Smith Holds Off Regelbrugge for Fourth Win of the Season at Kentucky

Joseph Smith continued his dominant start to the season Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway, holding off Xavier Regelbrugge in the closing laps to capture his fourth win of the year.

After qualifying seventh for the 150-lap event, Smith found himself starting behind Regelbrugge, who led the field to green from the pole. Both drivers have established themselves as early championship favorites, and once again, they quickly put themselves in position to battle at the front.

Smith, known for his long-run strength, showed speed early in the race by working his way up to third before the first round of green-flag pit stops. He maintained that position until the stage caution flew on Lap 75, marking the halfway point of the race.

During the stage-break pit stops, Smith gained a position on pit road, moving him up to second and placing him on the outside of Regelbrugge for the restart.

Smith handled the restart well, holding off Landon Burbage for second before setting his sights on Regelbrugge for the race lead. However, as the second long green-flag run unfolded, Smith appeared to struggle with long-run pace — something that has rarely been seen from the No. 32 team this season. Regelbrugge, who had controlled most of the race up to that point, began to stretch the gap and looked to be in command.

With one final green-flag pit stop remaining, both teams needed to execute perfectly.

Smith was called to pit road on Lap 115, two laps earlier than Regelbrugge. That decision ultimately proved to be the race-winning move.

Before the final stop, Smith trailed Regelbrugge by roughly one second. Once the pit cycle completed, Smith had not only erased the deficit but taken the race lead and built a three-second advantage over Regelbrugge.

With 26 laps remaining, Smith was back out front, but the fight was far from over. Regelbrugge began charging back, quickly cutting into the gap and closing to within a second as the laps wound down.

The pressure continued to build as Regelbrugge closed to the back bumper of Smith, with the margin shrinking to as little as a tenth of a second. With three laps to go, Regelbrugge made his strongest attempt at the lead, looking to the inside in an effort to complete the pass.

Smith, relying on his experience and knowledge of the car, positioned himself perfectly and took away the clean air, allowing him to hold off the challenge and maintain control of the race.

Taking the white flag, Smith needed one final clean lap to secure the win. Regelbrugge made one last push, but he was unable to get close enough to complete the move. As the two came off Turn 4, Smith held on to take the checkered flag and claim his fourth victory of the season.

After the race, Smith said the key to finding speed late came from resetting mentally after the stage.

“After the stage, I kind of just did a mental reset,” Smith said. “I just needed to have a long run and be patient to figure it out.”

Smith also admitted the final run was anything but comfortable as Regelbrugge rapidly closed the gap.

“I was hoping to only stay out one lap earlier than him, but he stayed out twice,” Smith said. “He closed like a four-second gap in about five laps.”

With the win at Kentucky, Smith continues to extend his points lead, now holding a 295-point advantage over Dylan Caryer, who sits second in the standings.

The National Stock Car iRacing Series heads to Martinsville Speedway next Saturday night for 200 laps, with the green flag scheduled for 9:05 p.m. ET.