FRM has appointed Zane Smith as its third driver for 2025.

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) has made good use of its recent wins at NASCAR by signing Zane Smith as the team’s third driver for 2025.

Last September, FRM and 23XI refused to sign the 2025 charter agreement, and instead filed a lawsuit against NASCAR alleging monopolistic practices – putting the teams in a precarious position. But on 18th December, Front Row Motorsports And 23XI Racing safe a The significant legal victory came when a North Carolina judge granted both teams’ motion for a preliminary injunctionThat would give them the right to compete with Charter while the antitrust lawsuit comes up in 2025. (If the teams had lost the December request for proposal – or NASCAR’s subsequent unsuccessful appeal – they would have had to race as “open” teams without a guarantee of a race start.) The court decision allowed NASCAR to accept FRM. Also forced to approve the purchase Stewart-Haas Racing Charter, which needed to expand to three-car operation.

Achieving those wins on the court paved the way for FRM to become one of six teams to run three chartered Cup Series cars (Trackhouse, Spire, RFK, Penske, and – soon – 23XI). As a result, the 25-year-old zane smith Will race full-time in FRM’s No. 38 Ford Mustang alongside Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson.

It’s a reunion for Smith: He won the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series title with FRM, then ran a partial Cup schedule with the team in 2023, only to leave and have a tough time in 2024. He competed as a Cup Series rookie with Spire Motorsports last year. While under contract with Trackhouse.

Smith finished 25th or worse 11 times in the first 14 races of the year, and didn’t look ready for a full-time Cup ride — only to turn things around with second at Nashville, fifth at Watkins Glen in the final stretch of 2024. , and seventh in Michigan. He lost his seat, but will now get a second run with FRM, where he will try to match FRM’s recent trajectory.

In addition to going into battle with NASCAR with 23XI, the team has made quite a bit of noise on the track: a Daytona 500 victory in 2021, the playoffs two of the last four years, and becoming a tier-1 Ford team in 2024. And last season FRM won. Six poles, including a front row lockout, in the second Daytona race.

The onus will be on Smith to continue to develop after an impressive start to his rookie Cup campaign last season. Now he will try to add some more good days to FRM’s winning streak.