Xfinity Series driver Chandler Smith celebrates after winning the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway. Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The kids are all right: Young drivers shine in NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Richmond

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated 3/30/24

The goal of the NASCAR Xfinity Series has always been to prepare young drivers for the grueling reality of NASCAR Cup Series racing, and the young guns were out in full force during Saturday's ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond.

Excluding second-place finisher Aric Almirola, the average age of the top five finishers (Chandler Smith, 21; Taylor Gray, 19; Corey Heim, 21; and Jesse Love, 19) is just 20 years old, proving the future of NASCAR is in good hands when it comes to the young talent entering the sport.

It was Smith who took home the victory, the third of his career and second at Richmond. The 21-year-old Georgia native led 76 of the 250 laps on Saturday, second most behind the aforementioned Almirola.

Chandler Smith wins the #NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond

Second straight checkered flag at Richmond for the 21-year-old @JoeGibbsRacing driver, who recently won at Phoenix this year. The finish: pic.twitter.com/pdgrge80he
— Shane Connuck (@shane_connuck) March 30, 2024

While Smith's dominant win was impressive, equally impressive was the drive from Gray, whose third-place finish at Richmond was his first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The great day for Gray comes a week after his career-best finish (second) in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he currently sits fourth in points.

Speaking of the Truck Series, last week's Truck Series winner at COTA, Heim, finished fourth driving for Sam Hunt Racing. Heim is a championship threat in the Truck Series already, and he looks primed for a top Xfinity Series ride in the Toyota pipeline a couple of years down the road.

Love, a Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year contender, had already turned heads with impressive performances at Daytona and Atlanta to open the season, but he failed to finish either race inside the top 10. Saturday's result proves that Love is turning the corner and finally closing out races that he runs well in.

With both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series running at Martinsville Speedway next week, all four young drivers highlighted here will be in action in at least one series next weekend. The Truck Series race begins Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Xfinity Series takes the track at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. Both races will be televised on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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