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Sammy Smith won Friday’s Love’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway in overtime for his first career Truck Series win, hours after announcing he will race full time in the series next year, NASCAR.com reported.
Smith’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet beat a four-wide fight for second by 0.091 seconds. Tyler Ankrum took second, 0.002 seconds ahead of Smith’s Spire teammate Austin Green, who was making his only start of the season. Ty Majeski finished fourth and points leader Kaden Honeycutt fifth.
Smith’s first Truck win
The win came in Smith’s 11th Truck Series start. He led a race-high 21 of the 86 laps, one more than scheduled after the race went to NASCAR Overtime.
“Just a great team, [crew chief] Brian Pattie and this whole Spire crew,” Smith said. “The truck was fast and I feel like we did a good job putting ourselves in a good spot. Obviously, lost track position (earlier), but thanks to everyone for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to racing trucks next year, I just want to win races.”
Asked what the win tells his future competition, Smith said: “That I am a winner, and I know I can win, and I got another shot tomorrow with my boys.”
The 22-year-old from Iowa drives full time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports and races the No. 8 in Saturday’s Progress Group 250 at Talladega. He won that series’ fall Talladega race in 2024, when it was called the Xfinity Series, according to NASCAR.com.
Honeycutt keeps the points lead
Honeycutt, who drives the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota, led eight laps and leaves Talladega 43 points ahead of Layne Riggs with two races left. Riggs started on the front row beside Smith for the overtime restart and finished eighth. Majeski is third in points, 141 behind.
“I don’t know if I really can [be satisfied] to be honest with you,” Honeycutt said. “Just didn’t make the right move [on the final restart].”
He said the points race is not over. “Never say ‘over’ till it’s over, until after Homestead,” Honeycutt said. “I’ve seen it in O’Reilly and in Cup, people can make up 90 points in two races.”
Five drivers eliminated from title contention
Gio Ruggiero, the 2025 Talladega winner, won Stage 1, but his truck got stuck in reverse on pit road right after. He left 177 points back and is out of championship contention, along with Daniel Hemric, Ben Rhodes, Ankrum and Grant Enfinger.
Christian Eckes came in third in points and leaves fifth, 144 back. Chandler Smith had a flat tire, a speeding penalty and a Lap 57 crash, recovered to finish 14th and sits fourth, 142 back.
Early crash collects Tony Stewart
An eight-truck crash on Lap 17 collected Tony Stewart, making his second start of the season in the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram, and Cleetus McFarland, making his third career start. The crash started when Stewart Friesen’s truck wiggled in Turns 1 and 2 and was hit by Andrés Pérez.
“Definitely wanted to make it a lot further in the race today than that,” Stewart said. “Everyone started wrecking and they came across the track and got me. That’s just hard restrictor plate racing at Talladega.”
McFarland was scored last in the 36-truck field. The race had five cautions.
Top 10 and what’s next
Landen Lewis, Brenden Queen, Riggs, Spencer Boyd and 2025 champion Corey Heim completed the top 10. It was Boyd’s first top-10 finish in two years.
The Truck Series races next at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, in the Black’s Tire 200 on Friday, October 30, at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The season ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.
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