After just a year with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series, 21-year-old Chandler Smith will now break ties with his team. After an impressive full-time 2022 season in the Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports, the youngster had moved to race in the second tier of NASCAR. But his stint has now ended in the wake of an announcement from the team’s headquarters in North Carolina.

Amidst talks of the driver being linked to a potential deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, veteran reporter Bob Pockrass drew the curtains of the announcement on his “X” handle.

The Kaulig Racing-Chandler Smith saga ends after a single season

When Smith signed onto Matt Kaulig’s team, it was on the account of a multi-year deal. However, it is now clear that neither stakeholder will see the fruity ends of that contract. Having already been tied to a deal with Joe Gibbs’ outfit in the Xfinity Series, a buyout from Gibbs was required to seal the gate. With reports of that being finalized over the coming week, the announcement from Kaulig pushes things further down the pipeline.

Smith has been a long part of Toyota. Considering that Joe Gibbs Racing fuels its racing efforts with the Japanese carmaker, it can be assumed that they had a part to play in this. In the latest race at Miami, the driver did not get to see the chequered flag after he was involved in a crash. Nevertheless, he remains in the playoff battle. He currently sits 7th in the standings with 3059 points.

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The No. 16 driver still has a job to do before he leaves

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Concreting Pockrass’ tweet, Kaulig Racing confirmed on their own “X” handle that their driver will part ways at the end of the ongoing season. Over the last year, Smith has collected one victory lane visit, three pole positions and 8 top-5 finishes from behind the wheel of the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro. His performances have led him to a top stage in the championship run, but after the race at Miami, he still received more work to put in.

Getting caught in a crash that involved Derek Kraus and Brandon Jones, Smith was forced to quit the race. The result at the Magic City left him 54 points below the cutline. Going to Martinsville, he faces a must-win situation. Talking about the next weekend, he said as reported by Matt Weaver, “Pretty damn confident. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

Considering his relatively young age, a lot of strong transitions are going through Smith’s life right now. After getting on to the Toyota bandwagon in 2018, he’d remained seated until 2022. With his move back to his old team through the gates of Joe Gibbs, the youngster could be setting himself up a path to the Cup Series. But right now, he has a good shot at the Xfinity Championship. His current team too will be hoping that he can deliver them a bang for their troubles before he heads back to Toyota.

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