A major change is taking place at Front Row Motorsports after the 2026 season. Chandler Smith, a current championship contender, will not return to the No. 38 Ford F-150.
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The championship-winning team announced the news on Tuesday morning. They did not provide any further details about the reason for the upcoming change.
"Chandler Smith will not return to Front Row Motorsports in 2027," the team said in a statement. "We would like to extend our gratitude to Chandler for being a great representative of our Craftsman Truck Series program.
"The list of accomplishments that he and the No. 38 team have obtained are impressive, with four wins to date over the past two seasons, and we wish him the best on his continued career path.
"The team will remain committed to competing at the highest level in the series and contending for championships, for the remainder of 2026 and beyond. Additional updates on our 2027 plans will be shared when available."
Smith joined Front Row Motorsports right before the 2025 Truck Series season and quickly became a championship contender once again. The No. 38 team came together very late in the offseason, but it still celebrated two wins.
This season, Smith ranks third in the championship standings. He has won two races so far while finishing inside the top 10 in 10 of the 16 races.
He will continue to pursue a championship with Front Row Motorsports, but his time with the team will end after the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Reports indicate that he could return to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027 while joining Richard Childress Racing.
The announcement about Smith's future comes as Front Row Motorsports faces many questions about the lineup for next season.
The team already announced that Zane Smith and Todd Gilliland will return to their respective Cup Series cars. The team also confirmed that it is working on a deal to bring back Noah Gragson. Although Front Row Motorsports did not provide details about whether Gragson will be back in the No. 4 Cup Series car.
Meanwhile, Layne Riggs indicated that a move to the Cup Series is a possibility. Riggs is the top contender in the Truck Series after winning five races and building up a 100-point lead over Kaden Honeycutt in second place.
