Third-year NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Zane Smith has a series-leading three victories this season, and he currently leads the series in laps led (269) and top 10s (nine). Sitting third in the championship standings, Smith currently holds the top seed in the playoffs with five regular season races remaining.
The 23-year-old made the move from GMS Racing to Front Row Motorsports at the end of the 2021 season in a move that came about a month after the season ended. Interestingly enough, Smith had initially planned to make the jump to the NASCAR Cup Series this year in a deal that ultimately fell through when Chip Ganassi Racing shuttered its Cup operations and sold the assets to Trackhouse Racing Team.
“The beginning of last year, I had gotten signed by Ganassi,” Smith told Frontstretch last month. “I didn’t know exactly what I was going to be doing. It seemed obvious in a way that it was most likely going to be the No. 1 with Kurt [Busch] leaving or whatever it may be.
“I was looking forward to that. I felt like I was, at the time, I wanted some more experience. But I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I was just so fortunate to really have those people reaching out and them wanting me to race for them. I think that’s just super cool.”
But as we know, the Cup ride didn’t end up happening since Ganassi ended its NASCAR program.
“Super unfortunate it didn’t work out. I was obviously pretty bummed out when that had happened. And then it gets followed up with, I don’t know where I’m gonna be going at all or if I’m going to be racing at all.
“But I took a risk on that, signed my name on that paper to hopefully see if it would work out. Unfortunately, it didn’t. But I go about my life and my racing life rolling with the punches, dealing with what it gives me and doing the best I can at it, and that’s what we’re doing today.”
But fast forward to last weekend and Smith got the chance to make his…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…