Zane Smith returns to Front Row Motorsports for 2025 NASCAR Cup season
01/02/2025 11:23 AM
Zane Smith will return to Front Row Motorsports to continue his Cup career, the team announced Thursday.
Ryan Bergenty will be Smith's crew chief.
Smith won the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series championship with Front Row Motorsports before he signed with Trackhouse Racing for the 2024 Cup season. With no place at Trackhouse, Smith was loaned to Spire Motorsports last year for his rookie Cup season.
Smith had two top-five finishes, including a runner-up result at Nashville, and four top-10 finishes last year in Cup.
Smith and Trackhouse parted ways after last season.
The 25-year-old joins teammates Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson at Front Row Motorsports, which is expanding to a three-car Cup operation this season.
"We want to welcome Zane back to Front Row Motorsports," said Bob Jenkins, owner, Front Row Motorsports, in a statement. "He brought us our first championship and we believe that he can win in the NASCAR Cup Series, too. We have always believed in his talents, and we will work hard to give him what he needs to be successful. We have confidence in Zane.
"This finalizes our drivers for 2025 in the Cup Series and we can now make all our teams as strong as possible. We have come a long way, but there is a lot more ground to make up, too. We now have the drivers who can build on where we are today and take us to the next level."
Said Smith in a statement from the team: "I've always felt at home with Front Row Motorsports," said Smith. "They believed in me when I signed with them to race in the Truck Series initially in 2022 and we shared so much success together, winning six races and a championship in two seasons. Unfortunately, everyone had to make tough decisions because there were only two Cup cars available at Front Row Motorsports going into last season when I was ready to move up full-time.
"Now, going into next year, Front Row has really taken their Cup program to another level and I cannot think of a better line up of teammates. Todd and Noah are great friends of mine and we all have a lot to prove as young drivers in the Cup Series. It is a great time to come back and continue to build my career with an organization where I know I can win."
