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Chandler Smith out of Darlington early, playoff race wreaking havoc on drivers

JHby: Jonathan Howard08/30/25Jondean25
Chandler Smith NASCAR
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A terrible start to the Truck Series Playoffs for Chandler Smith. He is out of the race after hitting the wall early at Darlington. Everyone knows about the Darlington stripe. For these NASCAR Truck drivers, contact with the wall can be detrimental.

We have seen multiple drivers pull into pit road early due to flat tires. Tap that wall the wrong way and the body gets pushed in and slices tires.

Chandler Smith is out of the race. He will drop in the playoff standings. Smith has to turn towards Bristol and New Hampshire if he wants to make the Round of 8. He led 10 laps before the flat tire. His day is done.

Drivers like Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, Matt Mills, and others were in the wall early and had tire problems. A few drivers were able to make repairs on pit road and kept going. Then there were some that went down a ton of laps. In Smith’s case, the damage to the right side was too much to fix.

Smith started P2 today after locking up the front row with his Front Row teammate, Layne Riggs. With Smith out of the race, it’s going to come down to Riggs and Corey Heim today at Darlington. Who will advance to the Round of 8 after clamining the win?

Chandler Smith out, Layne Riggs picking up pieces

From the start, Chandler Smith got out in front of Layne Riggs at Darlington. But one small mistake and a hit of the wall and his day is over. Since then, Riggs has been battling with Corey Heim back and forth.

Heim won Stage 1. Riggs won Stage 2. Now, the two drivers are seeing how the rest of the race plays out. There are going to be opportunities for both drivers to take advantage of. Then there is the chance of a late race restart. Who comes out on top in that case?

The NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs are only seven races long. Winning early can help propel a team to Phoenix. Should either Riggs or Heim make a mistake, Grant Enfinger and Daniel Hemric are waiting to jump on the chance to steal this race.

Chandler Smith and Layne Riggs are probably the only two drivers who could beat Corey Heim for the championship. It will take a huge effort to do it, though. Heim has dominated this season and he won’t be giving up this championship easily.