After split from Earnhardt Jr.’s team, Sammy Smith makes statement at Talladega

SportsSammy Smith takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love's RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 23, 2026.Sean Gardner, Getty ImagesBy Bran Strickland | bstrickland@al.comIf the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series were college football, Sammy Smith would be the five-star recruit who signed with a blueblood college program, didn’t pan out and entered the transfer portal. If NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the after-school specials of the last century, Friday was the prototypical script. Roll those two scenarios into one and you have Friday’s Love’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway.On the same day Smith began the newest chapter in his racing life by signing a full-time driver contract, he took the checkered flag and delivered a strong message to the rest of the sport: “I’m a winner. And I know I can win.”Wins didn’t come at JR Motorsports the way either Smith or team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. thought they would. Racing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Smith’s average finish never got into the single digits, and he managed just two wins over three seasons. On Aug. 26, Smith announced he was leaving with only the hope someone else believed what he did about himself. Smith signed with TRICON Garage, one of the top Truck Series teams. Sammy Smith celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love's RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 23, 2026.Jonathan Bachman, Getty ImagesAfter a wreck brought out a caution, setting up a two-lap shootout, Smith took the checkered flag one truck length in front of a four-wide group racing for second place. Among that group was points leader Kaden Honeycutt, who finished fifth. “Damn, I just didn’t make the right move,” Honeycutt said on the post-race broadcast. “I should have stayed under (Ty) Majeski a little bit longer and made my move a little bit later. “I thought the bottom was formed up better than what it was, and then once I looked back and saw it was so separated and once he sidedrafted me it pulled me back pretty hard and I didn’t have an opportunity to block without wrecking myself.” Honeycutt also apologized to Thomas Annunziata. Though he didn’t take the full blame because of actions of another driver, Honeycutt spun out Annunziata, which brought out the caution that set up the two-lap final dash. Annunziata, the 2026 ARCA Series champion, shot hard into the wall and went spinning. Unbeknownst to Alabamian and playoff driver Grant Enfinger, the 2015 ARCA Series champion, who had popped out of line at that exact same time. The two met, bringing about an end to Enfinger’s day as well. The two finished 23rd and 24th, respectively. Enfinger led once, starting on lap 37 for four laps, before near disaster struck. Enfinger cut a rear tire causing his truck to fishtail and dropped into the back. He managed to get it under control without causing an accident, but debris from the tire brought out a caution, handing Tanner Gray the Stage 2 victory. Though Enfinger made it back into the Top 10, he didn’t couldn’t get back up to the front and challenge for the lead at his home track.The Truck Series race had several celebrities among its ranks, though none factored into the finish. Frankie Muniz, star of the early 2000s sitcom “Malcom in the Middle,” finished 12th. YouTube sensation turned driver Cleetus McFarland was dead last but in good company. He, three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and five others made it only 16 laps. “Definitely wanted to make it a lot further in the race today than that,” said Stewart, who was famously not a fan of Talladega Superspeedway. “Everyone started wrecking and they came across the track and got me. That’s just hard restrictor plate racing at Talladega.”