Zane Smith will drive Front Row Motorsports’ third NASCAR Cup Series car, FRM announced Jan. 2.
Smith will pilot the No. 38 with a charter acquired from Stewart-Haas Racing.
Ryan Bergenty is the No. 38’s crew chief.
“I’ve always felt at home with Front Row Motorsports,” Smith said in a team release. “They believed in me when I signed with them to race in the [NASCAR Craftsman] 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.”
Todd Gilliland, the previous driver of FRM’s No. 38, moved to the No. 34 for 2025, while Smith’s other teammate, Noah Gragson, will drive the No. 4.
“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,” Smith added. “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.”
In his first full Cup season in 2024, Smith earned two top fives and four top 10s while driving Spire Motorsports’ No. 71. That car’s new driver, Michael McDowell, comes over from FRM.
Smith previously competed for FRM in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring the 2022 series title. He departed the organization after 2023.
He also made eight Cup starts for the team in 2023, scoring a top 10.
“We want to welcome Zane back to Front Row Motorsports,” FRM owner Bob Jenkins said. “He brought us our first championship and we believe that he can win in the NASCAR Cup Series, too. We have always believed in his talents, and we will work hard to give him what he needs to be successful. We have confidence in Zane.
“This finalizes our drivers for 2025 in the Cup Series and we can now make all our teams as strong as possible. We have come a long way, but there is a lot more ground to make up, too. We now have the drivers who can build on where we are today and take us to the next level.”
About the author
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.
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