Gritty Team Effort Lifts Smith to 14th-Place Finish in Darlington

Overcoming continuous adversity was the post-race mantra for Furniture Row Racing as team driver Regan Smith brought home a 14th-place finish in Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500.

The result in the 368-lap Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway was the best finish of the season for Smith, who entered the event as the defending champion.

"We've had our struggles lately and to get a respectable finish tonight is what we needed," said Smith, whose previous best result was 15th at Las Vegas in March. "We kept our composure as we fought through a number of problems."

Smith's No. 78 Furniture Row/CSX Play it Safe Chevrolet was a battered machine when it took the checkered flag at the oldest and toughest venue on the NASCAR circuit.

After qualifying ninth and running in the top-10 for the first 40 laps, Smith smacked the infamous Darlington wall, causing serious right-side damage to his car.

If collecting a Darlington stripe early in...

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/gritty_team_effort_lifts_smith_to_14th_place_finish_in_darlington/10788233

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