Sammy Smith quietly putting together consistent season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

If asked to name off the drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the most top-10 finishes so far this season, you might name two-time winner Austin Hill or defending Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer. While all three answers are right, one name sneaks up near the top of the list — 20-year-old Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Camaro for JR Motorsports. 

The Johnston, Iowa, native struggled with consistency in 2023, only finishing top-10 in 15 of 33 races, despite a win at Phoenix. His 2024 season, however, has been the opposite of his rookie campaign. Despite not yet finding Victory Lane, Smith has collected eight top-10 finishes, tied with the aforementioned Hill and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chandler Smith for second in the series. 

While Smith hasn't shown much race-winning speed thus far — his two top-five finishes are third-place efforts in the Xfinity Series' last two races at Charlotte and Portland — he's been consistent enough to put himself inside the playoff picture through the first half of the regular season. Smith sits as the 12th and last driver in the Xfinity Series playoff bubble, up by 20 points on Ryan Sieg. 

For young drivers such as Smith who have been brought up to value winning more than anything, learning to slow down, take care of the car and finish races are invaluable traits that will have car owners lining up at the door to sign you. While it's true that winning means more in modern-day NASCAR than it ever has, given the nature of the NASCAR playoffs, consistency still has its place in a sport where it's arguably more important than any other. 

Smith may not yet be a weekly contender for wins, but if an extremely talented young driver such as himself can learn how to consistently finish inside the top 10, the wins are guaranteed to come in bunches as his career progresses.