Front Row Motorsports announced Friday (Dec. 20) that Chandler Smith will join the team in 2025 in a new, full-time second entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The news ends speculation about Smith’s future in NASCAR as he finished the 2024 season without a ride confirmed.
“I’m excited to join Front Row Motorsports truck program,” Smith said in the press release. “[Front Row Motorsports] are a top contender in the Truck Series and have proven so with championships and wins. I like what they are building here and am honored to have the opportunity to add to it. We are getting a bit of a late start, but I am excited about the caliber of talent we are talking to in being a part of this program for 2025.”
Chandler comes to the team after running full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024. In 33 races, Smith won two races (Phoenix and Richmond), had 17 top-five and 22 top 10 finishes. He ended up finishing fifth in points after getting eliminated from championship contention in Martinsville.
Despite the strong season, Chandler was the odd man out at JGR. Taylor Gray and William Sawalich moving up into full-time rides and Brandon Jones returning to the team from JR Motorsports for 2025 ultimately left no room for Chandler.
Towards the end of the 2024 season, Chandler was open on the possibility of not racing at all in 2025. He was on record as stating that if a deal with a good team didn’t come together for him, he could have spent the 2025 season working for his family’s business, Smith General Contracting, before re-evaluating his options for 2026. That will no longer be the case.
Luckily, Smith is returning to a series where he has been successful in the past. In 62 career starts in the Truck Series, all but one of them coming with the now-defunct Kyle Busch Motorsports, he has five career victories, 24 top-five and 35 top 10 finishes. His best finish in points was third in 2022 to Zane Smith.
2024 saw FRM bring in Layne Riggs to replace Smith, who moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series. Riggs struggled early on, but picked up momentum late in the year. Back-to-back victories at Milwaukee and Bristol allowed Riggs to take 11th in points, best of those who failed to make the playoffs.
FRM did not announce sponsors for Smith, or a number for his Ford F-150. Those will be announced at a later date.
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