Championship contender Sammy Smith earns first NASCAR pole
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Midwest phenom Sammy Smith earned his first NASCAR pole at the right time as he must win at Martinsville Speedway to stay in the title hunt.
Smith and Justin Allgaier will lead the field to the green flag Saturday for the Dead-On Tools 250.
While Allgaier is just -3 points to the cutline heading into elimination Saturday, Smith is -49.
“We just have to go out and win. I feel like that is the biggest thing for us and I feel like we can do that. I feel like we need to do whatever it takes,” Smith said.
Playoff drivers Cole Custer, John Hunter Nemechek, Chandler Smith, Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill will also start inside the top 10.
The top-10 starters are as follows: S. Smith, Allgaier, Custer, Riley Herbst, Nemechek, Brandon Jones, C. Smith, Creed, A. Hill, Parker Retzlaff
Daniel Hemric, who is vying for the owner’s title for the Kaulig Racing No. 10 team, starts 14th.
Sam Mayer, who is already locked into the Championship Four with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway, starts 17th.
Blaine Perkins was fastest in practice and second-fastest on the 10-lap average. However, he will start 31st.
Other notables: Myatt Snider (11th), Josh Bilicki (18th), Layne Riggs (19th), Akinori Ogata (36th), Devin Jones (37th), Jeb Burton (38th), Timmy Hill (DNQ)
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dead-On Tools 250 goes green at Martinsville Speedway just after 3:30 p.m. ET (Broadcast: USA, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, MRN affiliates).
PLAYOFF STANDINGS
- Sam Mayer: WIN
- John Hunter Nemechek (+44)
- Cole Custer (+3)
- Austin Hill (+3)
- Justin Allgaier (3110 pts, -3)
- Sammy Smith (-49)
- Chandler Smith (-54)
- Sheldon Creed (-65)
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com