Could Zane Smith return to Front Row Motorsports? FRM GM gives his take

Front Row Motorsport General Manager Jerry Freeze recently spoke about Zane Smith's future in the Cup Series. He said Spire Motorsports driver could return to Front Row Motorsport if NASCAR limits teams to three charters.

Smith spent two years with FRM's Truck Series team, driving #38 in 2022 and 2023. He had a solid run, claiming consecutive Daytona wins in those two years.

Besides this, he was also active in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsport's number #9 in 2019. However, he also drove for Kaulig Racing and RSS Racing. In the Cup Series, he replaced RFK Racing's Chris Buescher in 2022, and Rick Ware Racing's Cody Ware in 2023.

Interestingly, he also drove for Front Row Motorsport last year, taking over #36 at Daytona 2023. In September, he signed for Trackhouse Racing to drive for Spire Motorsports under a sponsorship deal.

Smith made his debut for Spire Motorsports in 2024 and was expected to sign for Trackhouse's full-time roster in 2025. However, the latest updates from Freeze indicate that he might move to Front Row Motorsport if NASCAR limits Trackhouse Racing's charters.

"If Zane were to be a free agent for next year, I think that's something that we'll certainly be interested in for sure, I don't know if he is", Freeze said as per Bob Pockrass' X account. "We really believe in Zane's talent and I think he's gonna be a star you know."

"[You] gotta go through that learning curve in the Cup Series and he's not different that Todd was or Austin Cindric was, or some of the other guys, but he's a star in the making without a doubt."

Smith is in 34th place in Drivers' Standings with 220 points. In the 20 races he took part in, he claimed a top 5, a top 10, and faced three DNFs.

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Zane Smith set for his first NASCAR Cup Series Pocono race

Zane Smith (71) is likely to make his Cup Series debut soon (IMAGE: IMAGN)

NASCAR is set to move to Pennsylvania this weekend for the upcoming HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. This will be the 21st race of the Cup Series season, and the first for Smith's Cup Series career.

"I'm excited for it. I always enjoy going to Pocono," Smith said. "I'm curious to see how the Cup car does here; the tunnel turn is obviously something I think most people are curious about. I'm excited to see how the weekend will go."

Interestingly, the Pocono Raceway isn't new to Smith as he previously raced on this track in the Truck Series. He is also set to take over the #91 Chevrolet Silverado for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2024.