Zane Smith will join Noah Gragson and the returning Todd Gilliland at Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.
Smith is reunited with the organization that he delivered a Craftsman Truck Series championship to in 2022. He returns to Front Row after spending a year under a Trackhouse development contract where he was loaned out to Spire Motorsports.
That arrangement was not able to continue into 2025 and Smith was able to find a home back at Front Row, which expands to three cars with the addition of a charter purchased from Stewart-Haas Racing.
“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.”
After a slow start to his Cup career, Smith put together some incredibly impressive runs in the second half of the season at Spire that included a runner-up at Nashville in June and a fifth-place at Watkins Glen in September.
He has five top-10s and 17 top-20s at the highest level.
Smith will drive the No. 38 car with Ryan Bergentry serving as crew chief. It’s a familiar enough pairing as Smith made six starts in a part-time Front Row car in 2023 with Bergentry, finishing 10th in the Coca-Cola 600 that year.
“Our team is excited to be working with Zane” said Bergenty “He is an outstanding talent and brings a strong competitive spirit to the group.”
Smith joins two of his legitimate best friends in Gragson and Gilliland. Gragson is expected to drive a No. 4 with Drew Blickensderfer as crew chief with a team primarily filled with the No. 10 group he raced with last year. Gilliland will be re-united with crew chief Chris Lawson, who has worked with him since they were kids, but also guided Smith to his Truck Series championship.
It’s a team that already has a lot of cohesion.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
