Tony Stewart's 2nd Truck Start Ends After 17 Laps in 9-Car Talladega Crash

Q: Securing a dramatic overtime victory and a new contract on the same day, what is next for this rising racing star?

Sammy Smith’s next step is a full-time move to TRICON Garage in the 2027 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he will drive the No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The Talladega overtime win for Spire Motorsports gave Smith his first career Truck Series victory and added momentum to an already significant day. Earlier, TRICON announced that the 22-year-old will join its lineup next season, returning him to Toyota’s driver development pipeline after his run with JR Motorsports. The move gives Smith a major opportunity. TRICON is one of the Truck Series’ strongest organizations, and Smith will enter his first full-time Truck campaign with a team built to contend regularly near the front. He replaces Tanner Gray in the No. 15 and joins a 2027 roster that also includes Kaden Honeycutt, Giovanni Ruggiero and Dawson Sutton, while TRICON will continue to run its part-time No. 1 “All-Star” truck. Smith arrives with a solid national-series résumé, including three victories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and, now, a breakthrough Truck win. Before Talladega, he had already shown Truck Series potential with multiple top-five and top-10 finishes in limited starts. What comes next is a chance to turn that promise into week-to-week results. With TRICON’s equipment, Toyota backing and fresh confidence from Talladega, Smith will be expected to compete for more wins and establish himself as a serious Truck Series contender in 2027.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 24

Lap 17 ended Tony Stewart's second Craftsman Truck Series start of the season when a nine-car wreck at Talladega knocked him out early.
Stewart had climbed from 29th to 18th in the opening 15 laps before Stewart Friesen lost control of the No. 52 on the backstretch and triggered the pileup.
Stewart called it "just a racing deal," saying Friesen was stuck in the middle with a problem and nearby trucks were simply collected in the incident.
Sammy Smith won the race in overtime for Spire Motorsports, securing his first career Truck Series victory on the same day Tricon Garage announced he will race full-time there next season.