Are You Concerned About Zane Smith’s Poor Cup Start?

Are you concerned about Zane Smith’s poor start to his NASCAR Cup Series season?

Josh Calloni: No. There are growing pains with any rookie season, and Zane Smith is still competing for a team that was lackluster last season. He’s shown solid speed but has definitely had some bad luck go his way, specifically at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. There have certainly been some rookie mistakes mixed in, but that’s to be expected for a driver in the first six races of his first full-time season. His luck will even out soon enough.

Luken Glover: It’s not to panic, but there is a growing sense of concern early. The capability to run well should not be a concern, as his teammates at Spire Motorsports, Corey LaJoie and Carson Hocevar, have shown some speed in a couple of races. What is currently worrying is the issues he encounters early on in races. During Atlanta, Smith drove to the front early in stage two but made an aggressive move and hit the wall. The next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he showed speed in practice, yet he hit the wall on lap 3 and broke the toe link. Then there was this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he got caught up in a crash during stage one after trying to avoid a spinning Tyler Reddick. For Smith, he just has to find ways to settle in early and find those times of when to push and when to back off. There is still a lot of time for a turnaround.

James Krause: Not really. There have definitely been some poor performances from both Smith and his team in the early part of the season, but I don’t think there should be high expectations for him this season. While LaJoie and Hocevar have done really well early in the year, I think it’s fair to say Spire is still pretty low in the pecking order in team strength. Being where his teammates are right now, floating around 20th in points, would be an outrageously successful season for Smith. This weekend at Circuit of the Americas, where he’s won twice in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, could be a chance for his potential to shine if he and his team don’t make any massive mistakes that have plagued them through five races.

Should the Cup Series race on a dirt track in 2025? If so, where?

Glover: Would I like a Cup race on dirt? Absolutely. However, there is no need to rush it until NASCAR can figure out the logistics of such an event. Because of that, it should visit a purpose-built dirt track. Eldora Speedway…