Sammy Smith wins Phoenix Xfinity race

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Eighteen-year-old Sammy Smith scored his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, taking the checkered flag Saturday at Phoenix Racing.

Smith scored the win in his 13th career series start. Smith led 92 of 200 laps, including the final 52.

“This is a dream come true,” said the high school senior.

Ryan Truex placed second, giving Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 finish.

“I think (Smith) was the class of the field all day,” Truex said. “His car looked so good, and he could do what he wanted.”

Sheldon Creed was third. Riley Herbst finished fourth. Chandler Smith finished fifth. Chandler Smith and Kyle Busch made contact on the final lap. Busch fell back and finished ninth.

Stage 1 winner:  Justin Allgaier

Stage 2 winner: Justin Allgaier

Who had a good race: Riley Herbst’s fourth-place finish marked his seventh consecutive top-10 finish, dating back to last season. … Sheldon Creed overcame a spin to finish third for his best finish of the season.

Who had a bad race: The strategy call to stay out when many others pitted before the end of the second stage allowed Allgaier to win that stage but put him in the back of the field after the stage break when he pitted. Allgaier couldn’t regain that track position and was collected in a crash late in the race. He finished 36th. … Josh Berry was spun twice, including once by teammate Sam Mayer. Berry overcame those incidents to finish eighth.

Next: The series races March 18 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (5 p.m. ET on FS1).

#NASCAR … Chandler Smith on the last-lap contact with Kyle Busch … pic.twitter.com/lBHoaetLXa

— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) March 12, 2023

#NASCAR … Sheldon Creed finished third, benefitting from the contact between Chandler Smith and Kyle Busch. Creed details