Front Row Motorsports’ Chandler Smith is giddy about joining Richard Childress Racing, an opportunity years in the making that is finally coming to fruition in 2027.
When Smith departed Kaulig Racing’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program at the conclusion of 2023, RCR offered the Georgia native the No. 2 Chevrolet that Jesse Love eventually took over when Sheldon Creed departed the organization. Smith, who was already negotiating with Joe Gibbs Racing, decided to stay the course and return to the Toyota camp.
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“They offered me that ride, but I was already so far down the road with Joe Gibbs Racing that it felt wrong to turn my back on the deal that was already far down the road,” Smith told NASCAR.com when discussing his move to RCR as driver of the No. 21 next season. “The belief and support that Danny Lawrence (vice president, alliance operations/director of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program) and Richard (Childress, chairman, chief executive officer) himself showed back during that time in 2023 carried out for those last few years.
“Every single year from 2023 on, 2024, 2025 and at the start of this year, it’s always been a conversation that we’ve had of, ‘How can we get you here? We would love to have you here. You literally fit the glove of Richard Childress Racing, and we want you here.’ “
Smith was rewarded with a multiyear contract, something foreign to the NASCAR veteran. His only prior multiseason deal was with Kaulig, though he left after a single campaign.
Stability and an opportunity to build were important for the 24-year-old father of two toddlers. That awards him longevity, seeing a potential path to the NASCAR Cup Series with RCR.
“I feel like I’ve made my stance that I have what it takes to go out and win races, win championships,” Smith said. “Even when you look at Front Row Motorsports, they took a chance on me to build a brand-new truck team. It takes time. If you can help me, help you to a point, we can create something special together.
“I’m really looking forward to it because the foundation of Richard Childress Racing is already there. They’ve already had success and won a championship with Jesse last year. I’m not going in there trying to rebuild something. I’m looking at going in and locking arms.”
With Love moving to the Cup Series in 2027 with Wood Brothers Racing and Austin Hill jumping full time to the No. 33 car in Cup for RCR, the blue-collar organization had two vacancies to fill in its O’Reilly program. Smith’s interest was piqued by his previous experience with RCR as an affiliate driver with Kaulig Racing, but he also knows this opportunity will be radically different.
Unlike his lone season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith doesn’t view 2027 as a campaign in which he needs to prove anything. With a plethora of resources at his disposal, he believes he’ll have every opportunity to succeed and feels the situation is much more aligned with what he envisioned for himself.
“When I went to Joe Gibbs Racing, it was expected to win, and to a point, I thought this was a place I thought I could be at for a long time with my career,” Smith said. “When you looked at it on paper, it didn’t really reflect what I thought. When I look at this on paper, it reflects what I think.”
Austin Dillon, 2013 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, is among those excited for Smith to join RCR.
“Chandler has won in the O’Reilly Series, won in the [Craftsman] Truck Series, so I know he’s going to perform well,” Dillon said.
The immediate goal for Smith, however, is chasing a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title with Front Row Motorsports, entering The Chase presented by Mobil 1 at Bristol Motor Speedway as the No. 3 seed (Thu., 8 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He has two victories this season, one at North Wilkesboro Speedway in July and a frantic last-lap drive in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February.
MORE: Craftsman Truck Series standings | Craftsman Truck Series schedule
Knowing what is in store for 2027 isn’t a hindrance for Smith. Instead, it allows him to put added emphasis on what is ahead over the next two months.
“It’s more of a distraction when you don’t have anything,” Smith said. “When you secure something this early in the season, it makes it so you can focus at the task at hand more clearly.”
Through the 18 regular-season events, Smith has a 10.9 average finish, nearly a full position better than his first year with Front Row in 2025 (11.8). His nine top-five finishes are nearly double what he accumulated last year.
Front Row enters The Chase with two of the top three seeds. Layne Riggs — who will return to Front Row in the Truck Series in 2027 — put on a clinic through the first 18 races, winning six times.
“I feel like our 38 team is firing on all cylinders right now,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, I’m excited that we are even in The Chase. I’m excited for the opportunity to run for a championship. With the situation I’m in, I know I have a good group of men and women around me at Front Row Motorsports and good race tracks to go out on the track to perform in.”