PHOENIX, Ariz: Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith says approaching Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 Championship 4 race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway feels a little different than his two previous invites.
And after two consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons of finishing second overall in the championship standings, Smith is ready to deliver a championship not only to himself but his Mooresville, N.C.-based team in the 150-lap race on November 4.
“I just feel like I’m in a way better spot mentally,” Smith said Thursday morning at Championship 4 Media Day in Phoenix. “I know what I’m doing next year, which just takes a huge weight off my shoulders. I don’t think it has me racing any differently. If anything, maybe smarter in a way, and hopefully that pays off for Friday night.”
While Championship 4 rival Ty Majeski enters the season-finale on the heels of two wins in the last three Truck Series starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, Smith believes his Front Row Motorsports team led by crew chief Chris Lawson can step up to the plate and derail Majeski’s throne though the speed and consistency he has relied on for the 22 Truck Series races leading up to Phoenix.
“I’m excited about it (Phoenix),” added Smith. “We’ve just shown speed everywhere we’ve went and so when you have a year like that, it brings a lot of confidence. But, yeah, I definitely believe in a lot of momentum, but we’ve been crazy consistent and I think that’s what will get you to the final four and I just feel like we have a good shot Friday night and the best shot I probably have had.
“We’ll see how our truck is in practice. Hopefully, we qualify good and be up front on Friday night.”
With the Toyotas of Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes set to leave Smith on an island of his own as the lone other manufacturer, the six-time Truck Series winner is hoping that his prior experience will prove to be a benefit battling the others, including rematching with Rhodes for a second consecutive season.
“Just experiencing the final four is a thing of its own,” he said. “There’s so much that goes into it. There’s a lot to be proud of from a team standpoint when you make it here and that’s how we’re approaching it.
“It would be very cool to take down the other three Toyotas and have the Blue Oval winning on Friday night.”
Owning two top-five finishes at Phoenix dating back to his 2020 inaugural appearance with GMS Racing, the Huntington Beach, Calif. native believes that Phoenix is one of his better race tracks and believes the 1.0-mile oval nestled in the desert of Avondale, Ariz. is a perfect home for the Championship 4 battle.
“I do, yeah,” explained Smith when talking about Phoenix as one of his better tracks. “I mean, I feel like the only place you really can correlate it to is Gateway maybe, and I was pretty happy with my truck at Gateway.
“I’ve always loved coming here and I think it’s a great championship racetrack. We’re trying to enjoy every minute of it. I’ll like it even more if I have a championship at it.”
Should Smith come up short again Friday night, he knows he’ll have another opportunity to fight for his fourth Championship 4 appearance after the team announced earlier this summer that he will return to the organization for another full-time Truck Series schedule in 2023, – with a few NASCAR Cup Series races sprinkled in too – beginning with next February Daytona 500.
With three victories in the bag this season, Smith is already looking slightly ahead to next season where he hopes they can build on the consistency and strength they showcased in 2022.
“Just the consistency that we’ve shown and clicking off the wins that we had right away is just super special with a new group and all of us learning about each other,” said Smith of his reflection of 2022.
“I feel like that’s probably the biggest thing. Obviously, we always want more wins, but to be competing for a championship in our first year together is something to be proud of.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
