Zane Smith, 25, is one of the most determined young racers in NASCAR. Fresh off a championship season 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. Zane surprised many with a near win at Nashville Superspeedway. But he followed that runner-up finish with another top five finish at Watkins Glen later in the summer. Since his initial Cup Series debut in 2022, Smith has recorded five top-10 and 17 top-20 finishes. In fact, through 2024, Smith has finished in the top-20 in over a third of his 45 Cup career races, including the last two Daytona 500 races in 2023 and 2024. Zane earned his Cup ride in his quest to win the NASCAR Truck Series championship after two runner-up seasons.  Piloting the No. 38 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports after moving over from GMS Racing in the off-season, Zane found gold in the desert outside of Phoenix, claiming the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship in a thrilling finish. The title followed the regular season championship title that saw him achieve four race wins in 2022. ​Zane, a native of Huntington Beach, Calif., took the racing world by storm in 2020 as the youngest of four finalists in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship race finale at the ripe age of 21 – his first full-time season in the national touring series. The feat earned him two accolades: Rookie of the Year and Most Popular Driver, which is voted by the fans. Zane returned to the No. 21 GMS Racing truck again for 2021 as no longer a surprise, but as a championship contender, and he didn’t disappoint. Once again, Zane nearly won the title finishing second in a championship battle at Phoenix Raceway. Zane initially joined GMS Racing following a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule with JR Motorsport’s in 2019 as a member of the inaugural Driver’s Edge Development program. At JR Motorsports, he claimed an impressive two top-5 and seven top-10 finishes in only ten series starts. Prior to joining the NASCAR ranks, Smith finished runner-up in the 2018 ARCA Racing Series championship standings and earned ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year honors. ​Zane, who first started racing BMX bikes at age 3, has racing in his blood. His father, Mike, ran a race shop and a professional off-road racing team in Huntington Beach. ​“When he was a little kid and they lined up at the door for recess, all the teachers said he’d step on people to get there first,” his father told the Los Angeles Times. “Everything was a competition for him.” ​With more than 100 wins to his name stretching from Karts to Legends cars to Super Late Models and now the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Zane is well on his way to fulfilling the promise he showed as a young California kid. ​Zane's passions extend beyond racing. He loves the lake life, fishing, mountain biking, road cycling, grilling, playing pickleball, going to concerts, hanging out with his dogs and volunteering for local charities with his wife McCall.