Reigning NASCAR Truck Series champion Zane Smith linked to Trackhouse Racing in surprise silly season move

As the NASCAR Cup Series silly season nears its end, reigning Truck Series champion Zane Smith's future in the premier stock car racing series is still unclear.

The driver of the #38 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Truck Series wants to ditch his ride in the lower series. He admitted his aspirations to drive in the Cup Series on Sundays.

"I feel like my time in the Truck Series is hopefully coming to an end soon and I can go to racing on Sundays soon," he said before the playoffs began.

Smith was earlier linked with Front Row Motorsports' #38 Cup Series entry for 2024. However, the team announced Todd Gilliland as its full-time driver for next season alongside Michael McDowell. By doing so, the team also freed up Smith, allowing him to pursue any other opportunities in all three National series.

Amid rising speculations regarding the future of one of NASCAR's most promising talents, sources suggest that Smith could be signing with Trackhouse Racing.

Bob Pockrass from Fox Sports reports that the Truck Series driver has had conversations with multiple outfits including the Justin Marks-owned team.

Although both the seats at Trackhouse Racing are already occupied for 2024, a deal with the team is possible. After signing with Trackhouse, Smith could then be leased out to another team at the Cup or the Xfinity level.

With eight weeks left in the NASCAR season, Zane Smith's future will soon be clear as the rest of the pieces of the silly season puzzle fall into their places.

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Zane Smith is gearing up for a "wild round" in the Truck Series playoffs

The Reigning NASCAR Truck Series champion continues the quest to defend his title as he advanced into the Round of 8 with a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway.

Zane Smith battling for the lead in the Kansas Lottery 200

Having booked his spot in the second round, Smith hopes to brave it out as he heads to Bristol Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway over the next three weeks.

"Happy our whole team and FRM and all our partners advance to the Round of 8. Wild round as we know, with Bristol, Talladega, and Homestead. So feel like we are in a good spot playoff position-wise. So we will try to carry some of this momentum into the second round," he said post-race at Kansas Speedway.

En route to his championship last season, Zane Smith took a second-place finish at Bristol and Homestead and recorded a 17th-place finish at Talladega.

The 24-year-old hopes to repeat the same and win his second Truck Series title this season.