Zane Smith has taken an unorthodox path to his debut full-time NASCAR Cup Series season and he spent some time over New Year’s Day to discuss it on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
For one, Smith will drive the No. 71 for Spire Motorsports in 2024 but he is actually under contract with the Trackhouse Racing team. It was a unique agreement as Smith wanted to land at Trackhouse, having an immense regard for team owner Justin Marks, but that team does not currently have room for a third driver.
Trackhouse currently fields teams for drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez. Spire just expanded to three full-time cars with the addition of the charter it purchased from Live Fast Motorsports and used it to field a car with Smith on loan from Trackhouse.
With that said, Smith saw his stock really rise in 2022 when won the Truck Series championship with four wins while driving for Front Row Motorsports. Multiple Cup Series organizations began talking about Smith as an option for their cars, including Front Row, before Smith inked the deal with Trackhouse and Spire.
That was the starting point of his conversation on SiriusXM with hosts John Roberts and Danny ‘Chocolate’ Myers.
“It was super cool to see all these Cup Series teams, the teams you’ve grown up wanting to race for, talking about you and potentially driving their race car,” Smith said. “I think every kid in racing wants to (get to) Sundays but it’s hard.
“To have the opportunity I have in front of me for the foreseeable future is everything I’ve ever wanted. It’s been pretty surreal. The day we announced it at Bristol was a dream come true.
“Since then, since the final race of the season, I’ve been at it to get know everyone on the Spire side and the Trackhouse side. I’ve met so many people within the past three weeks probably. I’ve gotten into a rhythm training wise as well. Everything has been going great. Everyone we have on this 71 Chevy is a really strong group that I’m really excited about and I’m ready to go to work.”
Also unorthodox is the way Smith funded his racing career.
Some development drivers get factory support, with a manufacturer funding their way up the development ladder. Others have family or affluent friends backing their careers. Racing is an expensive sport, and talent never paid for a set of tires or fuel, as they say.
Smith took a lesser known, but increasingly viable route, in which he created an LLC, culled investors, who will each get a percentage of his career earnings until those initial de facto debts are paid off. It’s a common practice overseas and the F1 ladder system.
Cup Series driver Daniel Hemric followed a similar path as well.
“It’s been an up and down road, and I’ve been very fortunate to have some really good people in my life,” Smith said. “I’ve taken a route that a lot of successful racers have taken. One of those racers is Scott Dixon. I went with a group of investors who showcased me across Late Models, ARCA up until this point. That’s where my path is and how it came about.
“A lot more racers than you know have taken that just because it takes everything to get to this level. Racing is a brutal sport. It’s very, very hard to get to Sunday. Not only get to Sunday but stay there as well. The goal is to compete, run well, and showcase my guys.”
How the Trackhouse/Spire deal materialized
“Trackhouse is growing and growing and you see that even outside of NASCAR with Trackhouse getting involved in MotoGP. What it boils down to, for me to be at Trackhouse, I needed to find something to do in in 2024 and that’s how the relationship with Spire came about. I really wanted the Cup experience. I didn’t know if it would hurt me or benefitted me to have another year in Trucks. The Xfinity car is probably the most fun to drive but I’m not sure it does a lot for you if you’re able to get Cup experience.
“That’s where my mind was at. I was trying to be as patient as possible and then the Spire opportunity came about and all of our partners at Trackhouse made it happen. I’m excited to go learn. There are still some tracks I haven’t been to on the Cup schedule so to be able to go learn in a Cup car, you learn so much in Cup races, really, compared to Truck and Xfinity races with how long Cup races are. You get to really learn a lot. I’m excited for that. My deal is complicated but my future is with Trackhouse and I’m so dang lucky and this is where I always wanted to be.”
Racing in the Cup Series
“I’ve had some experience in the Xfinity car and I’ve been in the Truck Series, obviously, for the past four years. The truck, I felt raced pretty similar to the Cup car in situations but the Cup car is on its own planet. Everyone races really hard, and they should, because we know how even things are. That’s why it’s so difficult. There were multiple Cup races this year where I was racing guys that ended up finishing top-3 or winning the race and the difference was they were better than me in the small areas. And I’ve learned what those areas are and once I really make those areas perfect, and you can never be perfect, but when you get closer, that’s when the results come.
“That’s where it’s frustrating, racing guys 20th on back, and that’s what the team is for, getting you multiple spots and the good drivers can maintain that track position and get a good finish out of it. I have an extremely good group around me for next season. It’s been fun getting to know them over the offseason. I never really had that, having a group assembled this early, we had a Christmas party and had some fun. The Spire guys are still coming together but the Trackhouse guys are a full group. It’s been a long three weeks but we’re getting there.”
Process
“It’s the same process but it’s down to a very big level. I’m confident that I belong. I know it’s going to be really tough but I’m down for the challenge. This is where I want to be. I’m excited for it but it takes everything. Everyone is so dang close on the Cup side especially with the new car. I’ve had some experience racing on Sundays with it and everyone is so dang close. The little details are what separate you from everyone else. So just trying to hone in and execute for the longer races because everyone is good on Sunday from first to last. That’s the difference.”
Expectations?
“I want the graph arrow to be pointed up all year or at least maintain sideways. I know I’m not going to go out there and win races and set the world on fire. That’s just not how the Cup Series works, unfortunately, with how tough it is. That’s where my mind is at, having full intentions of going into every single race weekend giving 110 percent, and having the intent to win the race but it’s tough.
“I’ve set realistic expectations and those are hopefully top-10 finishes and trying to stay out of trouble and not make too many enemies because I hope to race against these guys for a very long time. At the same time, get my name out there, and prove Trackhouse right for the chance they took on me.”
Spotter and crew chief
Stephen Doran will serve as crew choef after an 11 year stint as an engineer with Stewart-Haas Racing and the No. 4 car with Kevin Harvick under crew chief Rodney Childers.
After winning a Cup championship this year with Ryan Blaney at Team Penske, spotter Josh Williams will move to Spire to work with Smith in 2024.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.