Garage 66 to compete in Cook Out Clash with Garrett Smithley UPDATE

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UPDATE: The Veterans Ranch is thrilled to announce its partnership with Carl Long, owner of Garage 66, and NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley for an exhilarating debut at the Cook Out Clash at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium. Garrett Smithley will be driving The Veterans Ranch No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, proudly showcasing their mission at this iconic event.

J.R. Smith, Vice President of The Veterans Ranch, expressed his enthusiasm for this partnership: “We couldn‘t be happier or prouder to partner with Carl Long and have Garrett Smithley represent us in the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. This collaboration is a remarkable opportunity to highlight the important work we do at The Veterans Ranch, supporting Veterans, Gold Star Families, and First  Responders through equine therapy. Everyone at The Veterans Ranch is extremely proud of this effort, and we can‘t wait to see Garrett take to the track in the No. 66 Ford Mustang.”

For more information about The Veterans Ranch and to follow our journey through this exciting event, please visit TheVeteransRanch.org.

— Garage 66 —

ORIGINAL POST 1-18-2025:  Garage 66 will begin its 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign with Garrett Smithley racing the No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 2.

The Ligonier, Pennsylvania native has more than 260 races of experience across the top three NASCAR national series and will continue to expand that count with a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign in 2025 for SS Green Light Racing.

“It’s awesome to be back in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025. I’ve been talking to Carl for a while now about putting something together, and finally all the pieces fell into place. I am looking forward to running this historic race at Bowman Gray, and hopefully we can do more together throughout the year,” said Smithley.

Garage 66 co-owner Carl Long has had the 32-year-old Smithley pilot both NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series entries for his teams in previous seasons.

"It has been a while since Garrett last drove for our organization, but I am glad to have him back in our car. He has a solid deal in Xfinity that also gives him more freedom to race in Cup. Garrett knows how to take care of his equipment and be there at the end," said Long.

"Garage 66 does not have the high-budget simulators that some other teams utilize, but Garrett has done well on short tracks, and they don‘t get much shorter than Bowman Gray. We are going to have a great time kicking off the 2025 season."

Sponsorship for Garrett Smithley and the No. 66 team at the Cook Out Clash will be announced in the coming days.

The shortest track in NASCAR Cup Series competition requires a unique format. On Saturday, February 1, the Cup teams will cycle through 25-lap heat races to set the starting lineups for the following night. On Sunday, February 2, a 75-lap Last Chance Qualifying race leads into the 200-lap feature on FOX

— Garage 66 —