UPDATE: Over the past couple of months, chatter has picked up about Garrett Smithley‘s NASCAR future, though if you ask him, he wants to run as many laps as possible.
“There is a lot of stuff being talked about and going on. Obviously, I’m talking to Rick [Ware]. He gave me the opportunity to run the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 and who knows moving forward. At this point, I’m going to take it one race at a time.” [Smithley said]
“Everybody that I’ve talked to around me hasn’t discouraged me from doing it because of where I’m at as a driver,” Smithley added. “I just want the maximum amount of laps that I can possibly get. In a perfect world, I would love to do what Ross [Chastain] did; run in all three series and run every race that I can.”
It’s more likely Smithley runs most of the Xfinity and Cup schedules in 2020, as he mentioned he’s been chatting with Johnny Davis about returning to JDM in the No. 0 car.
Davis confirmed to Frontstretch that the plan is for Smithley to return.
“We are having these talks and it is looking good,” Davis said via text, stating the team is looking to run four full-time cars for the third consecutive season.
Ware, on the other hand, admits Smithley is likely going to be an integral part of the team’s future next season, as he’s hoping to run three full-time teams.
— Frontstretch —
ORIGINAL POST 8-21-2019: Garrett Smithley currently drivers full-time in the XFINITY Series for JD Motorsports. He has made 5 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts this season for Premium Motorsports / Spire Motorsports.
.@GarrettSmithley is a top option to fill @RickWareRacing's No. 51 Chevrolet full time in the NASCAR Cup Series next season, per source. pic.twitter.com/q1we27OYdG
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) August 21, 2019