Zane Smith to Drive No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports in 2025
Zane Smith is set to make a return to Front Row Motorsports in 2025.
The 25-year-old driver will continue his career in the NASCAR Cup Series, inking a multi-year agreement to serve as the full-time driver of the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the expanding organization.
“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.”
Smith will be one-third of the strongest driver lineup that Front Row Motorsports has possessed in its two-decade history in the NASCAR Cup Series, with Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson set to serve as the driver’s full-time teammates in 2025.
“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.”
The Huntington Beach, California-native has quite a bit of familiarity with Front Row Motorsports as an organization, spending several years as part of the team’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program.
In 2022, Smith was able to capture the team’s first-ever NASCAR National Series title, by hoisting the championship trophy on stage at Phoenix Raceway. The following season, remaining in the Truck Series, Smith narrowly missed out on the final four.
Along the way, Smith ran sporadically in the NASCAR Cup Series for the organization, impressing with a top-10 finish in the Coca-Cola 600 while driving the No. 38 Ford Mustang.
“I want to thank Bob (owner, Bob Jenkins), Jerry (general manager, Jerry Freeze) and Mark Rushbrook at Ford for making this happen. I know that we can win together in the Cup Series like we did in the Truck Series. It’s a great time to come back as we continue to make FRM even better.”
Ryan Bergenty will continue working as crew chief of the No. 38 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series. Bergenty worked with Smith in his limited NASCAR Cup Series starts with the organization in 2023.
“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.”
With the finalization of their charter purchase from Stewart-Haas Racing, Front Row Motorsports continues to grow its operations, fielding three full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries in 2025.
“We want to welcome Zane back to Front Row Motorsports,” said Bob Jenkins, owner, Front Row Motorsports. “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.”
Additional announcements will be made at a later date regarding sponsorship, crew chief, and car number announcements for the teams remaining NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entries.
