NASHVILLE, Tenn. – One year ago, Chandler Smith was in the driver’s seat in the closing laps of the All American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, appearing to be on his way to victory.
Then came a pass by Mason Mingus with 29 to go on a late restart, followed by a fierce battle with Casey Roderick – who was three laps down at the time – which kept Smith from chasing Mingus down.
The Jasper, Ga., native finished a heartbreaking second in that race with a car that he believed “should have won the thing.” Smith is back for redemption this time around at the .596-mile Tennessee oval.
“We wanted that win last year, and we weren’t able to come away with it, unfortunately,” Smith told SPEED SPORT following qualifying Saturday night. “I come to win every time I’m at the race track and this race is no different. We’ve got a fast piece.”
Smith’s Wilson Motorsports-prepared No. 26 Toyota did, as he said, show plenty of speed Saturday during qualifying for the 300-lap All American feature.
He timed in third-quickest among the 34 entries, placing himself in a solid position to be able to settle in come race time and stay out of trouble – much the same as the strategy he employed in 2019.
But Smith may have an ace up his sleeve for his return to Nashville in 2020. He believes his car this year may be even stronger than the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 that he wheeled in the 2019 race.
“First and foremost, I just want to thank the Wilson Motorsports team and Toyota, along with everybody that has worked on this piece back of the shop. We’ve got a super-fast No. 26 JBL Toyota Camry, and it’s definitely a bullet. That word hits the nail right on the head. Donnie (Wilson, team owner) and all his guys have given me a great opportunity and I hope I can reward them for that.
“I really do feel better about this year than I did last year. This thing is a very consistent piece,” Smith added. “That’s not to say that last year’s car wasn’t good; we were very good last year and we had a shot to win, as everyone saw. I just felt a little better in the feel with this one, and hopefully that’s a good sign for us.”
Another positive omen may be the grueling nature of the All American race for super late models. Attrition routinely takes its toll on the competition and those with a strong mental game are traditionally rewarded at Nashville, often with one of the track’s hallmark guitar trophies.
Smith believes he’s one of those drivers who can remain cool under pressure and strike when it counts.
“This race, I believe, is more of a mental test than anything else; you have to stay calm and be patient, and I feel like I’m pretty good at that,” Smith noted. “When the race was 400 laps, I feel like it was more endurance, more like a truck race or something of that nature … and obviously I’ve done a lot more of that type of racing this year than I have in past years.
“I’m pretty mad that they cut it to 300 laps this year, but no matter the distance, we come out to win.”
Away from the super late model ranks, Smith has had an up-and-down year between NASCAR and ARCA competition as well.
He has four top-five finishes in 11 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts and two ARCA Menards Series victories, but has also crashed out or had problems in several Truck races where it looked like he might have a shot at a potential win.
But even with all that on his mind, in addition to last year’s Nashville disappointment, Smith said he doesn’t necessarily feel like he has a point to prove when the green flag drops for 300 laps on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m here to win; I’m not here to run second,” he said.
The super late model portion of All American 400 weekend is scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT start Sunday.