NASCAR
Five Drivers Earned a First Career Xfinity Series Win in 2023
2023 was a very intriguing season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Five drivers found victory lane for the first time in their careers, showing that the future is more than healthy in the second-tier division. 2024 will likewise be a season full of championship contender parity with youthful exuberance. Here are the five drivers who conquered the Xfinity Series for the initial time this year and their chances at more greatness in 2024.
Sammy Smith
Taking over the famed Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota, Sammy Smith had pressure to perform thrust on him early. The 19-year-old went to victory lane in race four of the season at Phoenix. This would be the lone victory of his maiden Xfinity campaign however, the rest of the year was marred by crashes for the youngster.
Smith would survive until the Playoffs Round of 8, but fail to capitalize in a must-win scenario at Martinsville. Driver 18 would eek out Rookie of the Year honors though with a sixth-place championship finish.
Smith now moves onward from JGR to another Xfinity powerhouse–JR Motorsports. The Iowa native will take over the No. 8 Chevrolet being vacated by Josh Berry. JRM has put at least one car into the Championship 4 in every season, and Smith will aim to continue this tradition in 2024.
Chandler Smith
Less than a month after Sammy’s triumph, another Smith became an Xfinity Series winner. Unrelated rookie Chandler Smith took the Kaulig Racing No. 16 to a win at his favorite racetrack–Richmond Raceway. Only seven races into this new opportunity, the Georgia native was a Playoff lock.
Similar to Sammy, Chandler would not capture another checkered flag, and wound up ninth in points. Kaulig and Smith would announce a parting of ways in October, leaving this driver as a free agent. As of this writing, Smith has yet to sign with any team for the 2024 season, but he has been linked to Joe Gibbs Racing. Should he fill either of their vacated seats, Smith should immediately become a regular winning threat and 2024 title contender.
Ryan Truex
A very popular first-time Xfinity Series win kicked off an eventual brothers sweep at Dover Motor Speedway. In April, perennial underdog Ryan Truex put together a near-flawless afternoon in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota. The younger Truex lead an astounding 124 of 200 laps, taking home a dominant win on his home turf. On Monday, Martin Truex would make it a perfect weekend for the No. 19 at The Monster Mile, taking his first victory of the season as well.
Truex would make only one more start the rest of the season, failing to recapture the Dover magic. Truex does not currently have any concrete plans in place for 2024. He may have a very similar schedule to 2023 though, making select starts with JGR. If this is the case for Truex, more wins may be in store for the determined veteran.
Sam Mayer
Nobody had a better second half of the Xfinity season than Sam Mayer. The Jr Motorsports No. 1 team won their first race on Mayer’s home track at Road America in July. Two more road course wins soon followed on Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval. An elusive oval victory also came at Homestead, transferring Mayer into the Championship 4.
The four-month run from Road America to Homestead saw incredible maturity on and off-track for Mayer. Driver 1 took the big leap from winner to contender in mere weeks. The 20-year-old returns to JRM and is poised for his biggest year yet in NASCAR. Wins should be expected early and often for the 1 team, going for the Chevrolet powerhouse’s third title.
Riley Herbst
2023 was a season filled with high highs and equally low lows for Riley Herbst. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver began the year with a career-best six top-10s, climbing up to second in points. 11 poor results over the next 12 races though saw the No. 98 tumble to the Playoff cut line, eventually failing to make the 12-man fight.
Tragically not making the Playoffs appeared to light a fire underneath Herbst and this entire team. Over the final seven races, the No. 98 scored six top-10s, punctuated by a first win at Las Vegas. At his home track no less, Herbst led a whopping 102 of 201 laps en route to one of the most dominant races of the season.
Cole Custer largely attributed his championship season to Herbst, saying the 00 would not have found necessary speed without the 98. Come 2024, Herbst may be in position to keep the championship within the walls of SHR.
All five of these drivers should have ample opportunities at plenty more Xfinity Series wins in 2024. The new season will bring a new slate of weekly favorites and eventual title threats. It will be fun to follow along with these drivers throughout the season, as will the hunt for any newcomers to the Xfinity Series winner’s club.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner, Logan Riely, James Gilbert, Meg Oliphant, and David Jensen/Getty Images
