Zane Smith to replace Cody Ware and drive Rick Ware Racings’s #51 car at Martinsville

Rick Ware Racing chose Zane Smith to drive the No. 51 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Last year's Craftsman Truck Series champion Smith replaces Cody Ware. The latter was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR after being accused with criminal assault on a female in Iredell County, North Carolina.

Rick Ware Racing announced that Smith will pilot the No. 51 Ford Mustang this weekend in a statement released on social media, following the release of the amended entry list.

"Zane Smith will drive the No. 51 Ford at Martinsville Speedway this weekend for Rick Ware Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Smith, the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, will be making his fourth career NCS start."

Smith, who is currently defending his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, will gain some NASCAR Cup Series experience. Smith, born and raised in Huntington Beach, California, has made three NASCAR Cup Series starts in his career, finishing 13th in the 2023 Daytona 500.

Last season, he finished 17th in his series debut at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, replacing Chris Buescher, who was out due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Front Row Motorsports set a schedule of six NASCAR Cup Series races for Smith in February, including five in the team's chartered No. 38 car. Smith has won nine races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck division, including six since joining Front Row Motorsports in the division for the 2022 season.

Zane Smith will make his fourth Cup Series appearance. He placed 17th at Gateway, 13th in Daytona, and 31st at Phoenix. Smith has nine Truck Series victories. The team has not disclosed any intentions for the No. 51 vehicle beyond the race at Martinsville.

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Why did Zane Smith's NASCAR car caught fire during victory burnout

Zane Smith [File Photo]

The reigning Truck Series champion did a few donuts on the front straight of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, after winning the XPEL 225.

The truck stayed there and produced a massive cloud of dust billowing from its rear tires. He then nosed his Front Row Motorsports Ford up into the pit wall and started spinning the tires. But when he left, the smoke persisted, and the burnout merged into one.

Before emergency personnel could put out the fire, it had already moved to the back of the truck, close to the tires on both sides, and was inflicting damage to the car.

According to a Front Row Motorsports spokeswoman, the crew is still unsure what caused it to flame up. They believe the burnout was so intense that when it bunched up on the flaps, it self-ignited.