Is Zane Smith still an underdog? Exploring Spire driver’s recent surge amid uncertain NASCAR future 

Spire Motorsports driver Zane Smith is in his rookie year in the NASCAR Cup Series, and his recent surges portray that he’s not an underdog and could battle with the frontrunners. Recently, Smith clinched a top-ten finish in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway held on Sunday, 29 September 2024.

Smith qualified for the race in 15th place with a best time of 30.316 seconds and a top speed of 178.124 mph. He was 0.205 seconds behind the leader, Christopher Bell. The first two stages of the race were average for the #71 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver. He fell five spots and finished in 20th place.

In stage 2, Smith opted for two tires, giving him a lead with just 20 laps to go in stage 2. The Chevy Camaro driver led the 149th lap and two more laps before finishing in 17th place. In the final stage, he was fighting for his spot in the top 10 and 15, and a few cautions later he finished in the top ten.

The #71 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver has showcased good performance over the past two months. In the past seven races, Smith has clinched three top tens and 16 top 10 or better finishes. This means he can no longer be considered an underdog writer. He is consistently improving and matching his teammate Carson Hocevar's results.

Zane Smith and other Spire Motorsports drivers clinched multiple victories at Glens

Spire Motorsports created history at the Go Bowling! At the Glen held at Watkins Glen on 15 September 2024. Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar became the first Spire drivers to secure a spot in the top five. Smith finished in fifth place, and Hocevar was in third place with just 2.921 seconds behind the winner, Chris Buescher.

The team made one more record of all the drivers securing a place in the top ten standings. After Hocevar and Smith, Corey LaJoie finished in eighth place, marking a new milestone in Spire Motorsports history. The team celebrated their victories proudly on social media.

Smith shared an X post and highlighted that he had the season's best fun at Glen. He added:

"Coming through a cup field twice says a lot about the speed we had today. Appreciate the effort with everything on our plate to finish this year strong. P5 @WGI!"

Carson Hocevar also took part in the playful chatter and posted a search bar result screenshot on his X account. The query says:

"Help, I accidentally ran the boot yesterday and finished 3rd today."

He also added one of his images finishing third at Watkins Glen, and Spire Motorsports also reshared the tweet on their feed. This was the first time Hocevar got a spot in the top five. Earlier, his best finish was at the World Wide Technology Raceway and Richmond Raceway, finishing eighth.