Chandler Smith’s heartbreak at Homestead-Miami Speedway last October was tough—but his 2025 Daytona 500 Duel disaster might sting even more.
Last fall, Smith looked primed for a Cup Series breakthrough, winning the pole and contending for the win before a botched pit stop with a jack jammed under his car derailed his race. He salvaged a 13th-place finish that day. But at Daytona, there were no second chances. A split-second miscalculation on Lap 14 of Thursday night’s Duel qualifying race sent his No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse into disaster, taking several contenders with him.
“It’s on me, and I apologize.”
As the dust settled, Smith didn’t dodge accountability. Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, he owned up to his costly error.
“It’s on me, and I apologize,” Smith said.
The crash, triggered by a misjudged move to the inside lane, eliminated several big names, including Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Michael McDowell. Smith later revealed that a failure in his digital mirror left him struggling with visibility.
“My digital mirror stopped working after we got on the backstretch of the first lap. I couldn’t see out of my left-side mirror unless they were 10 feet to my left side.”
Unfortunately, his “open” team status meant he needed to be the highest-finishing unchartered car to make the Daytona 500. With his early exit, that dream is officially over.
No Daytona Redemption—But No Excuses Either
This wasn’t just another missed opportunity. Unlike previous frustrations, where Smith sometimes deflected blame, he took full responsibility this time. He acknowledged the hard work his team put in during the offseason and regretted the damage caused to his fellow competitors.
“It was a bad judgment call on my part.”
For Smith, Daytona remains an unsolved puzzle. In two Cup attempts, he has yet to see the checkered flag at the Great American Race.
Helio Castroneves Still Has a Chance
While Smith’s Daytona 500 hopes are officially done, not everyone involved in the wreck is out of options. Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, who was also caught up in the carnage, still has a pathway into the race thanks to the Open Exemption Provisional.
But for Chandler Smith? He’s left to wonder what could have been—again.
