Getty Bayley Currey will no longer drive for JD Motorsports.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series season is four races deep, and one team is making a change. JD Motorsports has put a new full-time driver in the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro.
TobyChristie.com first broke the news on the evening of March 13 after speaking with multiple sources. Less than 24 hours later, JD Motorsports confirmed the report with a press release. The team welcomed back Garrett Smithley and confirmed that he will replace Bayley Currey in the No. 4.
Smithley started the year as a full-time driver for BJ McLeod Motorsports before joining DGM Racing at Phoenix Raceway. The plan before the trip to Phoenix was to make additional starts for DGM, but Smithley will now move over to JD Motorsports with longtime sponsor Trophy Tractor joining him.
“It’s great to have Garrett back,” said team owner Johnny Davis. “He’s easy to work with, has the talent to get the most out of our race cars, and knows when to go and when to be patient. We’re excited to pick up where we left off with him, Preparing fast, reliable cars to race.”
Smithley Spent Multiple Seasons With JD Motorsports
GettyGarrett Smithley (front) races at Watkins Glen International.
The Pennsylvania native has 147 career Xfinity Series starts across nine seasons. This includes full-time campaigns for JD Motorsports in 2016-2019 when he primarily drove the No. 0.
Smithley’s first stint with JD Motorsports featured four top-10 finishes and one top-five. A fifth-place finish in the 2018 season opener at Daytona International Speedway stands out as his career-best run.
Smithley will now take on another superspeedway-style track as he heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway. He will attempt to secure another strong performance while reuniting with his former team.
“I can’t wait to get back to Atlanta Motor Speedway,” Smithley said in a press release. “Old Atlanta was my favorite track, but running the Cup last year on the new surface was valuable, and I’m excited to take what I learned to JDM.”
Currey Will Join Another Team for the Atlanta Weekend
GettyBayley Currey greets fans at Kansas Speedway.
Currey, who made 33 starts in the No. 4 in 2022, agreed to return to JD Motorsports for another full-time run in 2023. However, he only made four starts.
An engine failure led to a 38th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway and then he finished 30th at Auto Club Speedway. A pair of 28th-place finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway capped off his time with JD Motorsports.
Currey has not yet announced his plans for the remainder of the season. Though he has provided one piece of information about the upcoming race weekend.
Bayley Currey and Unishippers?
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Currey and Niece Motorsports announced on March 13 that the Texas native will take over the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado for the trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway. He will make his 34th career Craftsman Truck Series start — his first of the season.
Currey has made 14 starts for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series. He has delivered several top-20 finishes, including four in 2020, two in 2021, and one in 2022. Though a sixth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in 2019 stands out as his career-best run in the Truck Series.