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…
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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.
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