Tough decisions have been a part of NASCAR. With increasing professionalism around racing, the teams are bound to make decisions they think make sense despite fans condemning it to be otherwise. Trackhouse Racing recently had to walk on that path. The team is set for expansion from its present two full-time cars to three in the 2025 season. They grabbed a charter, which was freed from the closure of Stewart Haas Racing. And the outcome of the lookout for a third driver has brought a significant backlash from the enthusiasts.

Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez already have a solid position at the Trackhouse Racing. Just days back, the team announced that Xfinity racer, Shane Van Gisbergen, will be filling up third place of Trackhouse Racing from next Cup Series season onwards. The 35-year-old racer from New Zealand will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for the team. While the positives of Shane Van Gisbergen are many, Trackhouse Racing has to make the sacrifice of one of the finest drivers they had.

The team announced on August 24, that after the 2024 season, they will part ways with Zane Smith, currently on loan to Spire Motorsports riding the no.71 for the Concord-based racing team. The 25-year-old felt disappointed when Trackhouse Racing decided to choose SVG. In an Instagram post, the youngster informed his fans that he was actively seeking new opportunities. He also hopes that he will decide for his future soon. As the enthusiasts came up with support for the driver, Stweart Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson also became one of them.

Sharing a brotherly instinct, he commented, “Love you bro!” Smith’s post. The reasons why Trackhouse Racing chooses Shane Van Gisbergen are many. The most important one is Project 91 under Trackhouse Racing, which aims to bring international stars to NASCAR. Other than that, Van Gisbergen is a more experienced and versatile driver.

He has proven his ability to drive exceedingly well on ovals and road courses. He also comes with a long experience of racing in different formats, such as the Formula First, Formula Ford, and Toyota Racing series before excelling in the NASCAR Xfinity series. SVG, a New Zealand native who won three titles in the Australian Repco Supercars Championship. He excelled in NASCAR national-tour competition since winning the inaugural Chicago Street Race event in his 2023 Cup Series debut. He has made 3 appearances in the Cup Series till now.

The road-racing standout finished 28th in each of his Cup oval starts this spring in Talladega and Charlotte., Apart from that, he has two top-five results on ovals in Atlanta and Indianapolis so far this year in the Xfinity Series. This means one more roster change for Smith who has changed teams several teams in his journey to NASCAR racing so far.

The 25-year-old came to start at the Craftsman Truck Series for GMS Racing, finishing second in the Championship in the years 2020 and 2021. Then he moved to Front Row Motorsports in 2021 and won the Truck Series. Smith also had some part-time stints with JR Motorsports and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing before signing a multi-year deal with Trackhouse Racing in the fall of 2023. But because of the lack of a charter in the Cup Series, the team had loaned him out to Spire Motorsports for the 2024 season.

A few possibilities are lurking around for Zane Smith. Kaulig Racing is the team currently heavily linked to Zane Smith. The racing team has an open seat for the no.16 car. With Smith going into the transfer market as a free agent and Kaulig Racing having a vacancy, this could be a natural fit for the 25-year-old. Other contenders to sign the young racing prodigy are Front Row Motorsports and Spire Motorsports, where he is currently spending his loan period.

While Zane Smith joining another team, is a matter of the future. Fans are not happy with Trackhouse Racing’s decision at the moment. The team were already facing the heat from the racing community because of the way Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez have performed in the recent races. And now, this decision from the team has only exacerbated fans’ fury.

Fans criticize Trackhouse’s move to leave Zane Smith

The Trackhouse Racing is facing criticism from all sides. Most importantly, fans cannot understand the reason behind such a move. Zane Smith has delivered decent performances during his brief stint. Notably, in the Cook Out 400 in Daytona, Smith finished 17th whereas SVG could manage only a 35th position. Looking at that An enthusiastic fan daringly concluded, “So dumb of Trackhouse, Zane has unlimited potential in the cup series. I’m not sold on SVG and Suarez being anything more than a random winner here or there.” 

Meanwhile Trackhouse Racing has defended its decision. “It’s a commercial sport, it’s fitting the company, it’s personality, all that. We don’t have four cars, we have three. We’re excited about the decision we made with SVG,” its co-owner Justin Marks said to Fox Sports. Fans, however, gave all the motivation they could to Zane Smith.

An optimistic Zane Smith supporter wrote, “Your best days are ahead of you. The universe has big plans for you Zane, trust every detour on your journey is in your favor because it is!” People also called for patience from the youngster while choosing a new team for himself.

A fan precariously wrote, “No team should count you out or think twice to add you to their roster! You’ve more than prove yourself in Cup this year and put in so much work! Keep your head up, someone will scoop you up and be the right team for you!” In this season, Zane Smith has delivered 2 top-10 and one top-5 finishes. Interestingly, SHR driver Denny Hamlin also chimed in with his bit of support.

Hamlin, who has occasionally given advice to Smith, expressed solidarity in the face of the challenges for Smith. “Certainly, I would — I would back Zane when it comes to what, you know, what the future might hold. I think he’s coming into his own. I think you have not seen the best Zane Smith yet,” Denny said. On the other hand after securing his place SVG has his challenges of his own.

The No. 88 has a storied legacy, most recently made famous by NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who piloted the same numeral in 10 Cup campaigns for Hendrick Motorsports. Marks reached out to Earnhardt Jr., Kelly Earnhardt Miller and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon to let Trackhouse use the number. In the meantime, He’s scheduled for five more Cup starts this season in the Kaulig No. 16 Chevrolet.

These are Darlington Raceway (September 1), Atlanta Motor Speedway (September 8), Watkins Glen International (September 15), Talladega Superspeedway (October 6), and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 20). While fans will keep a close eye on his performanecs in those races, they also commented about the team they think should sign Zane Smith.

Front Row Motorsport’s name was the most prominent amongst others. Some curious fans wrote comments such as, “Plsss go to FRM. FRM boutta be my favorite team if Zane joins with the Todd Father and Noah Gregory.” Some fans also expressed the desire for Spire Motorsports to continue Zane Smith in their team. A curious fan puts it this way, “The 7?? Paired with Rodney would be deadly.”

What are your thoughts on Trackhouse Racing sacking Zane Smith? Do tell us in the comments down below.