Zane Smith records ‘cool’ first NASCAR Cup Series Top-10

In just his sixth race, Zane Smith earned his first NASCAR Cup Series Top-10 finish Monday in the Coca-Cola 600.

“We run on half the budget, if that, than a lot of these guys, so to finish Top-10 in our sixth start at the Coke 600 is really cool,” Smith said of his 10th-place finish. 

Smith is the 1,068th different driver to score a Top-10 finish in NASCAR’s premier series.

Prior to Monday, Smith’s highest finish was 13th in this year’s Daytona 500.

Smith is racing a partial schedule for Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series while racing full-time for the team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“The Cup Series is a different level and obviously I’m trying to prove I belong here and it’s just an outstanding run,” Smith said.

Smith has three more races scheduled in the Cup Series this year — Sonoma in June, Las Vegas in September, and the Charlotte Road Course in October.