Sammy Smith has set his plans for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season ahead of his return to the playoffs.
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The Iowa native will return to JR Motorsports and the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro. He will take on his third full season with the team while receiving support from partners Pilot, TMC Transportation, and Allstate Peterbilt Group.
"We are thrilled to have Sammy (Smith), Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group back for 2026," said JRM CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller in a press release.
"It's been a pleasure getting to know and work with Sammy these past two seasons and we're looking forward to seeing what the future will hold next year after our run for a championship with the No. 8 team in 2025."
Smith, who made his Xfinity Series debut in 2022 with nine starts, has made the playoffs in all three of his full seasons.
He kicked off his tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023 after winning back-to-back ARCA Menards Series East championships (2021-22), and he won his first career Xfinity race at Phoenix Raceway. Smith made the playoffs and ended the season sixth in the standings.
Smith moved to JR Motorsports for 2024 and punched his ticket back to the playoffs with a win at Talladega Superspeedway. Once again, he reached the Round of 8.
This season, he locked himself into the playoffs with a win at Rockingham Speedway. He crossed the line second behind Jesse Love, but NASCAR diqualified the Richard Childress Racing driver when the No. 2 failed post-race inspection.
Smith will now continue his quest for the Xfinity Series championship. He will start the playoffs this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, a track where he has four top-15 finishes in four starts and a career-best finish of fourth. He will then continue the playoff schedule with trips to Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Roval.
Once the season ends, Smith will look forward to 2026 and another opportunity to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet.
"I am looking forward to continuing to build on what we've accomplished together here at JRM," Smith said. "I am thankful for the continued support from Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt Group as we go into these playoffs and into next season as a team."
