Garrett Smithley

Garrett Smithley (#77) getting lapped by Brad Keselowski (#2) at Cardboard Speedway

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**Garrett Smithley**is a current Cardboard Cup Series driver. He drives Spire Motorsports' #77 Ford Fusion. As of Indianapolis, he is 25th in points standings.

## Season 1 Overview

With his entry into the TinkerChest 200, Garrett Smithley made his debut in the Cardboard Cup Series. He qualified the unsponsored #77 Ford Fusion at 16th, and started the race by battling Joey Gase. However, he was stuck on the outside line, and slipped to 20th by lap 2. After climbing back to 18th, he got stuck behind Austin Dillon, and dropped to 21st. By lap 4, the leaders started to lap the back of the field. Entering lap 5, Garrett was already 1 lap off pace. With one lap to go, B.J. McLeod spun out on turn 3. When Garrett maneuvered to avoid him, he miscalculated his closing rate, and clipped the front of B.J. McLeod's vehicle, sending his #77 Ford Fusion back into the middle of the racetrack. Unfortunately for Garrett, Brad Keselowski was rounding the final turns, and slammed into the left rear of Garrett's car. Garrett would not finish, and was officially scored 19th.

Garrett qualified for Daytona 17th, one spot worse than at Cardboard Speedway. Initially, the inner line found success, and Garrett jumped from 18th to 8th in just 2 laps. Garrett was pushing Austin Dillon down the backstretch on lap 3, reaching up to 5th position. However, Garrett would tap the #3 at a bad angle, sending Austin Dillon into the inside wall. As Garrett attempted to slow down, Jimmie Johnson tapped him from behind. His car was shot into the inside wall, and flipped upside-down. Garrett was scored 21st after this wreck.

At Bristol, Garrett qualified 19th. He would fall to 22nd, and was lapped by lap 5. After a caution, he restarted 21st. He would not advance further, and ended the race 21st, 1 lap behind.

At the Cardboard Raceway, Smithley qualified 23rd, his worst qualifying effort up to this point. Although he started on the preferred line, he couldn't improve his qualifying position, and was in danger of getting lapped by lap 3. Entering turn 2, he would suffer minor damage by unintentionally turning Joey Gase into the wall. After a short red flag, he restarted 20th. He would lose 2 positions in the remaining 2 laps, and finished 22nd.

At Indianapolis, he qualified 22nd. He would fall to 23rd after the initial green flag, and was lapped by Ryan Blaney on lap 4. After Martin Truex, Jr. and Ryan Blaney collided on the backstretch, Truex would retire his car, and subsequently, Smithley would take 22nd from Truex. Garrett was isolated for the last few laps, and finished 22nd, 1 lap behind Aric Almirola.

Garrett would qualify 9th at Talladega; a personal best. After the green flag dropped, he would step out of line, and fall to the rear of the field. After missing an incident on lap 2, he was placed 11th in the running order. After the subsequent restart, he pushed B.J. McLeod until the bottom lane would lose support. Not long after the bottom lane collapsed, Garrett jumped to the middle lane, and started to gain positions. After taking the white flag, Garrett gained two more positions after Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson were shuffled out. Garrett would finish a career high 7th.