Zane Smith

Zane Michael Smith (born June 9, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports. He is the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, a title he earned while driving for FRM.

Smith previously competed full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series for GMS Racing, finishing as the championship runner-up in both 2020 and 2021. Earlier in his career, he also finished second in the 2018 ARCA Racing Series standings while driving for MDM Motorsports. Additionally, he has made part-time appearances in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports and in Stadium Super Trucks.

Racing career

Early career Starting with Racing Snails, Smith transitioned to Go-Karting in 2004, where he dominated by winning championships for five consecutive years. He then advanced to legends car racing before moving up to 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, in addition to securing a runner-up finish in the prestigious Snowball Derby.

2016 Building on his success in late model racing, Smith tested an ARCA Menards Series car with Mason Mitchell Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway in January 2016. However, a Wakeskating injury sidelined him early that year. He eventually returned to compete in two ARCA races with Venturini Motorsports.

2017 In late 2016, Smith signed with Venturini Motorsports to drive all but two races of the 2017 ARCA Racing Series schedule in the No. 55 entry. Noah Gragson filled the other two races, as Smith was ineligible to compete due to age restrictions. Competing for Rookie of the Year honors, Smith joined the same crew that had guided Dalton Sargeant to the award the previous year. Smith also competed in a partial K&N Pro Series East schedule, debuting with Calabrese Motorsports early in 2017. Additionally, he stepped in for Ryan Partridge at the K&N Pro Series West season opener after Partridge was unable to obtain a license in time. In April 2017, Smith was named to the NASCAR Next class, a program highlighting up-and-coming talent. In August, Smith and Venturini parted ways after a strong run that included eight top-ten finishes in eleven races. Later in the season, Smith joined MDM Motorsports for three races, achieving two poles and two runner-up finishes.

2018

On November 6, 2017, Smith re-signed with MDM Motorsports for the 2018 season to compete full-time in their No. 41 Toyota. Two races later, Smith secured a historic win at Talladega Superspeedway in ARCA’s closest-ever finish. The margin of victory was so tight—recorded as 0.00 seconds—that officials relied on photo evidence to determine the winner. In the next event, Smith made a bold three-wide pass involving Chandler Smith (no relation) and lapped car Mike Basham to take the lead. He later overtook teammate Chase Purdy with fewer than ten laps remaining to secure another victory, with assistance from 2017 ARCA champion Austin Theriault, who served as his spotter at Toledo Speedway. In May 2018, Smith was also named to the NASCAR Next program for the second consecutive year. Later in the season at Salem Speedway, Smith clashed repeatedly with Michael Self, causing his radiator to fail mid-race. After returning to the track, Smith deliberately slowed to wait for Self, then rammed him into the outside wall. In a subsequent MAVTV interview, Smith openly bragged about the incident. As a result, ARCA fined him 5,000 and docked 100 points, though many within the industry criticized the penalty as too lenient. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Scott Heckert expressed concerns about the safety implications of intentional wrecks. Despite the penalty, Smith finished second in the season standings. Reflecting on the season, he revealed that his full-time campaign was not initially planned but became possible as his performance helped secure sponsorships for the remainder of the schedule.

In June 2018, Smith made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with DGR-Crosley, driving the No. 54 truck at Gateway Motorsports Park. The deal came together just days before the race, requiring Smith to quickly secure his licenses. Despite the last-minute preparations, he qualified tenth and finished an impressive fifth.

2019

On December 18, 2018, JR Motorsports announced that Smith would drive the No. 9 entry in the Xfinity Series for eight races during the 2019 season, primarily at short tracks. This opportunity arose after a full-time Truck Series deal with GMS Racing fell through.

2020 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 secured his second win at 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 drivers. He finished runner-up to GMS teammate Sheldon Creed in both the season finale at the Lucas Oil 150 and the overall standings. In recognition of his impressive season, Smith received NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors and was voted the Truck Series' Most Popular Driver.

2021

Smith returned to GMS Racing for the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. On October 30, he secured his third career Truck Series victory at the United Rentals 200 after Stewart Friesen spun Todd Gilliland in front of the field. The win clinched Smith's spot in the Championship 4 race at Phoenix. In the season finale, the Lucas Oil 150, Smith was passed with eight laps remaining and finished fifth in the race, ultimately placing second in the championship standings behind Ben Rhodes.

In May 2021, Smith made a one-off return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series as a substitute driver for Justin Haley, who was sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. Smith drove the No. 11 car for Kaulig Racing at the Drydene 200.

2022

On November 30, 2021, Smith was announced as the driver of the No. 38 truck for Front Row Motorsports in the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series season. Smith began the season with a victory at Daytona, securing his fourth career Truck Series win after holding off Ben Rhodes in overtime. At Las Vegas, he initially finished second, but a post-race inspection revealed a lug nut violation, resulting in his disqualification. Smith rebounded with a fifth-place finish at Atlanta and earned his second win of the season at Circuit of the Americas, where he dominated by winning both stages. The victory came after Alex Bowman collided with front-runners Stewart Friesen and Kyle Busch, allowing Smith to capitalize. After the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway, Smith clinched the regular-season championship. He capped off an impressive season by winning the championship race at Phoenix on November 4, securing his first NASCAR Truck Series title and delivering Front Row Motorsports its first-ever NASCAR championship.

On June 2, 2022, RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to miss the Cup Series race at Gateway. Smith was announced as his replacement, marking Smith's debut in the Cup Series. After starting 32nd, Smith finished seventeenth on the lead lap.

2023

Smith began the 2023 season by winning at Daytona for the second consecutive year. He also secured a victory at the Circuit of the Americas and earned eight top-five finishes during the regular season. In the playoffs, Smith advanced to the Round of 8 but was eliminated after being disqualified at Homestead when post-race inspection revealed unapproved windshield supports.

In June 2023, Smith competed in the Xfinity Series at Nashville, driving the No. 28 car for RSS Racing as a replacement for Kyle Sieg, who drove the No. 29. Smith finished seventh in the race.

In the Cup Series, Smith drove the Front Row Motorsports No. 36 to a thirteenth place finish at the 2023 Daytona 500 and later piloted the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 at Martinsville.

2024

On September 16, 2023, Smith signed a multi-year deal with Trackhouse Racing. As part of the agreement, Smith would drive Spire Motorsports' third team in 2024, with plans to join Trackhouse full-time in a third car in 2025. Smith’s 2024 season started with eighteen consecutive finishes outside the top-ten, averaging a disappointing 28.1. His best finish during that stretch was 13th at the Daytona 500. At Nashville, Smith was in contention for his first career victory in the closing laps but ultimately finished second to Joey Logano, marking his career-best Cup Series finish and his first-ever top-five. Despite showing some promise, Smith announced on August 23 that he would part ways with Trackhouse and Spire. This decision was reportedly due to his inconsistent performance and Trackhouse’s interest in promoting Shane van Gisbergen to the Cup Series. Smith concluded the 2024 season with two top-five finishes and four top-tens.

2025

On January 2, 2025, Front Row Motorsports announced that Smith will return to the team as the driver of the No. 38 Ford Dark Horse Mustang for 2025. Smith began the season with a 36th-place DNF at the Daytona 500. Smith would earn his first career Cup Series pole at Talladega in the spring and scored 3 top 10 finishes, but missed the playoffs after finishing 28th in regular season points. During the race at Kansas in the fall, Smith's car overturned in an incident with John Hunter Nemechek during an overtime attempt. Entering turn 3, Nemechek overdrove the corner and slid up from the middle lane, colliding with Smith, who was on his outside. Smith's car was squeezed into the outside wall, which lifted the passenger side off the ground as the car grinded along the wall on its driver's side. The car slid with the floor in contact with the wall for several hundred yards before overturning fully and barrel rolling on the lower banking on the exit of turn 4 before landing upright. Smith exited under his own power uninjured.

Other racing On August 8, 2020, Smith made his Stadium Super Trucks debut at Road America, just one day after winning the NASCAR Truck Series race at Michigan. The event also featured two-time SST champion Creed. Smith finished fifth in the first race and sixth in the second.

Smith and his teammate, Harrison Burton, secured victory at the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge event held at Daytona International Speedway.

Personal life 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 Hersbt-Smith have won the Baja 1000 over 10 times. Smith is married to McCall Gaulding, the younger sister of fellow race car driver Gray Gaulding.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts Ref 2022 RFK Racing 17 Ford DAY CAL LVS PHO ATL COA RCH MAR BRD TAL DOV DAR KAN CLT GTW SON NSH ROA ATL NHA POC IRC MCH RCH GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX TAL ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 49th 0 2023 Front Row Motorsports 36 Ford DAY CAL LVS 46th 0 38 PHO ATL COA RCH BRD TAL DOV KAN DAR CLT GTW SON NSH CSC ATL NHA POC RCH MCH IRC GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX TAL ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO Rick Ware Racing 51 Ford MAR 2024 Spire Motorsports 71 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO BRI COA RCH MAR TEX TAL DOV KAN DAR CLT GTW SON IOW NHA NSH CSC POC IND RCH MCH DAY DAR ATL GLN BRI KAN TAL ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 30th 505 2025 Front Row Motorsports 38 Ford DAY ATL COA PHO LVS HOM MAR DAR BRI TAL TEX KAN CLT NSH MCH MXC POC ATL CSC SON DOV IND IOW GLN RCH DAY DAR GTW BRI NHA KAN ROV LVS TAL MAR PHO 28th 615 2026 DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSH MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -*

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 2023 Front Row Motorsports Ford 17 13 2024 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 14 13 2025 Front Row Motorsports Ford 37 36 2026 30 6

Xfinity Series NASCAR Xfinity Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Pts Ref 2019 JR Motorsports 8 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW CHI DAY KEN NHA IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR IND LVS RCH ROV DOV KAN TEX PHO HOM 25th 322 2021 Kaulig Racing 11 Chevy DAY DRC HOM LVS PHO ATL MAR TAL DAR DOV COA CLT MOH TEX NSH POC ROA ATL NHA GLN IRC MCH DAY DAR RCH BRI LVS TAL ROV TEX KAN MAR PHO 103rd 0 2023 RSS Racing 28 Ford DAY CAL LVS PHO ATL COA RCH MAR TAL DOV DAR CLT PIR SON NSH CSC ATL NHA POC ROA MCH IRC GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 84th 0

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Pts Ref 2018 DGR-Crosley 54 Toyota DAY ATL LVS MAR DOV KAN CLT TEX IOW GTW CHI KEN ELD POC MCH BRI MSP LVS TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 59th 32 2020 GMS Racing 21 Chevy DAY LVS CLT ATL HOM POC KEN TEX KAN KAN MCH DRC DOV GTW DAR RCH BRI LVS TAL KAN TEX MAR PHO 2nd 4035 2021 DAY DRC LVS ATL BRD RCH KAN DAR COA CLT TEX NSH POC KNX GLN GTW DAR BRI LVS TAL MAR PHO 2nd 4032 2022 Front Row Motorsports 38 Ford DAY LVS ATL COA MAR BRD DAR KAN TEX CLT GTW SON KNX NSH MOH POC IRP RCH KAN BRI TAL HOM PHO 1st 4040 2023 DAY LVS ATL COA TEX BRD MAR KAN DAR NWS CLT GTW NSH MOH POC RCH IRP MLW KAN BRI TAL HOM PHO 7th 2194 2024 McAnally–Hilgemann Racing 91 Chevy DAY ATL LVS BRI COA MAR TEX KAN DAR NWS CLT GTW NSH POC IRP RCH MLW BRI KAN TAL HOM MAR PHO 81st 0

Season still in progress Ineligible for series points

ARCA Menards Series (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ARCA Menards Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pts Ref 2016 Venturini Motorsports 66 Toyota DAY NSH SLM TAL TOL NJE POC MCH MAD WIN IOW IRP POC BLN ISF DSF SLM CHI 75th 295 15 KEN KAN 2017 20 DAY TAL 9th 3305 55 NSH SLM TOL ELK POC MCH MAD IOW IRP POC WIN ISF ROA DSF MDM Motorsports 28 Toyota SLM CHI 8 KEN 41 KAN 2018 DAY NSH SLM TAL TOL CLT POC MCH MAD GTW CHI IOW ELK POC ISF BLN DSF SLM IRP KAN 2nd 4680 2020 Steve McGowan Motorsports 17W Chevy DAY PHO TAL POC IRP KEN IOW KAN TOL TOL MCH DAY GTW I44 TOL BRI WIN MEM ISF KAN 51st 40 2021 DAY PHO TAL KAN TOL CLT MOH POC ELK BLN IOW WIN GLN MCH ISF MLW DSF BRI SLM KAN 116th 16

K&N Pro Series East NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts Ref 2017 Calabrese Motorsports 43 Toyota NSM GRE BRI SBO SBO MEM BLN TMP NHA IOW GLN LGY NJE DOV 25th 77

ARCA Menards Series West ARCA Menards Series West results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts Ref 2017 Sunrise Ford Racing 9 Ford TUS KCR IRW IRW SPO OSS CNS SON IOW EVG DCS MER AAS KCR 40th 40 2019 Steve McGowan Motorsports 17 Chevy LVS IRW TUS TUS CNS SON DCS IOW EVG GTW MER AAS KCR PHO 62nd 23 2020 17W LVS MMP MMP IRW EVG DCS CNS LVS AAS KCR PHO 33rd 68 2021 PHO SON IRW CNS IRW PIR LVS AAS PHO 45th 39

Stadium Super Trucks (key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.) Stadium Super Trucks results Year 1 2 3 4 5 Pts Ref 2020 ADE ADE ADE ROA ROA N/A –

Standings were not recorded by the series for the 2020 season

CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.) CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Ref 2021 GMS Racing 21 Chevy DIL HCY OCS ACE CRW LGY DOM HCY MMS TCM FLC WKS SBO 67th 4

CARS Super Late Model Tour (key) CARS Super Late Model Tour results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Ref 2015 Garry Crooks 77 Chevy SNM ROU HCY SNM TCM MMS ROU CON MYB HCY 3rd 256 2016 SNM ROU HCY TCM GRE ROU CON MYB 14th 103 77S HCY SNM 2017 Mike Smith Toyota CON DOM DOM HCY HCY BRI AND ROU TCM ROU HCY CON 26th 56 77 SBO 2021 Wade Lopez 96 Chevy HCY GPS NSH JEN HCY MMS TCM SBO N/A 0