Zane Smith & Trackhouse Racing To Part Ways

Zane Smith (HHP/Chris Owens photo)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Trackhouse Racing announced Friday night that the organization and driver Zane Smith will go their separate ways at the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

Smith, in the midst of his rookie campaign at NASCAR’s top level, has driven the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in an alliance with Trackhouse. The one-year loan was struck after Smith signed what was originally described as a “long-term deal” with Justin Marks’ team last September.

As it turns out, “long-tem” will only last for a single year, though the original goal was to bring the Huntington Beach, Calif., native in-house for the 2025 Cup Series season.

Smith’s departure is expected to pave the way for New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen – currently an Xfinity Series regular with Kaulig Racing but also under contract with Trackhouse – to step up to the Cup Series full time starting next year.

“Trackhouse Racing and Zane Smith have mutually agreed to separate at the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, allowing the 25-year-old former NASCAR Truck Series champion to immediately accept other opportunities,” the team said in a statement posted to social media.

“Smith drives the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in an alliance with Trackhouse Racing and will continue [in that role] for the remainder of this season.”

Smith shifted from Ford’s NASCAR pipeline to the Chevrolet camp this season, despite winning a Craftsman Truck Series championship with Front Row Motorsports just two years ago.

In addition to nine Truck Series wins in 97 starts at that level, Smith also made his Cup Series debut in 2022 as a substitute driver for Chris Buescher and finished 13th in the 2023 Daytona 500 with Front Row.

He earned a career-best Cup Series result of second at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in June and has six top 20s in his last 10 races, including a seventh-place finish last week at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

“Obviously, I am disappointed that I’ve been put in a tough spot,” Smith said in a statement. “I am diligently exploring quality driving opportunities and hope to quickly wrap up my plans for next year. Meanwhile, kudos to our [No.] 71 Cup team. We’ve turned our year around this summer with six top-20 finishes in the last 10 races, which includes a top-10 finish last weekend and a runner-up finish in Nashville.

“With more determination than ever, I will continue to do what I know best and that is to work hard, race my heart out, and prove myself. Thank you to everyone that has and continues to stand behind me.”