Last Thursday (Aug. 25), Front Row Motorsports locked down Zane Smith with a long-term agreement.
On top of running the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in 2023, this long-term agreement includes select NASCAR Cup Series starts, including a Daytona 500 attempt, in an additional FRM entry. Also included in the deal is FRM helping Smith find select NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
Within the press release, FRM doesn’t guarantee Xfinity starts and doesn’t plan to field an entry in the series at this time. Regardless, the intent by FRM to allow and potentially assist Smith to attempt Xfinity races next season is a welcome piece of news for Ford.
If Smith does indeed race in NASCAR’s second-tier series in 2023, where will he race? Ford is exceptionally underrepresented in the Xfinity Series. Stewart-Haas Racing with Riley Herbst and RSS Racing with Ryan Sieg are the only full-time Ford drivers in 2022. SS Greenlight Racing has two full-time entries, but no drivers compete for the entire season.
Going with the assumption that Smith will make these starts with a Ford team, where will he drive? Stewart-Haas is the obvious choice if the opportunity is right for them. He may also race an SHR-prepared car for SS Greenlight, like Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe have done this season. Maybe even an SHR-prepared car for RSS Racing or a regular RSS car.
But what about a team that isn’t already racing in the series? What about RFK Racing?
RFK, formally known as Roush Fenway Racing, hasn’t competed in the Xfinity Series since 2018. The connection to Smith has already been established, as they tapped him to substitute for Chris Buescher at World Wide Technology Raceway when Buescher tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came just days before the first practice, leaving little time for preparation, but Smith wheeled the No. 17 Ford to a 17th-place finish after starting 32nd.
In the Xfinity Series, Ford and RFK are two sides of the same coin. Ford lacks a clear development program in NASCAR and RFK has nowhere to develop talent — driver or crew. Unlike Ford, its manufacturer adversaries Toyota and Chevrolet have a path for their development drivers to move up the NASCAR ladder. With Ford’s limited inventory of Xfinity teams, let alone cars, a part-time effort for a part-time driver is a perfect way to start rebuilding a program.
Why Smith? He performed well in his first two seasons in the Truck Series with Chevrolet team, GMS Racing,…
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