Garage 66 didn’t get quite the fresh start they were looking for. Formerly known as MBM Motorsports, the NASCAR team had high hopes for the 2025 Daytona 500. After plans to get a veteran driver back into the Cup Series met a dead end, they chose to go with Truck Series driver Chandler Smith instead. However, events leading up to the ‘The Great American Race’ didn’t go according to plan as the 22-year-old finished 42nd in qualifying and 20th in Duel 1, eliminating hopes of competing in the season-opener.
However, things got worse. Much worse. Driving the No. 66 Ford, Smith lost control and hit the outside wall headfirst at Daytona International Speedway, causing significant damage to the vehicle. It was a bitter blow to the team, who will be forced to write off the car because of the incident.
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A disastrous start for Garage 66
Excitement was high in the months leading up to the Daytona 500. After all, veteran racer Mike Wallace was expected to make a sensational comeback at ‘The Great American Race’, only for NASCAR to refuse at the last moment. The sanctioning body justified its decision by saying that the 65-year-old had not competed in a Cup Series race since 2015, while his last stock car racing appearance in either one of the three national series was in 2020. Believing that a jump to the season-opener might be a step too big, the sport’s hierarchy put their foot down, forcing MBM Motorsports/Garage 66 to scramble in search of an alternate driver and find Chandler Smith.
However, the decision didn’t pay off. After a lackluster performance in qualifying, Chandler Smith failed to capitalize on the opportunity in Duel 1 as well, resulting in Garage 66 failing to qualify in its very first race. To make matters worse, the No. 66 Ford had a horrific crash at Daytona International Speedway after Justin Haley’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy made contact with his left rear. After a brief assessment, the car was decommissioned, as replacing the parts damaged by the crash would cost $100,000.
Sharing his thoughts about the wreck, Carl Long, owner of the newly rebranded Garage 66 said, “After stripping chassis 385 down to nothing, It has been decommissioned, non repairable! The front clip was killed also. This crash will cost us over 100k in parts to put back together. Not the best way to start the year….. but we did start!!” The team has become leaner since transitioning from MBM Motorsports in a bid to save money, but an expensive wreck in the very first race was the last thing they needed in the present circumstances.
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Earlier this year, Garage 66 had announced Garrett Smithley as the team’s driver for the pre-season exhibition race at the Bowman Gray Stadium. While Carl Long’s NASCAR team has not gotten off to the ideal start, they will look to turn their latest setback into a sensational comeback in the months to come. Will they be able to turn their fortunes around in the year ahead? Time will tell. Even though grey clouds loom over the team’s future as of now, bad luck can only go on for so long and eventually the sun will shine and turn things around for the team soon.