Zane Smith earns Truck title in third Championship 4 appearance
AVONDALE, ARIZ. — In both 2020 and 2021, Zane Smith left Phoenix Raceway with a runner-up finish in the NASCAR Truck Series championship and no plans set up for the following year.
This year, Smith leaves Phoenix with a championship to defend and some Cup and Xfinity starts in 2023, as he finally broke through Friday night to claim his first NASCAR Truck Series championship.
Smith bested Chandler Smith, Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski for the championship. He led the championship for 119 of 154 laps in the overtime-extended Lucas Oil 150 finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Zane Smith won both stages, led a race-high 77 laps and comfortably led with 15 laps to go in regulation. Then, a caution fell for Hailie Deegan blowing a tire and hitting the wall in turn 3.
Pit stops put Zane in 11th, behind championship competitor Ben Rhodes who put on two tires, as well as Ty Majeski and Chandler Smith who put on four, for the restart with 10 to go.
On the restart, in turn 3, Zane made a four-wide move on Chandler Smith that vaulted him toward a run for the front that put him in second. Majeski battled Zane for the position but didn’t survive, as he spun and hit the wall with two to go.
Zane took the lead from 3rd on the overtime restart with a quick move on Ben Rhodes. On the final lap, Rhodes tried a last-ditch move on the final lap but came up in second as Zane Smith cruised to his first Truck championship with Chandler Smith in third and Ty Majeski in fourth for the championship.
Zane Smith is the 20th different champion in NASCAR’s Truck Series. He’s also the 12th and final Camping World/Gander Outdoors Truck champion.
After his runner-up championship finish, Chandler Smith will move up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and race the Kaulig Racing No. 16 Chevrolet in 2023.
No official plans have been announced for Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski in 2023.
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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