Deja Vu: Chandler Smith Clinches Valvoline Lap Leader Award for Second Consecutive Season

Lost in the rain and flying potato chips in the makeshift victory lane for the Herr’s 200 was the fact that race winner Chandler Smith (No. 20 Craftsman Toyota) joined the company of ARCA champions with his performance at the Lucas Oil Raceway. And no, it’s not just about Smith’s victory tying him with 1985-86 champion Lee Raymond and 2009 champion Justin Lofton on ARCA’s all-time wins list. Smith led seven laps at LOR – the final seven laps of the race – and locked up the yearlong Valvoline Lap Leader award for the second consecutive season. Only six other drivers have managed to pace the series in laps led for two straight seasons since 1978, and all six of those drivers are past ARCA Menards Series champions.

The most recent driver to top the lap leader charts in back-to-back seasons prior to Smith was 2015 series champ Grant Enfinger, who led the most laps in 2014 and again in his championship season of 2015. Along with Enfinger, the list of drivers who have accomplished this feat is a who’s who of the past 40 years in series history. The list includes Bobby Bowsher (two times; 1994-1995), Tim Steele (three times; 1993, 1996-1997), Bob Keselowski (four times; 1988, 1990-1992), Marvin Smith (five times; 1978-1982), and Frank Kimmel (eight times; 1998, 2000-2004, 2006, 2013). Those six drivers have combined for 19 ARCA Menards Series championships, with Kimmel – now a crew chief at Venturini Motorsports, the organization that Chandler Smith races for – accounting for ten of those on his own.

While young Chandler Smith may not have led as many laps in 2019 as he did in 2018, he made up for the deficit by winning five races, improving upon his 2018 total of two wins. Smith led 763 laps in 2018 and will claim the 2019 Valvoline Lap Leader award one race early with a laps led count of 666. Smith led at least one lap in nine of his eleven starts this year, failing to lead a lap only at Gateway and the fall Salem race. Smith led the most laps in the race four times and won all four of those races.

Smith’s Venturini Motorsports teammate Michael Self (No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota) is all but a lock to finish second in the Valvoline Lap Leader award race. Self has led 480 laps so far in 2019 and has driven to four victories, with only the Kansas Speedway left to go on the schedule. Self has spread his 480 laps led out over ten races and has led the most laps in the race five times. Self led nine laps en route to his first career AMS win at Kansas in 2017, and a repeat effort could not possibly come at a better time for the championship contender.

Like Smith, Ty Gibbs (No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota) ran a partial schedule consisting of short tracks this season, finishing his season with eleven starts. Gibbs led 437 laps spread out over eight races, including leading 10+ laps in each of his last seven starts. Gibbs led the most laps at his fall Salem win as well as at LOR. At the time Gibbs lost the lead at LOR, he had led an astonishing 339 of the last 343 laps dating back to the previous race at Salem.

Christian Eckes (No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota) is currently fourth in the Valvoline Lap Leader award standings with the possibility of moving up to third with a strong showing at Kansas. Eckes has led 357 laps over nine races this season, leading the most laps in a race two times and winning on both of those occasions. Eckes will certainly be looking to lead more laps at Kansas as he clings to a 15-point lead over Michael Self in the overall series championship race.

Ty Majeski (No. 22 Crestliner Boats Ford) is the lone non-Toyota entry in the Valvoline Lap Leader award standings, holding down the fifth position. Majeski has led 112 laps over four of his five starts so far in 2019. Majeski led the most laps at Chicagoland and has won three races overall, all coming at speedways. Majeski will return to the series at Kansas for his first start since he won the aforementioned Chicagoland race over three months ago. Majeski has played the role of superspeedway ace this season and could very well throw a wrench in the plans of the two championship contenders, as Eckes and Self will almost certainly have to pass Majeski if they want to get to the front of the field at Kansas.

The ARCA Menards Series will end the season on Friday, October 18 at the Kansas Speedway with the running of the ARCA Kansas 150. Eight months and nineteen races have passed since Harrison Burton won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February, and now it’s time to crown a champion at Kansas. Live television coverage will be provided by FS2 beginning at 8:30 PM Eastern, with a repeat airing on FS1 later at 11:30 PM Eastern. All registered users on ARCAracing.com will have access to live timing & scoring as well as a live chat. You won’t want to miss the thrilling conclusion to the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season!