Nothing short of an upward trajectory has defined Zane Smith through his first three seasons as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Smith — the Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a two-time Championship 4 driver heading into 2022 — certainly brought a winning pedigree to the table. After all, Smith had already amassed three wins, 10 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes before the 2022 calendar season was a forethought.
But that pedigree was missing one thing, and a big one at that.
A championship.
Not to worry, however. This pedigree soared to new heights following the season’s 2022 title race in Phoenix as the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford driver toppled the triple-Toyota threat of Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith to net the 23-year-old his first truck title in his already-blossomed racing career.
But a strong regular season — and a just-as-sturdy playoff run, where Smith finished inside the top 10 in five of six postseason races heading into the championship — would be almost all for naught without that championship trophy. Sure, the campaign would have arguably still been a success, but falling just short once again would have left a sour taste in the mouth of an otherwise sweet season.
But not this time. Instead of falling just short of the title mark, Smith soared above the rest and delivered what he was oh, so close to achieving almost a year to the day.
Moving the clocks back to 2020 and 2021 might have shown Smith’s talent in racing an entire season. But his 2022 emphasized tenacity in starting strong and building momentum toward the truck circuit’s premier prize. And so, claiming the championship came into being.
Smith’s trajectory has again leaped forward. And consider the pedigree enhanced, too
