Sammy Smith Image
Sammy Smith Badge, Number 8

Sammy

Smith

Born: June 4, 2004

Hometown: Johnston, Iowa

3Total Wins

26Top 5's

58Top 10's

Sammy Smith will again compete for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship for JR Motorsports in 2026, embarking on his third season with the team and primary sponsors Pilot, Arby’s and Allstate Peterbilt Group. He will also have a new crew chief in veteran Cory Shea atop the pit box for this year.

In 2025, Smith earned his way into the Playoffs early in the season with a victory in a wild race at Rockingham Raceway. The finish earned the young Iowan a second straight Playoff berth, and he finished eighth in the final standings.

In his first season with JRM in 2024, Smith earned a second straight Playoff berth and scored a strong. victory at Talladega that propelled the young driver into the second round of the playoffs. In the Round of 8, Smith faced another must-win at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia and came up just short, taking the checkered flag in the runner-up position. For the season, Smith earned the one victory, seven top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. In 2023, Smith raced to his first career win at Phoenix Raceway in only his 13th start and nearly advanced to the Championship 4.

Smith began his racing career at age 10 in U.S. Legend Cars, graduating to Pro and Late Model Stock Cars with multiple teams in several states, including the zMAX CARS Tour. In 2021, Smith made his ARCA Menards Series East debut and, in just eight races, the young driver earned three wins. He finished in the top five in all but one race and led 396 laps en route to his first ARCA East championship. In the Super Late Model ranks, Smith won four times and earned 13 top-five finishes.

In 2022, Smith had a busy season of building his craft as he again competed in the ARCA Menards Series and with Donnie Wilson Racing in Super Late Models. He also made his debut in the NOAPS with nine starts. Across the ARCA platform, Smith won 12 races and collected the Sioux Chief Showdown and ARCA Menards Series East championship. In his NOAPS races, Smith tallied three top-10 results with a best finish of third on the legendary road course at Watkins Glen International.

Cory Shea Image

Cory

Shea

Born: September 2, 1985

Hometown: Tionesta, PA

Crew Chief

2Total Wins

13Top 5's

18Top 10's

Cory Shea enters his second season as a crew chief at JR Motorsports this season, switching over to the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet with young star Sammy Smith after a 10-race slate in 2025 that saw him engineer race wins by Daniel Suarez and Shane Van Gisbergen.

Suarez, in a backup car after a crash during practice at the Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez in his native Mexico, won a thrilling victory in his home country, throwing the hometown crowd into a frenzy. Similarly, van Gisbergen won again on the streets of Chicago with Shea at the helm. Shea also was atop the pit box for five races with Ross Chastain, snagging three top-five and four top-10 finishes with the NASCAR Cup Series driver as well as 143 laps led.

A broken rear gear at Dover Motor Speedway was the only race with Chastain in which the team failed to finish in the top eight.

In 15 career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at JRM, the 40-year-old native of Tionesta, Pa. has earned the two victories among eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes along with two poles. His cars led a combined 226 laps in 2025.

Shea was also an integral part of the No. 9 team with Noah Gragson, acting as car chief and setup ace during the No. 9 team’s run of success with JRM.