Zane Smith has been named the driver of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing entry in the NASCAR Cup Series ahead of this weekend's NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway. The race team, which fields the chartered No. 15 and 51 Ford Mustangs made the announcement in the form of a press release on Wednesday.
The organization shared the press release on its social media channels:
Smith, 23, has made three-career NASCAR Cup Series starts with a best finish of 13th coming in the season-opening Daytona 500 earlier this year. Smith was originally scheduled to run six NASCAR Cup Series events this season, but that schedule will expand to at least seven events with the Huntington Beach, California native being tapped to run this weekend.
The young racer scored the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship after a four-win campaign in 2022 while driving the No. 38 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports.
Smith has two wins through the opening six races of his championship defense in 2023.
The No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team's season-best finish of 14th came in the Daytona 500 back in February. Smith will look to improve upon that number for the team as he gains extra NASCAR Cup Series experience at Martinsville Speedway.
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