Front Row Motorsports is used to flying under the radar.
So it shouldn’t be a shock that through seven races, Zane Smith is reaping the rewards of what’s been a career year thus far.
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In his second season with the team’s NASCAR Cup Series program, Smith has a pair of top 10s and has vaulted as high as fourth in the standings after leading 10 laps in the season-opening Daytona 500. Crashes have hindered the No. 38 Ford’s finishing position at times, including the last race at Martinsville, where a potential top 15 turned into 34th after suffering damage in the giant Lap 324 melee. He enters Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) 22nd in the series ranks.
Overall, Smith believes FRM has become more of a premier Ford organization while still outpunching its weight class, with far fewer resources and manpower than some of the other top Cup squads.
“We’re like a Ford A-team. That’s been a big step in the right direction,” Smith said in a media availability on Wednesday. “I still feel like we aren’t quite there, nearly comparing to like the top teams, but those top teams didn’t get there overnight.
“But from comparing last year to this year, I really like where we’re at. I feel like we’ve taken that next step and are a lot stronger in a lot of areas. Our whole weekend seems to be going smoother and just better from a performance standpoint, and I feel like that next step for us is just trying to find ourselves in the top 10 every week. That’s a big step.”
Smith rejoined FRM in 2025 after spending his rookie Cup Series season with Spire Motorsports, briefly driving for the organization as a Trackhouse Racing development driver. The 26-year-old from Huntington Beach, California, previously drove two seasons in Front Row’s Truck Series operation, culminating with a title in 2022.
So while his familiarity with the Bob Jenkins-owned team is certainly crucial, his career adversity is, too. Smith lost his Truck Series ride with GMS Racing after 2021, despite finishing second in points. Combined with his short time at Trackhouse and Spire, he explained that he’s learned to enjoy the small wins and be willing to alter his expectations.
And in an era of stage racing and constantly swimming upstream as an underdog, that perspective means everything.
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“You got to take your little wins, which are big wins when you can, and it’s really hard to change your mindset with that,” Smith said. “[I] came up winning in the lower ranks, and it becomes the normal. And you know, you go into a weekend – even if it’s not a great track for you — you still might win a stage and get a lot of stage points, and have a shot to win the race, and then you get on the plane and you’re happy at the weekend, but you’re not excited or just amped.
“What feels really good at this level, but at the same time really frustrating, is when you do damn near everything right in a weekend and you run 12th. You got to dive deep and dig deep to see where you can improve on and move the needle, but that’s just Cup racing.
“I feel like nowadays, if you could get some good stage points or have a shot at a stage win or at the end of these things, it’s crazy how they play out. You could be completely out of it for 90% of the race, and then strategy and weird, timely cautions fall, you find yourself in the first couple rows and you have a shot to win the Cup race. I feel like that’s what really just fuels you up for the next one, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be in that position a few times.”
And one of those times came when the Cup Series last visited Bristol. In a race filled with attrition, tire management, and pure chaos, Smith took what he called “at best, a mid-pack car” and took it all the way to the front. He fired off second on a restart with four laps to go, but Christopher Bell ultimately powered past him and Carson Hocevar, relegating the Ford driver to third in the final running order.
Like most drivers, Smith isn’t sure if the same type of Bristol race is in store this Sunday. But with expected temperatures close to 80 degrees and another new tire from Goodyear on the way, anything is possible — and he’s ready for it.
“I’m good with whatever,” he said of the changes. “I’m a big believer of if you put yourself in contention enough, one will go your way. Once you get that first one out of the way, they sure do come easier.”