Is There Room for Zane Smith at Trackhouse?
What’s Happening? Zane Smith is in his first NASCAR Cup Series season and has struggled mightily. He currently sits 34th…
Zane Smith is one of the most intriguing “free agents” of the 2025 Silly Season. He signed a multi-year development contract with Trackhouse last fall, but with no seat secured for 2025 and only one potential seat open at Trackhosue, could Zane Smith leave Trackhouse? If so, where could he go?
What’s Happening? Zane Smith is in his first NASCAR Cup Series season and has struggled mightily. He currently sits 34th…
Zane Smith and Trackhouse are in an awkward situation. Smith’s rookie season has not been ideal.
Yes, he’s under contract with Trackhouse, but he’s had to spend the season in a third Spire Motorsports car. The No. 71 is a brand new team, and it’s a tough situation for a rookie driver acting a satellite driver for the team he is actually under contract with. Spire hasn’t exactly set the world on fire this season as every Spire driver currently sits 25th or worse in points as of this writing.
Sure, Smith has been the worst-performing of the Spire fleet, but one could argue he’s been put in the most difficult situation. However, his situation has not been helped by the emergence of SVG.
SVG has won three Xfinity Series races this season while driving for Kaulig Racing, an established, consistent, race-win-contending team in the series. He has also shown some promise on ovals with two top-10s, eight top-15s, and 11 top-20s in 14 oval track starts. With more road course races on the Cup Series schedule today than in the past, having SVG gives any team a legitimate chance to make the Playoffs with a win.
In an ideal scenario, SVG and Smith join Trackhouse, but it’s not that simple. With only three charters available from Stewart-Haas Racing, three teams are reportedly set to purchase one charter each, including Trackhouse. NASCAR is also reportedly considering limiting teams to three charters starting with the next charter agreement, which limits available seats at Trackhouse. Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez are probably not going anywhere anytime soon.
From a performance standpoint, it’s easy to see Trackhouse prioritizing SVG over Smith, leaving Smith to look for another ride. The most likely option for Trackhouse to loan Smith out to would be Kaulig Racing, another team that’s struggled this season. Would that be a great situation for Smith, or could he look elsewhere?
Smith is currently in a multi-year deal with Trackhouse, so a lot would have to happen for him to leave. The question is, what other places can he go?
What’s Happening? NASCAR Silly Season is in full swing, and fans and pundits are searching high and low for clues…
Looking at the current open seats, we’ve already discussed Kaulig and Trackhouse; 23XI Racing and Haas Factory Team already have other drivers favored for the ride. Legacy Motor Club might not have an open seat if Erik Jones returns. That doesn’t make it impossible for Smith to head here, but a lot would have to happen.
This leaves Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports, both Ford teams. RWR is up-and-coming, sure, but they are still not a race-win contender. Smith would also need to bring a lot of funding with him, and it’s unclear whether or not Focused Health is a Trackhouse sponsor or a Zane Smith sponsor.
There’s also Front Row Motorsports, which Bob Pockrass suggested is at least possible. Smith made his hay in the Truck Series with Front Row, winning the 2022 Championship, and rejoining them would put him fully in the fold with the race team he would be under contract with. Front Row is also a “Tier One” Ford team, meaning they get significant manufacturer support.
Smith could go in plenty of different directions, but it depends entirely on what Trackhouse decides. ttime will tell where he goes.
What do you think about all this? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube.
Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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Corey Day’s run-in with Connor Zilisch at Circuit of the Americas became one of the most discussed incidents from Saturday’s race, even drawing a response from Denny Hamlin as well, who this week talked about his support for Zilisch.
During the race, Zilisch dealt with brake trouble on his No. 1 Chevrolet but worked his way forward from the rear of the field, advancing from P29 to P4 in the closing laps. With five laps remaining, he engaged in a battle with Hendrick Motorsports driver Corey Day as they exited Turn 2, holding the outside line. But as they contested the position, Day moved up behind him, contact occurred, and Zilisch spun off course to finish the race in P21.
After the contact, frustrated, Connor Zilisch initially referred to Day as an “absolute hack” on his radio, describing the clash as part of the latter’s racing pattern. But the JR Motorsports driver later tempered his comments, simply saying he expects an apology from the young Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Given that Zilisch declined to escalate the situation, on the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin credited him for calmly managing his response after the race, saying,
“Zillich was smart about this. He in his interview, he’s like, “I looked over at him thinking, come on over here. Come apologize.” And he said he just looked at him with a stare like, I don’t know what it is with these guys. Why, Why can’t they… youth?”
However, he questioned Day’s failure to issue an immediate apology. In fact, he said he was “floored” by Corey Day’s reaction, which involved staring at a frustrated Zilisch rather than apologizing.
The No. 11 JGR driver also raised questions about how Hendrick Motorsports evaluates developing drivers. Organizations invest with the expectation of returns measured in wins and titles, but when a driver continues to make visible mistakes, fans and especially other drivers will start to scrutinize. Hamlin pointed to the balance between development and production, asking how long it would hold.
The COTA incident was not the first time Day’s racing antics were questioned. Last week, during the Atlanta race, Day was involved in a multi-car crash on lap five after attempting a three-wide move that resulted in contact with Ryan Sieg. The move triggered a chain reaction that collected several cars.
Sieg responded over team radio, questioning both the decision and Day’s presence in the series.
Hamlin argued that drivers are allowed to make mistakes as part of growth. At teams with front-running equipment and title ambitions, time frames are shorter. But he questioned whether Day faces a deadline by season’s end or whether the assessment extends into the following year.
In Day’s case, results have not offset the incidents that have drawn attention. Hamlin referenced Kyle Larson as an example, noting that aggressive driving can lead to contact as well as wins.
Do you agree with Hamlin’s take? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Bubba Wallace shared a message on X following the death of a close friend, writing about the weight of the news over the weekend.
“Makes you think about life and how precious it is… That tune… Nutshell- Alice In Chains Love yall,” he continued.
While Wallace did not name the friend in his post, one day before, reports confirmed that Chase Pistone, 42, had died. Pistone competed on short tracks and in NASCAR’s national ranks and later owned a Legends car. His family asked media outlets to share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, 988. His brothers, Nick and Tom Pistone, confirmed the news to LegendsNation.com.
Pistone, who was the grandson of NASCAR driver “Tiger” Tom Pistone, built his racing career in Legends cars and Late Models before stepping into NASCAR competition.
Apparently, Wallace and Pistone raced each other in Legends cars around 2005. Pistone won four Summer Shootout Championships at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with two titles in the Semi-Pro and two in the Pro divisions. Wallace competed in both Bandolero and Legends categories during that period, winning 35 of 48 Bandolero races in one season.
Both drivers were regulars at the Charlotte Summer Shootout. From there, their paths moved toward the national touring series.
Pistone made starts in ARCA and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005 and 2006, including an appearance with Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway. Meanwhile, Wallace moved into the K&N Pro Series East by 2010.
In 2006, Pistone made a start in the Nationwide Series at Martinsville, finishing 37th. After failing to qualify for the ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona in 2007, he stepped away from NASCAR competition until 2014.
He returned that year for eight combined starts in the Truck and Nationwide Series. In his final season at the national level, Pistone recorded a P9-place finish in the Truck Series race at Gateway, the best of his NASACR Truck career.
Beyond driving, Pistone owned CP Inc., building Legends and Late Model stock cars and offering leasing programs that included equipment, crew, and transport.
