Nine seems to be the trending number in the NASCAR series. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s phenom Connor Zilisch has already notched nine wins in the Xfinity Series, a rookie record, culminating in him claiming the regular season championship. Meanwhile, in the Truck Series, Corey Heim has just tied Greg Biffle’s long-standing 1999 mark by capturing his ninth win of the year, setting up a showdown for the single-season win record. And as Heim advanced to the round of eight, one driver felt the full impact of this surge. Despite a gutsy second-place run at New Hampshire, the driver has come just short of the win he needed to continue his playoff run.

Chandler Smith rolled into New Hampshire Motor Speedway knowing the math wasn’t on his side, but his heart refused to quit. On Saturday afternoon, he mu

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