No. 5 Ford Mustang should be when it comes time for the race.”
Smith currently competes fulltime in the Truck Series for Front Row Motorsports where the Talking Rock, Georgia, native leads the championship standings by 34 points over second-place Ben Rhodes.
“Right now, I feel like I’m in a really good place as a driver,” said Smith, who has Truck Series wins at Phoenix (2021) and Las Vegas (2022). “Winning at Daytona and leading the points gives you a lot of confidence. Our Truck program at Front Row has a ton of momentum, and when you’re in that rhythm, you want to keep racing. I’m looking forward to these next two weeks with Hettinger Racing.”