Top Dog: Zane Smith
In racing, chaos creates opportunity. After the dust settled on a chaotic but entertaining weekend in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race in San Diego (June 21), several underdogs were able to seize their moment. Zane Smith and Front Row Motorsports continue to do more with less, and seeing him up front is becoming a familiar sight.
Another driver worthy of consideration was Corey Heim. With limited Cup Series starts, he was not expected to come home with the win at Naval Base Coronado. However, anyone who has watched Heim dominate the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and impress during his time in the No. 67 with 23XI Racing knew he was capable of a performance like this.
He is not an underdog. Heim is a dog.
What might have been lost in the excitement of Heim Time was a great run by Smith. At Front Row Motorsports, he is consistently outperforming his teammates, and his fourth-place finish in San Diego gives him his second top five and sixth top 10 of the season.
The Climb to the Top
Smith’s day started with strong track position thanks to a stellar qualifying effort. He rolled off fourth, just one spot ahead of his Front Row Motorsports teammate Todd Gilliland, marking a historic qualifying performance for the team on a road course.
Gilliland ran into problems on pit road, but a key factor in Smith’s successful day was avoiding trouble early in the race. On lap 32, a pileup triggered by Austin Hill took Shane van Gisbergen out of contention and damaged several other cars. Smith was just far enough behind the incident to avoid the chaos and continue his march toward the front. His consistent speed allowed his team to make the right strategy calls and secure a solid performance.
Looking Ahead
Smith and the rest of the Cup Series garage will now head to Sonoma Raceway. In three Cup Series starts at Sonoma, his best finish is 16th. He also finished second in a Truck Series race there in 2022.
Smith will look to carry momentum into Sonoma after his top five in San Diego, which marks the best road course result of his Cup Series career.
Top Dogs of the Lower Series
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Harrison Burton notched his first top-10 finish of the season after a marathon of a race at Coronado. Burton recovered from a broken shock mount and managed to battle his way through the field. At this point in the season last year, Burton had seven top-10 finishes in the series, including a ninth-place finish in Mexico City, matching the result he earned in San Diego.
It has been a tough season for Sam Hunt Racing, but the team appears to be building momentum. Prior to San Diego, Burton’s teammate Dean Thompson recorded three straight top-15 finishes. Burton’s top-10 result this weekend could help keep that momentum rolling.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:Â Niece Motorsports stood out on the track with a near win by Tyler Reif (there will be more on that later) and a fourth-place finish by Landen Lewis. Lewis, who primarily runs late model stock cars in the CARS Tour, racked up another impressive finish in the Truck Series. He previously finished sixth at the St. Petersburg street course in his Truck debut earlier this season, giving him added confidence heading to San Diego.
Lewis’s drive was particularly impressive. Despite qualifying ninth, he made contact with the wall, forcing him to start at the rear of the field. He patiently worked his way forward and joined his teammate Reif in contention near the end of the race. Although Niece Motorsports likely feels it left a win on the table, the team showed plenty of speed in San Diego.
Small Team Scheme of the Week
Reif was minutes away from victory before a late mistake took away what would have been a memorable win. Reif summed up his emotions afterward.
“I’ve never been so excited in my life, and for the past month, I’ve been manifesting this, and I threw it away there at the end,” Reif told reporters post-race.Â
Reif looked dejected after the race, and he immediately acknowledged that it got away from him, but if it’s any consolation, he earned this week’s scheme of the week.
His camouflage No. 42 Chevrolet looked right at home on the military base. Sponsored by the Foundation for Pops, the truck helped spotlight an organization dedicated to supporting veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness.
It appeared Niece was headed for a banner day. Teammates Reif and Lewis both drove cars with patriotic paint schemes, turning laps on the very naval base where team owner Al Niece served 58 years ago.
Unfortunately, not even the camouflage could hide Reif’s missed corner in the closing laps.
Whether drivers left San Diego celebrating or heartbroken, the challenging street course created opportunities for teams and drivers who do not often find themselves in the spotlight. Several underdogs rose to the occasion. And with another road course next week at Sonoma, it could provide more chances for surprises.
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