KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR photo —
After a successful three-year run that has produced six wins, including two so far in 2015, Regan Smith confirmed on Saturday following the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 that he will not be returning to JR Motorsports in 2016.
The news came to light during Smith’s post-race interview with NBC Sports reporter Marty Snider after the Cato, N.Y. driver finished fifth. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Busch won the race for his 75th career series win.
“I know I’m not coming back to JR Motorsports next year for sure,” said Smith, who has wins at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Dover International Speedway this season, “I want to go out strong at the end here and do everything we can over these last three (races) to try and catch the 60 (of points leader Chris Buescher). We’re going to need help now to do that but certainly been a good three years so we want to have a good last three races.”
Smith, who also has one win in Sprint Cup competiton (the 2011 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway), has scored all six of his XFINITY victories with JRM. The partnership began with a single start in the 2012 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Smith scored his first series win in his first series start since 2007. He followed that up with finishes of third (2013) and second (2014) in the NXS championship standings, and currently ranks third in the 2015 points — 33 tallies behind current leader Chris Buescher.
JRM is co-owned by perennial NMPA Most Popular driver and Sprint Cup veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with his sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller and Earnhardt’s Sprint Cup team owner Rick Hendrick. In addition to Smith’s No. 7 Chevrolet, the team fields the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driven by reigning NXS champion Chase Elliott and the No. 88 Chevrolet, piloted by a myriad of drivers including Earnhardt himself and reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick, in the XFINITY ranks.
The organization also branched out into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2015, fielding a Truck full-time with sponsorship from Haas Automation with drivers including 17-year-old Cole Custer and Sprint Cup regulars Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson.
JRM recently signed current Roush-Fenway Racing driver Elliott Sadler to a full-time NXS contract for the 2016 season, along with Sadler’s longtime sponsor, OneMain Financial.
While Smith is not returning to the seat of the No. 7 in 2016, one of the sponsors on the machine — TaxSlayer.com — recently announced that it will split a 10-race sponsorship slate between the No. 7 and No. 88 XFINITY cars for the upcoming season.
For more information on Regan Smith, follow him on Twitter @ReganSmith or visit his website at www.regansmith.com.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 21-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
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