Chandler Smith secures a fifth-place finish in the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway

Phoenix Raceway played host to round four of the NASCAR Xfinity series’ 2023 season. The Avondale, AZ venue has been a regular on the calendar since 2005, hosting two races a year – one in the spring and one in the fall, which also acts as the season finale for the series. In a three-stage race with a race distance of 200 miles (320 kilometers), drivers must complete 200 laps around the 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) oval.

Step One Motorsports ambassador Chandler Smith secured a strong P6 qualifying position early Saturday afternoon, setting himself up well for the United Rentals 200 later in the day. Smith had a race equaling in strength to his qualifying, gaining points in stage one in P10 and points due to his race result of P5. Smith was in podium contention in some moments, but on the last lap, he had a bit of a scrap with his teammate Kyle Busch. The pair made contact, which knocked Smith back several positions. Still, his result was certainly strong and showed Smith’s potential.

Next up on the NASCAR Xfinity schedule is the Raptor 250 race weekend in Atlanta, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway held on March 17 and 18, 2023.