Zane Smith Leads Late & Captures Top 10 In Atlanta

Zane Smith in action Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway. (Peter Casey/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

HAMPTON, Ga. – At this point in the season, it’s hard to argue that 26-year-old Zane Smith has been carrying Front Row Motorsports in recent weeks.

That statement was proven to be true once again at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday night.

Smith finished seventh in the Quaker State 400, capturing his third top 10 of the season and second in four weeks, following up a run at Michigan Int’l Speedway where he was also seventh.

But perhaps the most impressive part of Smith’s run was his drive to the front in the closing laps, fighting for the win inside of 10 to go before fading back behind eventual race winner Chase Elliott.

“It was fun to lead some of those final closing laps. I don’t know where it went wrong. I just feel like we went back and forth,” said Smith. “Sometimes just one car was clearing me and I’d build my run back up and then go make another charge at it, and then it just kind of seemed like two guys got by me and you’re just not able to have as much throttle time.

“My runs weren’t quite the same, but, all in all, it was just a really good, really fast Aaron’s Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang. It was really cool to have the Lucky Dog scheme back and run up front with it,” Smith added. “I’m just proud of the effort, but I wish it panned out a little bit differently.”

Smith led five laps, tying his season high for a single race, set at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native also captured stage points in stage two, gaining three points on the night.

He started the race in eighth after a strong qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. Smith was able to keep his No. 38 in contention around the top 10, and was able to work his way through the massive pile-up entering turn three on lap 70 to begin stage two.

“I learned a lot. There are some things we need to work on ultimately – controlling distances between cars to both take and prevent runs. That was my first time really defending the lead with a digital camera,” said Smith. “It’s just a lot different with how you see runs coming, so to be bummed out with a top 10 is a good thing.”

Smith showed flashes of the raw talent that made him a rising prospect once in the Craftsman Truck Series as the 2023 champion. He also continued to show growth and development in his second full-time Cup Series season.

He took the lead three times inside the final 25 laps Saturday night, controlled the draft and gave himself and Front Row Motorsports a legit shot at a victory, all while working with his Ford allies at RFK Racing.

Smith also collected his second Atlanta finish this season of 11th or better, as well as his first points-paying top 10 on a drafting track, to go along with his three top 15s on superspeedways.

Smith now heads to the Chicago (Ill.) Street Course, where he was 17th last season with Spire Motorsports. Notably, for a second consecutive year, he seems to be peaking during the summer with his best weeks of the season thus far.

Although he sits 25th in the standings, Smith feels his Front Row team is building towards winning, despite what he views as a missed opportunity in Atlanta.

“I just feel like that was an opportunity to win and advance, but it’s still a good night for us at the end of the day,” said Smith.

Coverage of the Grant Park 165 on the streets of Chicago airs Sunday, July 6 at 2 p.m. ET on TNT Sports, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.