FORT WORTH, Tex.: Zane Smith thought his rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series had ended last month at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, but the Huntington Beach, Calif. native received an early Christmas present from JR Motorsports with the nod to drive the team’s No. 8 Chevrolet in the penultimate race of the season next Saturday at ISM (Ariz.) Raceway.
Focused on racing a lot more than the 10 opportunities he’ll have when the checkered flag waves on the 2019 Xfinity Series season, the 20-year-old says the Phoenix opportunity is one that he must take advantage of.
“Obviously, it’s pretty darn cool to add any race to your schedule but for this is an opportunity,” Smith told CATCHFENCE.com. We were supposed to only do seven races this season but through hard we’ve been able to add a couple more here and there throughout the year.
“The opportunity opened for Phoenix and I’m going there focused to do my job. I’ll have a lot of family there and some potential sponsors are coming too. It’s going to be a huge race and opportunity and hopefully, create something bigger for next year.”
In his nine races sharing the No. 8 Chevrolet this season with a variety of drivers, Smith had only been in the car for back-to-back races on one occasion during the summer stretch of June at Iowa Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway respectively.
He debuted in March at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, where he qualified sixth and seemed positioned for a top-10 finish in his series debut before being collected in a late-race accident which relegated him to a 24th-place result.
He bounced back over the next four races with one top-five and three top-10 finishes and no finish worse than 11th. He earned a career-best at Iowa Speedway in late June.
Since late July, Smith has been in the car just three times over three months at Iowa Speedway, Richmond (Va.) Raceway and Dover – which resulted in three consecutive top-10 finishes.
While the finishes were crucial for his bottom line, Smith has never seen or raced on Phoenix’s asphalt but that isn’t a deterrence for the NASCAR Next alumnus.
In addition to the Xfinity Series race, Smith will also compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race for MMI Racing owned by Steve McGowan. Veteran Bruce Cook will serve as crew chief.
David Mayhew has driven for the team in the past but has a commitment and cannot run the K&N West finale so when the chance came to run double duty, Smith didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity.
“The K&N West race is after the Xfinity race so that’s disappointing,” added Smith. “But, I have to look at the positives and be thankful for the track time I get before the Xfinity race and hope what I learn during that race can help me then too.
“I’ve worked with Bruce in the past and we have success, hopefully, we can continue that trend on Saturday afternoon.”
As for his 2019 finale, Smith can’t predict what will happen but working with crew chief Taylor Moyer has seen their respect level blossom and teammate Ryan Truex finished second in the spring.
“I am comparing myself to my teammates, I have been right there with them,” added Smith. “Taylor (Moyer) this is his first year and a lot has been thrown at him with a lot drivers and he’s done a pretty good job and it shows his strength as a leader.
“We’ve made some big gains this season and look forward to having one more shot at getting our No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro in Victory Lane.”
PARSEC Labs and La Paz Margarita Mix will serve as the primary partners for Smith in the Desert Diamond Casino Valley 200.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
