Trackhouse Racing and Zane Smith have mutually decided to part ways, which isn’t surprising given the circumstances. Smith’s 2024 season has been challenging; he’s currently 33rd in the points standings with the regular season nearly over, and he has just one top-5 and two top-10 finishes, including a recent 7th-place finish at Michigan.
Trackhouse focusing on Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez for next season, they loaned Smith to Spire Motorsports for the current season. Now, with the potential addition of a third charter after Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure, SVG is a strong candidate for that seat, leaving Smith’s future in question.
While Chastain, despite being winless and having only three top-5 finishes, remains crucial to the team, Suárez’s performance has also been lackluster, with only two top-5s aside from his playoff-clinching win at Atlanta. Some fans feel Trackhouse could have kept Smith around to potentially improve the team’s performance, but that hasn’t happened.
Smith will continue driving the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for the remainder of the season. This decision is surprising given Smith’s recent strong performance at Michigan, where he finished 7th ahead of teammate Daniel Suárez. In his post-race interview, Smith expressed satisfaction with his recovery during the race and his progress with the car, though he was frustrated by a pit road mistake.
Fans are disappointed with Trackhouse’s decision, arguing that Smith’s potential has not been fully realized yet. Some feel that the move to choose SVG over Smith is premature, noting that while SVG has three Xfinity wins this season, all have come on road courses, which may not translate well to the Cup Series, which predominantly features oval tracks.
Despite SVG’s impressive stats in Xfinity, some fans believe Smith, with his consistency in Truck Series, could be a better choice.
