Zane Smith joins Trackhouse Racing. Truck Series champion begins Cup career on loan to Spire – WSOC TV
Truck Series champion Zane Smith has signed a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing where he will be loaned to Spire Motorsports to ride the Cup Series in 2024.
The 24-year-old Smith will join the Trackhouse lineup when the team is able to expand to three full-time Cup cars. Trackhouse is currently preparing Cup cars full-time for championship contenders Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. Earlier this week, it committed to Shane van Gisbergen’s driver development program once he moves from the Australian V8 Supercars team at the end of this year.
Smith will drive a third entry for Spire, which purchased a charter from Live Fast Motorsports to form the alliance with Trackhouse. He became emotional Saturday at the news conference at Bristol Motor Speedway that introduced Smith as a Cup driver.
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“It means the world to me. “I’ve had almost nothing (a job) for two years,” Smith said as he caught himself. “It was 365 days ago, I sat down at Bob Evans with a very close friend of mine and he asked me where I wanted to race one day. I think he might have expected a different answer, but my answer was “Trackhouse” and about 365 days later I signed a contract with them.
Although Smith would eventually be a direct part of Trackhouse, the team wasn’t ready to expand to three full-time Cup cars, Trackhouse founder Justin Marks said. He will have a presence in the Trackhouse organization despite leading Spire.
“We couldn’t rush and we didn’t want to put it together late. This has to be a process that will take its course over some time,” Marks said. “The third team takes time and requires a lot of money. It makes sense for us to put Zain in an established team where he can focus on leadership and we can focus on everything we can to support him there.
Smith is a nine-time winner and competing in his fourth full season of the Truck Series. He has also run seven Cup Series races in the last two seasons and was 10th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
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Smith currently sits fifth in the Truck Series standings with three playoff races remaining to win a second straight title. He spent the past two seasons driving for Front Row Motorsports, which also gave him five Cup starts and a seat in the Coca-Cola 600.
“We want to thank Zayn for all the memories he has already made with us and hope for many more before the end of the season. We wish him the best for the future and see him on Sunday,” said Front Row owner Bob Jenkins. “We are also looking forward to making new memories in the upcoming season of During our truck program. “We will have more news soon.”
Meanwhile, Live Fast said it will downsize to a part-time team and compete in the Cup Series without a charter.
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