Sometimes, life as a rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series can be brutal. This season, Zane Smith has experienced just how difficult NASCAR’s top level can be. In 23 races, Smith only has one top-10 finish, a second-place result at Nashville Superspeedway. He and the No. 71 team have regularly been stuck in the back of the pack or getting collected in accidents, sometimes both in one race. Deep in the points standings in 33rd place, it looks like 2024 will be a year to forget for Smith.
The real question for Smith is how this season will impact his future in NASCAR. Almost a year ago, Smith signed a multi-year agreement with Trackhouse Racing. As reported, the plan was for Smith to drive for Spire Motorsports in 2024, then move over to Trackhouse in a Cup Series ride for 2025. To accommodate Smith, Spire purchased the charter owned by Live Fast Motorsports, allowing the new No. 71 team to run full-time with the Nos. 7 and 77. Trackhouse did not purchase a third charter at this time, but team owner Justin Marks was explicit that his organization planned to expand as well. Smith’s time at Spire was a temporary solution that would give him some Cup Series experience while allowing Trackhouse time to grow.
Now, two thirds of the way through the 2024 season, the details about how, or if, Smith will get a Trackhouse seat remain murky. The team still plans to expand and is looking to acquire a third charter, most likely from Stewart-Haas Racing. Smith is still under contract with Trackhouse and could fill that seat. However, the charter sale has not happened yet. It is possible that Marks is waiting for an official renewal of the charter agreement between NASCAR and the team owners before the sale is complete. Yet as of this writing, there is not an open seat waiting at Trackhouse for Smith. Ross Chastain will remain in the No. 1 car at least through 2025, and the team announced on Aug. 9 that Daniel Suarez will return to the No. 99 car. No additional charter means no room for Smith.
Complicating matters is that Smith will have competition from Shane van Gisbergen if another Trackhouse seat becomes available. After winning the inaugural Cup race at the Chicago street course last season, van Gisbergen has spent 2024 competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing. He already has three wins, more than anyone else this season. Van Gisbergen is still developing his craft on ovals and would not be a weekly contender in the Cup Series if he moves up. Yet all it would take for him to reach the Cup Series playoffs is one road course win, and he has already proven that he can do that. If Trackhouse is choosing a third driver based on who will be more competitive in the Cup Series right now, van Gisbergen would be the easy choice over Smith.
One way around all this would be to extend Smith’s temporary arrangement with Spire, but even that feels unlikely. Spire announced in May that Michael McDowell will join the team in 2025 and race the No. 71 car. More news followed on Aug. 6 that Travis Peterson, McDowell’s current crew chief at Front Row Motorsports, would follow him to Spire. This report reiterated that McDowell was going to drive the No. 71. It appears that Spire intends to remain a three-car team in 2025, but without Smith in his current ride.
It does not look like Smith will slide over to one of Spire’s other cars. Carson Hocevar, Smith’s fellow rookie teammate, is expected to stay in the No. 77 next year. It makes sense for Spire to keep Hocevar, who is 22nd in overall points, has no ties to any other team, and has shown more pace than Smith this season.
Spire’s third car, the No. 7, is currently open for next year, and big changes are already in the works for this team. The first domino to fall last month was the news that Rodney Childers will join the team as the new crew chief. Driver Corey LaJoie had signed a multi-year deal to remain with Spire last year, and the Childers announcement implied that LaJoie would remain in the No. 7 car. Two weeks later, news broke that LaJoie will not return to the No. 7.
Who gets that seat is still a mystery, but Smith’s name has not come up as one of the possibilities. Even though shifting Smith over to the No. 7 would be an easy solution, it feels like Spire has something else planned for this car and is going to move on from Smith regardless of what Trackhouse needs.
There is no doubt that Smith’s stock has taken a hit this season. He became one of NASCAR’s most exciting prospects after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2022, but now his future has become very unclear.
Even as Trackhouse and Spire plan for 2025, it does not feel like Smith is a high priority for either team. If Trackhouse decides to go with van Gisbergen in its third car or does not get a third charter, Smith will likely wind up with a completely different team. He could go back to Front Row Motorsports, with whom he won the Truck title. FRM is also expanding in 2025 and still has one opening, though a reunion with Smith is only a rumor for now. Otherwise, Smith may be looking for an Xfinity or Truck Series ride.
Smith’s rookie season is a reminder of how cutthroat the business side of professional auto racing can be. There is no doubt that the on-track performance has been bad this year, but Smith is hardly the first Cup Series rookie to struggle, and he could still become competitive with time and the right opportunity. But as teams start looking toward 2025, where Smith’s next opportunity will come from is anyone’s guess.
About the author
Bryan began writing for Frontstretch in 2016. He has penned Up to Speed for the past seven years. A lifelong student of auto racing, Bryan is a published author and automotive historian. He is a native of Columbus, Ohio and currently resides in Southern Kentucky.
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The performance of Smith and LaJoie make Carson Hocevar
look like the real deal. Sure there have been missteps but I’m
a fan of this young man. How about an Xfinity seat at the Haas Factory team? Carl can find the dollars and it makes more sense than Deagan.
The performance of Zane and LaJoie this season has made young Carson Hocevar look like a young man with a bright future. I’d like to see Zane to Haas Factory Team in an Xfinity
seat. Carl can find the money and it makes more sense than Deagan.