Chandler Smith secures a third-place NASCAR Xfinity finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The venue for the third NASCAR Xfinity race of the 2023 season was none other than Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This venue is a staple on the Xfinity calendar and has been on it since the track opened in 1997. The track hosts two races each year, one in the spring and one in the fall during the NASCAR playoffs. The spring race, held over the weekend of March 3rd, 2023, is 300 miles (485km) long, with three stages.
It was at this race weekend where Step One Motorsports ambassador Chandler Smith, racing for Kaulig Racing, secured pole position. Impressively, this was only Smith’s sixth-ever Xfinity entry, and his third with Kaulig Racing. Of the 200 laps raced on Saturday’s Alsco 300, Smith led 118 of them, which was the most by any Kaulig Racing driver in a single race ever. He drove a commanding race, narrowly losing the lead to Justin Allgaier and eventual race winner Austin Hill in the closing phase of the race, finishing in third place. Nonetheless, it was an extremely impressive result for Smith, one that promises a NASCAR Xfinity race win to come during the 2023 season.
The NASCAR Xfinity race schedule is a packed one that finds Smith racing next this upcoming weekend [11-12 March] in Avondale, AZ at Phoenix Raceway.