18-year-old high school student Sammy Smith made history with his first Xfinity win at Phoenix Raceway.
He became the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at Phoenix Raceway with the win. It was his 13th start in the series in the past two years for Joe Gibbs Racing. Smith led the last 52 laps and race-high 92 in total. He took the lead from Kyle Busch on lap 149.
“That was tough with all of those restarts – and going against some of the best,” said Smith. “I just have to thank everybody on Pilot/Flying J, Toyota, JGR guys and everybody on this 18 team for giving me an awesome car. This is awesome.
“This is a dream come true, and I did know that at some point this was coming. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of great people around me. Without all of these guys, I wouldn’t be here.”
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It is a great achievement for the 18-year-old, given that he had the likes of Kyle Busch as his competitor. After all, Busch is the record-holder for Xfinity races with 102 wins.
While it was a great achievement in itself, fans were happy that he could do so against Busch. Additionally, some fans commented on the quality of young drivers JGR has at their disposal.
Nothing makes me happier than to see an 18 year old outdrive Kyle Busch.
— Lvulawntym (@lvulawntym) March 12, 2023
@sammysmithSS !!!! IF YOU DOUBTED YOU MIGHT WANT TO RETHINK THAT DECISION
— Cody Bowdoin (@CodyBowdoin) March 12, 2023
Max verstappen better
— Yung 1 (@YungJhit88) March 12, 2023
You realize how badass JGR is going to be? Remember when they had Busch, Truex, Hamlin, and Kenseth? Some day soon, they'll have Bell, Gibbs, Smith, and Nemechek, if everything goes well. Love it for the coach and Toyota.
— Botch (@BotchMcGee) March 12, 2023
Having won 102 races, Busch initially decided to retire from the series but he is back for more and will appear in five races in the series.
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