Front Row Motorsports GM reacts to signing Zane Smith for 2025

Today it became official, Zane Smith will drive for Front Row Motorsports this season, and the management couldn’t be happier. When Smith and FRM parted ways after the 2023 NASCAR season, it wasn’t a decision either side made lightly.

In 2022 Zane Smith won a Truck Series championship with Front Row Motorsports. In 2023, he took a number of starts away from Todd Gilliland as the pair shared a car. Now, after a year at Spire on loan from Trackhouse, he’s back.

Front Row GM Jerry Freeze spoke to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about the new signing and reunion of driver and team.

“I think it’s just so ironic that you know, a year and a half ago, Zane is driving for us,” Freeze said. “We had just come off the heels of a truck championship and he was ready to go Cup racing for sure. He was driving a few Cup races for us in the 2023 season. But we only had two cars, you know, two Cup cars and two charters, and we kind of liked the two guys we had at the time; Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland.

“We just didn’t have a place for Zane, you know, and we really tried to talk him into driving the truck another year, but he was ready to move on.”

A number of events have happened between 2023 and now to allow this move. Spire Motorsports pulled Michael McDowell away from Front Row. Trackhouse stuck by Shane van Gisbergen.

There’s something else I’m forgetting…

Zane Smith racing in 2025 thanks to court ruling

Oh yeah, Zane Smith would not be racing in 2025 if not for a preliminary injunction. Judge Kenneth Bell granted an injunction to 23XI Racing and Front Row to each purchase a third charter from Stewart-Haas.

That is what ultimately led to this signing.

“Now we’re in a position this year where we were able to get that for the 2025 season and Zane was available,” Freeze continued. “So, he was easily the guy we wanted all along to drive that new team for us for next year.”

The injunction was granted. However, the sale of the charter can be reversed pending the results of an appeal from NASCAR. For now, it’s time to prep for Daytona and the 38-week season.

Zane Smith is back at Front Row. He joins Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson. Do they have the best young trio in NASCAR?