Chandler Smith captured his eighth career NASCAR Truck Series win Friday in a thrilling season-opener at Daytona, executing a breathtaking four-wide pass on the final lap. The victory came just a day after he missed the Daytona 500, and Smith’s late-race surge saw him overtake front-runners in a drag race to the finish.

Entering Turn 3, Smith was sixth but quickly closed the gap as John-Hunter Nemechek led out of the final corner. Ruggiero made an aggressive move to the outside, slamming doors with Christian Eckes, while Smith, with Ty Majeski drafting behind him, completed the four-wide maneuver to take the checkered flag. The top five finished within 0.069 seconds: Smith, Ruggiero, Eckes, Majeski, and Nemechek.

“This first off, I want to shout out all glory to God,” Smith said after climbing from his No. 38 Ford F-150. “Without Him, none of this would be possible. I’m super grateful for my team and everyone at Front Row Motorsports who made this happen.” He praised Majeski for his teamwork and noted his excitement about building on improvements from last season.

The race featured early chaos, including a Stage 1 caution when Cleetus McFarland crashed on Lap 6, and multiple tire issues for Hocevar, Enfinger, Kitzmiller, and Riggs. Stage 3 saw further incidents, including Hocevar spinning off multiple times and a late three-truck wreck involving Spencer Boyd, Dawson Sutton, and Taylor Gray, which pushed the race into overtime.

Despite the chaos, Smith’s late-race strategy and timing allowed him to navigate the field cleanly and make the winning move. Other notable performances included Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finishing sixth, Brenden Queen seventh, Kaden Honeycutt eighth, Tyler Ankrum ninth, and Stewart Friesen tenth. Fan favorites Travis Pastrana and Frankie Muniz finished 15th and 16th, while Tony Stewart and Cleetus McFarland exited early due to accidents.

Smith’s victory positions him atop the standings to start the year as NASCAR returns to the Chase championship format, setting the tone for a competitive 2026 season in the Truck Series.