By Cole Cusumano, Staff Writer
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET proved to be a challenge for a handful of drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, but not for Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Zane Smith, who added another top-10 to his young resumé in what’s been an impressively consistent stretch during the waning stages of his first full-time campaign.
Going into Kansas Speedway, Spire Motorsports had seen an evident uptick in speed with quality outings by Smith and fellow rookie Carson Hocevar – the latter of which leads the rookie standings by 66 points over Josh Berry – both of who scored their career-best finishes at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International two weeks prior.
Coming off a respectable 16th-place evening at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Smith sped into the 1.5-mile track with momentum on his side. Throughout the 267-lap event, the Huntington Beach, Calif, driver had one of the most even-keeled performances, frequently challenging for positions inside of the top-10, and actually amassing a 15th-place average-running position before crossing the finish line in 10th with three laps led.
“Solid day for my No. 71 Spire Motorsports team,” Smith said. “We had a super fast Focused Health Chevy and it felt good to run in the clean air and battle for another top-10. Super proud of my team and everyone back at the shop. We have been carrying great momentum and we look to keep this going for the next six weeks.”
Over his last nine starts, Smith has scored four top 15s, including a career-best fifth-place outing, with a lowest result of 23rd and an average finish of 15th. Additionally, the 25-year-old has maintained an average-running position inside the top-15 twice over his last three races for the first time all season.
Next, the Spire Motorsports rookie will have to avoid trouble at the chaotic Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in order to keep his respectable streak alive. Smith does have a pair of drafting track wins to his name in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, albeit at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway. Between six national series starts at the 2.66-mile track, he has a best finish of 17th, but 29th in Cup, which came earlier this year.
While Talladega is always a battle of endurance and survival, the unpredictable nature of the track has spawned multiple first-time winners and allows the opportunity for anyone in the field to emerge victorious. The YellaWood 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.