Spire confirms 2024 Truck lineup and number for Zane Smith
Spire Motorsports confirmed their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series lineup and the number Zane Smith will run in the Cup Series in 2024.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Lineup
Chase Purdy will race full-time for Spire in the Truck Series next season.
Kyle Busch Motorsports re-signed Purdy before officials announced the sale of its NCTS operations.
Spire will also have a second full-time truck with several drivers, likely including Kyle Busch who expressed interest in running his five allowed races for them.
Nick Sanchez will run for REV Racing with support from Spire. REV’s deal with Spire will be identical to their deal with KBM last year.
Zane Smith Goes to Cup in Historic Number
In the No. 71 NASCAR Cup Series car, Zane Smith will join a long lineage that dates all the way back to the very first race at Charlotte Speedway in June 1949. In that race, Sara Christian drove her No. 71 Ford to a 14th-place finish.
From there, the No. 71 car made a start in every Cup Series season from 1949-2003.
During that time, the No. 71 car won 44 times with Bobby Isaac (35 wins), Buddy Baker (three wins), Fireball Roberts (one win) and Dave Marcis – who sported his classic wingtip shoes in victory lane five times with the No. 71.
Isaac is the only driver to win a Cup Series championship (1970) in the No. 71.
The No. 71 returned to the Cup Series grid from 2009-11 with TRG Motorsports. Mike Bliss finished 21st at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the final race, to date, for TRG and the No. 71 car.
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com