Update 2: Kaulig Racing announced today that Chandler Smith will not return to the organization’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) program next season.
Smith, who is seventh in the series Playoffs standings, has earned one win, three pole awards, eight top five and 12 top-10 finishes this season. The November 4 event at Phoenix Raceway will serve as Smith’s final race with Kaulig Racing.
The 2024 driver lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
— Kaulig Racing —
Update: Chandler Smith will leave Kaulig Racing at the end of the year to join the Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series program for the 2024 season sources tell Sportsnaut.
Sportsnaut first reported the interest in Smith from Joe Gibbs Racing but also detailed that such a move would require a buyout as the two parties had two additional years remaining on a contract signed last autumn.
Smith indeed was required to pay the buyout and did so in order to facilitate the move to Gibbs for next season. Smith is expected to visit Joe Gibbs Racing on Monday for the official announcement, seat fitting, and media opportunities.
— Sportsnaut —
Original Post (10-9-2023): Chandler Smith has enjoyed a moderately successful debut season in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing and may yet race for the championship next month but his immediate future with the team remains an open question.
Sportsnaut has learned that Smith, who signed a three-year deal with Kaulig before this season with select starts in the Cup Series, has interest in moving to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024 in a return to the Toyota pipeline next season.
Such a move would require a buyout of the two remaining years of their contract with Rice simply saying that ‘money talks’ when asked about it over the weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
— Sportsnaut —