KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Regan Smith, 33 points out of the lead in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series, will not be returning to JR Motorsports for the 2016 season, according to the 32-year-old driver.
After finishing fifth in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Smith told NBC Sports reporter Marty Snider he was looking for a new ride.
“I know I’m not coming back to JR Motorsports next year for sure,” Smith said, “so I want to go out strong at the end here and do everything we can over these last three (races) to try and catch the 60 (points leader Chris Buescher). We’re going to need help now to do that but certainly been a good three years so we want to have a good last three races.”
Later, Smith tweeted:
Sounds like tv didn’t show my post race interview but to confirm, I will not be returning to the 7 car next season.
— Regan Smith (@ReganSmith) October 17, 2015
Smith has been driving the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet full-time since 2013; he made a single start with the team to close the ’12 season, winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
All six of his victories in the series have come with JRM.
The organization, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner Rick Hendrick, fields three full-time XFINITY Series teams as well as one team in the Camping World Truck Series.
Earnhardt Jr. announced earlier this month that veteran driver Elliott Sadler would join JRM for 2016, along with sponsor OneMain Financial.
Chase Elliott, the 2014 series champion and driver of the team’s No. 9 Chevrolet, will move up to Sprint Cup with Hendrick Motorsports next season, taking over the No. 24 entry currently driven by Jeff Gordon.
Smith’s team carries sponsorship from TaxSlayer.com, which recently announced it would continue its support for ’16.
Smith finished second to Elliott in last year’s championship battle and third the previous season. Saturday’s race marked his 199th career start in the series.
He has two wins this season (at Mid-Ohio and Dover) and trails Buescher by 33 and Elliott by 27 with 30 of 33 races completed. He also has one victory in the Sprint Cup Series (2011 at Darlington Raceway).