Zane Smith sits atop Craftsman Truck Series with Cup duties next up at Phoenix

Zane Smith has opened the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck campaign in the same spot he finished last season – at the top.

There’s been no let-up so far for the reigning series champion, who enters an off weekend for the Truck Series as its points leader with finishes of first and second to start the year. Smith won’t be idle this weekend; the 23-year-old California native is entered in Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Phoenix Raceway, where he will mark his second Cup Series start of the season and just the third of his career.

His kick-off to his Truck Series title defense has started in almost the best possible fashion. Smith prevailed in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, then drove his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford to a runner-up result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway behind a dominant Kyle Busch, the series’ all-time wins leader, adding a stage win along the way.

“No doubt it’s a long year, but I mean, there’s 21 races left,” Smith said after last weekend’s event at Vegas. “These will go by quick, and the playoffs will be here before you know it. So you try to capitalize on these stage wins and good race finishes, and I felt like that’s what we did tonight. That was our goal last year, and it worked out pretty well for us.”

The Craftsman Truck Series returns to action Saturday, March 18, at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the FR8 Auctions 208 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Smith holds a slim two-point edge over ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski, who joined him in the Championship 4 field for last year’s truck title race.

Smith will get to sit on that advantage for an extra weekend before the Truck Series resumes its 2023 schedule. But there’s been little resting on laurels so far, and Chris Lawson – his crew chief for the No. 38 F-150 team – says his driver’s intensity still burns.