Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver Sammy Smith accompanies John Hunter Nemechek to spectate high-flying stunts of Nitro Circus 

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith joined Cup Series John Hunter Nemechek at a Nitro Circus event in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday night. Founded by Travis Pastrana in 2003, Nitro Circus is a global sports entertainment company that puts on shows involving highly dangerous stunts with bikes and motorcycles.

Nemechek, the driver of the #42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota shared a photo from the event to his Instagram story.

Screenshot via Instagram @jhnemechek

Nemechek returned to the Cup Series full-time in 2024 after spending the previous three seasons racing in the Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The North Carolina native wheeled the #42 machine to four top 10s in 2024 and posted a 34th-place finish in the points standings. Meanwhile, Nemechek ran part-time in the Xfinity Series and drove the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to two wins, four top fives, and six top 10s in 11 total starts.

Smith, meanwhile, piloted the #8 Jr. Motorsports Chevrolet in 2024, his first year with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. Smith recorded a victory at the Talladega Superspeedway in October, his second career win in the series. The 20-year-old also posted seven top fives, 16 top 10s, and finished 11th in the points standings.

Before this season, Smith drove for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023 and registered his first Xfinity Series victory in Las Vegas. The Iowa native finished sixth in the points standings in 2023.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team announced Sammy Smith will drive the #8 car in 2025 with iconic font

Sammy Smith is set to be back behind the wheel of the #8 Jr. Motorsports Chevrolet in 2025. However, the two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner will have a different look to his car as the team revealed he'll have the famed #8 font synonymous with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s early days of his Cup Series career.

The team's Instagram shared a photo of Smith alongside his boss with the iconic #8 car.

"This number. This style. A new chapter awaits in 2025," they wrote.

In a statement via Jr. Motorsports on Instagram, Earnhardt said bringing back the famous #8 font means a lot to him personally and he looks forward to seeing Smith out on the track at Daytona sporting the iconic #8 in 2025.

"It is awesome to have this number and this font back at Jr. Motorsports this year, and I can't wait to see it on the car in Daytona," Earnhardt said. "That's going to be a pretty awesome feeling for me personally."

Earnhardt drove the #8 car from 2000-2007 for Dale Earnhardt Inc., a team owned by his late father, Dale Earnhardt. The 26-time Cup Series winner brought the number back last month for a late model stock car race at Florence Speedway.