The dynamics in the Cup Series change more often than not, and who better to know it than Kevin Harvick? With over 800 starts to his name, the veteran driver has been giving some insightful details about the sport after his retirement last year. While he continues to enlighten, Harvick recently brought to light how Ford could be playing games with a Trackhouse Racing driver.

Politics is a common and expected phenomenon in almost every sport. While it is an interesting aspect of NASCAR, this season has witnessed it quite a lot. With charters being sold, drivers running out of their spots, and getting sponsors being a massive challenge, politics is at the heart of the sport. Trackhouse Racing’s latest move seems to have shuffled the Cup Series dynamics once again this season.

Kevin Harvick gets candid about Justin Marks making an ‘easy decision’ with Trackhouse Racing’s third charter

Last week, Trackhouse Racing decided to go with Shane van Gisbergen as their third driver for the 2025 Cup Series campaign. This meant the Justin Marks co-owned team parted ways with youngster Zane Smith. While Smith is currently on loan with Spire Motorsports, he failed to get a chance with a Trackhouse car despite signing a multi-year contract last year.

As per Justin Marks, the decision to go with SVG was an easy decision. While it is debatable, Shane van Gisbergen did put up a strong case for himself. In his first full-time season in the stock car racing arena, the New Zealander has already won thrice in 22 Xfinity races. Not only that, his Cup Series win in Chicago last year remains fresh in the eyes of many.

While SVG’s performance and personality have played an influential role in the decision-making, Zane Smith’s performance in this campaign hasn’t helped his case. In his rookie season in the Cup Series, Smith has managed to finish once in the top five and twice in the top ten in 25 races. Unfortunately, he sits 33rd in the standings.

Even experienced driver Kevin Harvick agreed with how Smith failed to impress. In the recent episode of his podcast ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,’ he explained the youngster’s situation. He said, “I think with Zane, he obviously had a terrible start to the year, and has had some decent runs over the past little bit.” 

While Harvick strongly believed Smith would have replaced the departing Michael McDowell at Front Row Motorsports, the move did not happen. Instead, FRM signed Noah Gragson. However, Kevin Harvick felt Ford had a role to play in the decision. He said, “I really thought that’s where [FRM] he would wind up but sounds like Ford might be frustrated with a lot of the things that happened when he left the Ford camp and might not be an opportunity there because of the manufacturer. There are a lot of politics in this game and sometimes the young ones learn the hard way.”

Here, he might be indicating what happened with Ford and Smith. It is no secret how Ford and FRM gave Zane Smith the platform to develop and be successful. In his first season with FRM in 2022, Smith won the Truck Series and earned a part-time role in the Cup Series the following year. While FRM and Ford showed great faith in the youngster, Smith surprised them by signing with Trackhouse Racing in 2023.

Surely, that might have hurt people at Ford given the massive entity it is. While Kevin Harvick speculated about the political issues behind Zane Smith’s struggle to get the #34 car at FRM, all is still not over for the youngster.

Where does Zane Smith’s future lie following his untimely departure from Trackhouse Racing?

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What happened with Zane Smith was totally unexpected. It is understandable why Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing went ahead with Shane van Gisbergen. However, it is a bit unfair given how Smith did not get a single chance in a Trackhouse Racing car to prove himself. Also, given he’s in his first full-time season, the time to settle has not been taken into consideration.

Nevertheless, it is a sad end. The best Zane Smith can do is maximize his opportunities at Spire Motorsports this season and prove his worth. With his skills behind the wheel, continuing his Cup Series run next season is not impossible. While the likes of Denny Hamlin have sided with Smith, it is interesting to see what happens with him.

Although the #34 car at FRM has been taken up by Noah Gragson, Smith’s chances with an FRM reunion cannot be written off. It is worth noting that Front Row Motorsports purchased a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing. Given the success FRM and Zane Smith had together, the odds of a reunion can only get stronger with time.

Not long ago, FRM general manager, Jerry Freeze, acknowledged bringing back Zane Smith someday. With Smith’s Trackhouse departure, this presents FRM with the perfect opportunity. Having said that, he faces strong competition from the likes of Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst, and Harrison Burton for the remaining spot. Most importantly, it all comes down to how keen Ford is to bring Smith back given the history.

Regardless, it is going to be an interesting saga until the final outcome is known. What do you think will happen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.