#NASCAR Weekend Recap
Winners: Sammy Smith; Myatt Snider; William Byron
Sammy Smith Cruises to Checkered at 5 Flags For First ARCA Menards Win
On Saturday night at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, the 16-year-old from Johnston, Iowa, won the Pensacola 200 Presented by Inspectra Thermal Solutions in convincing fashion.
"I can’t thank the team enough," said Smith, who is driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the ARCA Menards Series East this season. "The first part of the race, we weren’t very good. We were alright. But we fought back and made some good adjustments.
Sammy Smith also earned the General Tire Pole Award.
Myatt Snider’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series Victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Snider had difficulties on the first ‘green, white, checkered re-start’ by spinning his tires. However, lesson learned; taking advantage of his perfect execution from the inside lane on his second chance at an overtime restart, Snider held off charging Tyler Reddick to win Saturday’s Contender Boats 250.
“Just a shout-out to all these RCR guys, (sponsor) Taxslayer, all these people that supported me over the years. It’s been a rough journey, but we’re here with a win, and I can’t complain.”
William Byron Dominates Final Cup Stage For the Win
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, won on Sunday by a dominant 2.777 seconds over Tyler Reddick in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The ‘Dixie Vodka 400’ victory marked only Byron’s second of his four-year career.
“It was just a really smooth day,” said Byron, who won Stage 2 after finishing fourth in the opening 80-lap stage. “We worked hard in the winter on this track. I can’t believe it.”
Though Reddick made his charge by running inches from the outside wall, Byron preferred to maintain a respectful distance from the fence whenever possible.
“You had to go to the wall at certain times,” said Byron, who led 102 laps, a career-best for a single race. “(Turns) 3 and 4, it was really fast up there. I definitely didn’t do it as good as the Xfinity cars do it, but I used it when I had to. This car was just awesome. It was really a lot of hard work. I think we went to the sim (simulator) four or five times this offseason, and it pays off, man. It’s awesome.”
