Chandler Smith to try to make Daytona 500 with Garage 66 entry

Chandler Smith will try to make the Daytona 500 for the Garage 66 team after NASCAR would not approve Mike Wallace for the drive.

The 22-year-old Smith made three Cup appearances for Kaulig Racing in 2023. He failed to make the Daytona 500 that year for Garage 66, then known as MBM Motorsports.

Smith will compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Front Row Motorsports this season after racing full-time in the Xfinity Series last year.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to race with Garage 66 in the Daytona 500,” Smith said in a statement from the team. “Being in The Great American Race is such an honor, and I can’t thank (sponsor) QuickTie and Carl Long enough for helping put it all together.”

AUTO: OCT 06 NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500

The start of a season brings new hope and can bring even more to these drivers.

The team announced earlier this month that Wallace in the team’s no. 66 car at Daytona would be. Wallace has 197 bowl starts. His last Cup start came in the 2015 Daytona 500. He won the 2000 Truck Race at Daytona and the summer 2004 Xfinity race there.

NASCAR confirmed Jan. 13 that it has Wallace for the Cup Series.

This left Garage 66 and Long, a co-owner of the team, looking for a new manager and sponsorship.

“The last few days have been a whirlwind of phone calls and emails after Mike Wallace was not approved to be the driver of our Daytona 500 entry,” Long said in a statement from the team. “After several days of non-stop communication with available drivers who could race a Ford, the pieces came together to put Chandler Smith in our car.”