Grassroots racing is the soul of NASCAR. Legends of every era work through the system from dirt racing to local short tracks and up the ladder to reach the promised land: The NASCAR Cup Series. The learning that grassroots racing gives you can’t be replicated, and that’s why a Cup Series star from Front Row Motorsports has opened up about his time racing his way into NASCAR.
Racing in the Cup Series is not merely about driving fast. Racecraft, dealing with teammates, and tempering expectations are all a part of the tough grind to the top. And FRM’s Zane Smith has been through it all.
Zane Smith’s experience in a Legend car
Zane Smith has pointed directly to his years in grassroots racing, specifically his time behind the wheel of Legend cars, as crucial to developing the skills he now relies on in the Cup Series. Smith is one of the most determined young racers in NASCAR. Fresh off a Truck Series championship in 2022 and some impressive rides in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 and 2023, Zane completed his rookie season as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024 aboard the No. 71 car for Spire Motorsports.
In a recent conversation on PRN Live, Zane Smith reflected on his days behind the wheel of a Legend car as one of the more transformative experiences in his life. Offering a candid reflection, Smith remarked, “Legend cars taught me so much, and those were some of the best times of my life. Just racing all around especially when I went to the East Coast. There’s so many short tracks around this area and we got to travel so much and go race… I mean, shoot felt every day of the week and yeah, it was a ton of fun…”
The frenetic pace and constant variety of short-track events, Smith says, pushed him to develop not just raw speed, but composure and adaptability. Legend cars, in particular, forced him to focus on precision: “A lot of power with little tires rewards you for being smooth.” This helps younger drivers understand that sometimes, it’s about when to go fast, not just going fast all the time.
Racing against local veterans on tracks he’d never seen before became the ultimate training ground, fostering habits that now serve him as on-track chaos intensifies at the top tier. Grassroots racing, Smith believes, taught him how to stay calm and make smart decisions amid uncertainty, qualities vital to success in the Cup.
The traits Smith honed grinding through short-track chaos now inform his approach to the NASCAR Cup Series, where the pressure is amplified and the margin for error shrinks. At this level, adaptability is as crucial as outright speed. Consistent, smooth driving helps Smith manage tires over long green-flag runs and stay present during tense late-race restarts, traits that would have helped Zane during his runner-up finish at Nashville in 2024.
While Smith has been far from the most consistent performer this season, a switch in teams from Spire Motorsports to Front Row at the end of 2024 did not help his cause. The transition has been rough so far, but not as rough as what the team is going through off the track.
NASCAR lawsuit and uncertain future
As Zane Smith continues to carve his name into the Cup Series, his journey now runs parallel to a high-stakes legal battle threatening both his team’s future and his racing trajectory. Front Row Motorsports, along with 23XI Racing, is embroiled in a lawsuit against NASCAR over the charter system, accusing monopolistic practices. A dispute that has reached a critical juncture this July. Both teams have recently filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in federal court to prevent NASCAR from revoking their six combined charters, which guarantee vital race entry and revenue streams for the remainder of 2025.
23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin on his podcast said, “We filed a new preliminary injunction, and we also filed a restraining order against NASCAR. The basis for the two is through discovery, we obviously revealed, and so much of this is redacted, a monopolistic series of acts that have occurred. We believe the status quo of us having our charters should not be disturbed until this is resolved on Dec. 1 in the courtroom,” Hamlin said. “The reason being… we’re seeking for them not to be able to take and then sell our charters because if we prevail in December, how do you get that back? You can’t.”
Court documents underscore the gravity of the situation, claiming that losing their charter status would inflict irreparable harm, including the likely loss of key sponsors and star drivers. Without charters, Smith and his peers would need to qualify on speed each week, facing the blow of reduced prize money and potentially unstable contracts.
In their words, this puts the organisations in irreparable jeopardy of never getting their charters back and going out of business. NASCAR, meanwhile, has countered with a strongly worded statement condemning the lawsuit, asserting that the organisations have refused “multiple requests” to propose a resolution and instead persisted in a fight dividing the sport’s stakeholders.
With a trial set for December 1st and the risk of having to operate as “open teams” without guaranteed race entry or significant revenue, Front Row and 23XI face an uncertain immediate future. That uncertainty ripples through the paddock: drivers, engineers, and team personnel alike confront the prospect that their place in each race, and perhaps within the series itself, could hang in the balance for the remainder of the current season. With both teams winless so far in 2025, this lawsuit could be a major factor behind the scenes.
As of now, all we can do is wait and watch what happens to NASCAR’s most outspoken teams.
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