Smith began in Go-Karting in 2004, winning championships for five consecutive years, before advancing to legends car racing and then super late models in 2015. That year he achieved victories in the World Series of Asphalt, the Pro All Stars Series, and the CARS Tour, and secured a runner-up finish at the Snowball Derby.
In January 2016, Smith tested an ARCA Menards Series car with Mason Mitchell Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway, but a Wakeskating injury sidelined him early that year. He competed in two ARCA races with Venturini Motorsports before the season ended.
For 2017, Smith signed with Venturini Motorsports to drive the No. 55 entry for most of the ARCA Racing Series schedule. Noah Gragson filled two races Smith was ineligible for due to age restrictions. In April 2017 Smith was named to the NASCAR Next class. After eight top-ten finishes in eleven races with Venturini, Smith and the team parted ways; he joined MDM Motorsports for three races, recording two poles and two runner-up finishes.
Smith re-signed with MDM Motorsports for 2018 in their No. 41 Toyota and claimed his first ARCA victory in the second race of the season, outlasting teammate Sheldon Creed. At Talladega Superspeedway, Smith won ARCA's closest-ever finish — the margin of victory was recorded as 0.00 seconds, with officials relying on photo evidence to determine the winner. At Toledo Speedway, 2017 ARCA champion Austin Theriault served as his spotter, and Smith took the lead with fewer than ten laps remaining after overtaking teammate Chase Purdy.
At Salem Speedway, Smith clashed repeatedly with Michael Self until his radiator failed, then returned to the track and deliberately rammed Self into the outside wall. ARCA fined Smith US$5,000 and docked 100 points; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Scott Heckert publicly expressed concern about the safety implications. Smith finished second in the 2018 ARCA season standings.
In June 2018, Smith made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with DGR-Crosley in the No. 54 truck at Gateway Motorsports Park, qualifying tenth and finishing fifth after the deal came together just days before the race.
JR Motorsports announced in December 2018 that Smith would drive the No. 9 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for eight races in 2019, primarily at short tracks. After Noah Gragson took that entry, Smith switched to the No. 8 car.
Smith joined GMS Racing for the full 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season. On August 7, he earned his first career Truck Series victory at the Henry Ford Health System 200, overtaking Christian Eckes on the final lap in overtime. Two weeks later, he won the KDI Office Technology 200, holding off Matt Crafton and Brett Moffitt on the final restart. Smith advanced to the championship round as the only non-playoff race winner among the final four, but finished runner-up to GMS teammate Sheldon Creed in both the season finale at the Lucas Oil 150 and the overall standings. He received Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors and was voted Most Popular Driver.
Smith returned to GMS Racing for 2021. On October 30, he secured his third Truck Series win at the United Rentals 200 after Stewart Friesen spun Todd Gilliland in front of the field, clinching Smith's spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix. In the season finale, the Lucas Oil 150, Smith was passed with eight laps remaining and finished fifth, placing second in the standings behind Ben Rhodes. In May 2021, Smith also substituted for Justin Haley — sidelined by COVID-19 protocols — driving the No. 11 car for Kaulig Racing at the Drydene 200.
Smith was announced on November 30, 2021, as driver of the No. 38 truck for Front Row Motorsports in 2022. He opened the season with victory at Daytona, his fourth Truck Series win, holding off Ben Rhodes in overtime. A subsequent second-place finish at Las Vegas was converted to a disqualification after post-race inspection found a lug nut violation. Smith won again at Circuit of the Americas, dominating both stages after Alex Bowman collided with Stewart Friesen and Kyle Busch, allowing Smith to capitalise. After the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway, Smith clinched the regular-season championship. He wrapped the year by winning the championship race at Phoenix on November 4, giving Front Row Motorsports its first-ever NASCAR championship.
In June 2022, Smith replaced Chris Buescher — who had tested positive for COVID-19 — in the Cup Series at Gateway, starting 32nd and finishing seventeenth on the lead lap in his Cup debut.
Smith opened 2023 by winning at Daytona for a second consecutive year and also won at Circuit of the Americas, recording eight top-five finishes during the regular season. In the playoffs, he advanced to the Round of 8 but was disqualified at Homestead when post-race inspection revealed unapproved windshield supports. In a one-off Xfinity Series appearance at Nashville, Smith drove the No. 28 for RSS Racing as a replacement for Kyle Sieg and finished seventh. In the Cup Series, he drove the Front Row Motorsports No. 36 to thirteenth at the 2023 Daytona 500 and later piloted the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 at Martinsville.
On September 16, 2023, Smith signed a multi-year deal with Trackhouse Racing. He drove Spire Motorsports' third team in 2024, opening with eighteen consecutive finishes outside the top ten and averaging a 28.1. His best finish in that stretch was 13th at the Daytona 500. At Nashville, Smith contended for victory in the closing laps but finished second to Joey Logano, his career-best Cup result and first top-five. Smith announced on August 23 that he would part ways with Trackhouse and Spire, reportedly due to inconsistent performance and Trackhouse's interest in promoting Shane van Gisbergen to the Cup Series. He concluded 2024 with two top-five finishes and four top-tens.
Front Row Motorsports announced on January 2, 2025, that Smith would return as driver of the No. 38 Ford Dark Horse Mustang. He began the season with a 36th-place DNF at the Daytona 500, earned his first career Cup Series pole at Talladega in the spring, and scored three top-ten finishes but missed the playoffs after finishing 28th in regular-season points.
At Kansas in the fall, during an overtime attempt, John Hunter Nemechek overdrove the corner from the middle lane and slid into Smith on his outside. Smith's car was squeezed into the wall, the passenger side lifted off the ground, and the car ground along the wall on its driver's side for several hundred yards before overturning fully and barrel rolling on the lower banking at the exit of turn 4. Smith exited under his own power uninjured.
On August 8, 2020, Smith made his Stadium Super Trucks debut at Road America — one day after winning the Truck Series race at Michigan — finishing fifth in the first race and sixth in the second. The event also featured two-time SST champion Sheldon Creed. Smith and teammate Harrison Burton also won the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge event at Daytona International Speedway.
Smith was born in Huntington Beach, California. He is the son of Mike Smith, who runs the professional off-road racing team Herbst-Smith Fabrication; trucks built by Herbst-Smith have won the Baja 1000 more than ten times. Smith is married to McCall Gaulding, the younger sister of fellow driver Gray Gaulding.
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