Front Row Motorsports is in the same boat as 23XI Racing. Having taken NASCAR to court over the charter deal disagreement, there are big question marks over their future in the sport. But, despite the legal dispute, they haven’t altered their plans to continue racing in the Cup and have expanded to a three-car team. Todd Gilliland will drive the No. 34 entry, whereas Noah Gragson will command the No. 38 car.

However, there’s no confirmation on who will pilot FRM’s third entry for 2025. Well, the list of candidates has certainly grown thin as most of the teams have conducted their business. A few drivers, like Daniel Hemric and Harrison Burton have opted to race in the lower series. Meanwhile, Riley Herbst and Cole Custer have gained promotions to the Cup Series. So this narrows down the list to Corey LaJoie and Zane Smith, and going by the current rumors, the latter is the front-runner to land at FRM.

Zane Smith just might land on his feet at Front Row Motorsports

Initially, Smith was signed on a multi-year agreement in 2023 to help build a new project at Trackhouse Racing. However, with the rise of Shane van Gisbergen and the extension of Daniel Suarez, the team owners decided to cut ties with the young driver. Once Trackhouse Racing got hold of their third charter, they showed Smith the exit door. Thus ending his rookie year on a bitter note.

But a reunion with FRM is looking like a possibility. These rumors first surfaced after FRM’s General Manager Jerry Freeze said, “We still got fond feelings for Zane. I think a year ago if we had a third charter, it would be a no-brainer that Zane Smith would be driving that third car.” While Bob Jenkins and the team did manage to get hold of their third charter, their legal troubles seemed to put their expansion plans on hold.

Smith raced for Front Row Motorsports for two full-time seasons in the Trucks Series. He helped the #38 team clinch the championship in 2022 and brought home six series wins during his tenure. At the time, FRM only had two charters and couldn’t promote Smith to the Cup level. But this reunion can still happen if we are to go by the latest rumor mill update that even Bob Pockrass believes in.

A fan page on Instagram shared that Smith could be headed to FRM on a partial schedule. “Some say that while Zane still should be going to FRM, his ride could be part-time. Currently, I think the whole car would be part-time, not a full-time car with several part-time drivers. I’m sure a lot of it can be traced back to all this lawsuit stuff.”

The major roadblock that prevents FRM from signing a full-time driver is related to the legal dispute. It has to be noted that FRM hasn’t signed the new charter agreement, and without the injunction, they will have to compete as an open team. Although they have acquired a charter from SHR, NASCAR hasn’t approved the purchase yet. This is why Smith’s return to FRM could be for limited races.

Interestingly, 23XI Racing, which shares a similar fate as FRM, has opted to announce their new full-time driver. Riley Herbst has signed as the third driver for the team and will drive the No. 35 Toyota Camry.

23XI Racing isn’t doing its best to portray irreparable harm

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As a goodwill gesture, NASCAR has decided to remove “anti competitive terms” for the two teams that will allow them to run as open teams in 2025. Now, the primary objective for both 23XI and FRM is to get an injunction, which would allow them to retain their chartered team status. This plea was denied initially by a federal court as the team failed to convince them that they would incur irreparable harm.

But, in a surprise move, the team announced the signing of Riley Herbst on a full-time ride for 2025. This isn’t the best move for a team to make who is suing NASCAR yet being involved in business with them. Herbst does bring the sponsorship money with him, with the lucrative Monster Energy deal, and that could aid his ride in case 23XI had to run as an open team in 2025. But, again, this move makes their argument look contradictory in the court and just might diminish their chances of getting an injunction.

Now, it’s hard to guess whether or not NASCAR and 23XI Racing have signed a secret deal. But it will be interesting to see how the US Appeals Court deals with this matter in the next hearing.