25-year-old Zane Smith is back at Front Row Motorsports, the same team that helped him win the 2022 Truck Series title. However, this came up after Smith had to go through a betrayal from the team that had given him high hopes and aspirations. Driving the No. 71 Chevrolet, Smith was with Spire Motorsports who was in turn in partnership with Trackhouse Racing.
While Smith left no stone unturned in his rookie season with Trackhouse Racing at the Cup Series, securing 4 top 10 finishes and 2 top-five finishes, he was left stranded during the silly season. However, this time his home team, Front Row Motorsports did have some plans for him that ensured he didn’t have to wonder much.
Smith to race in 2025 Cup Series despite being fired from Trackhouse Racing
For 2024, Smith was with Trackhouse Racing with high hopes that the contract would get extended for the 2025 season as well. However, things didn’t work out as the team chose to go ahead with Shane Van Gisverden and Smith was fired. For the 2025 season, Smith had been able to account for an average finish of 23.194 across a total of 36 races. Given that he did not have any other offers at the moment, keeping up with Ford wouldn’t have been a possibility either.
Speaking of the sudden decision from Justin Mark’s Trackhouse Racing, Smith said, “I didn’t have any other Cup offers to stay at Ford. I didn’t know there were other options. If I had known that what we decided to do wasn’t going to work out, that certain promises weren’t going to be kept, obviously that would have changed things”. This is when Smith had also reached talks with Front Row Motorsports to get back into an agreement. However, with Front Row Motorsports being stuck in the middle of a NASCAR lawsuit, not being able to get the charter from Stewart Haas Racing would have an impact on the total standing.
However, Front Row Motorsports did get the decision in their favor and got Smith back to the Cup Series. Speaking of the same, he said, “I feel like I’ve lost three years of my life this year. When I was let go, it was a weird situation and life isn’t always fair, but it wasn’t fair. I got a text from Bob (Jenkins, FRM team owner) asking if I was set for next year so I told him, ‘As a matter of fact, I just got fired”. He added, “I thought he was just interested in talking about the Truck Series but after going back-and-forth and realizing what he was putting together, I signed within a week. I’m not educated enough on the lawsuit to offer an opinion on it but I knew enough then to realize that it was getting tense with the charter stuff. Once FRM and 23XI filed the lawsuit, I thought, ‘Man, I can’t catch a break here”.
Smith found himself in a tough spot after being released by Trackhouse Racing, as no other Cup Series teams were extending offers. With limited options and uncertainty surrounding his future, he was left scrambling to find a way back into competitive racing. This is exactly when Bob Jenkins became his ultimate savior and got him back on the tracks for the 2025 season.
Smith mentions that he could not think of a “better line-up” going into 2025
Winning the last trial was very important for Front Row Motorsports, particularly at a time when all the transactions for the charter purchase from Stewart Haas Racing had already been made. This is exactly what allowed Front Row to get a third car for the season and bring in Zane Smith full-time.
Speaking of the decision, Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports said, “We want to welcome Zane back to Front Row Motorsports. He brought us our first championship and we believe that he can win in the NASCAR Cup Series, too. We have always believed in his talents, and we will work hard to give him what he needs to be successful. We have confidence in Zane. This finalizes our drivers for 2025 in the Cup Series and we can now make all our teams as strong as possible”.
Even Zane Smith seemed to be ecstatic about the opportunity, given that it had come at a time when he would almost be rendered teamless. Perfect timing! Acknowledging the opportunity he got, Smith said, “Now, going into next year, Front Row has really taken their Cup program to another level and I cannot think of a better lineup of teammates. Todd (Gilliland) and Noah (Gragson) are great friends of mine and we all have a lot to prove as young drivers in the Cup Series. It is a great time to come back and continue to build my career with an organization where I know I can win”. Given that Smith finished 30th in the Cup Series standings in his debut, practice, and efficiency might prove to be eventful for him.
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