Zane Smith just short of first NASCAR Cup Series win
LEBANON, Tenn. — Zane Smith completed the final lap in 30.479 seconds but needed to be about 0.068 seconds faster to get his first NASCAR Cup Series win.
That was how much Joey Logano nipped him by at the line. Smith’s rally to the inside lane exiting turn four, as Logano ran a hard-charging Tyler Reddick up the track, was unfortunately only good enough for the rookie to finish second.
“Pissed. I mean, obviously so happy with the result. But when you hear for like 10 laps that ‘he is supposed to run out, he is supposed to run out’, and then you see him shaking the car across the line and you just finished second, that hurts. The winning side of it hurts,” Smith said.
Smith had a 25-lap fuel advantage on Logano. Smith didn’t think Logano would survive five overtimes and 30 additional laps, especially as his competition dropped like flies while he went 110 laps on a tank of fuel — 30 laps longer than the fuel window.
A crushing defeat aside, second-place was huge for Zane Smith. Before Sunday, Smith hadn’t finished this well since getting 13th in the Daytona 500. Sunday marked just his sixth top-25 finish all season too.
“It’s been a rough, rough year, but this is a great momentum booster, confidence booster, all of the above. So, hopefully we can carry this on, but it was awesome to sniff your first Cup win,” Smith said.
Smith is under contract with Trackhouse Racing for the 2025 season. However, there are some questions about where he will land.
Michael McDowell is taking over Smith’s ride in 2025. Rumors suggest Trackhouse Racing may add a charted entry with Shane van Gisbergen, not Smith. (Nothing is confirmed yet.)
All things considered, including his long journey to the top, Smith coming close to a win is huge.
“You don’t ever know if you are going to have another shot at another Cup win, so you just try to execute the best you can. Nashville is so notorious for those kinds of restarts. Everyone floats up, so I just kept using the bottom there with our strategy and it kept working out. It just goes to show that everyone is just so good in the Cup Series, and if you have the track position, you can compete.”
Smith still sits 34th in the NASCAR Cup Series points with 200 points, around 464 points behind Kyle Larson. Making the playoffs on points is out of the question. But a great finish will help them build toward a possible win to get in.
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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