April 12, 2025
As is the case on most race weekends this year, Zane Smith has some sleeper potential at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. The Front Row Motorsports driver will roll off the starting grid from 18th-place when the Food City 500 goes green, and although the No. 38 Ford wasn't blazing fast in practice, we could see Zane potentially challenge for a top-15 finish with a little bit of luck on Sunday. Remember, Smith finished 16th here last fall despite starting way back in 33rd, and he is in a little better equipment this time around. As far as DFS contests go, Zane is a tournament play at $6,400 due to his high starting position. He has finished between ninth and 16th in five of the last seven Cup Series races overall, which means it hasn't been a bad idea to take a chance with him on race days. Don't let Zane Smith's high starting position and limited track history stop you from looking his way in fantasy contests this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Athlon Sports
April 6, 2025
Zane Smith is always one of those drivers that could possibly do well on race day, but often times disappoints. The potential is there, but so is the downside. That is once again the case for him at Darlington Raceway this weekend. Zane qualified up in 16th for Sunday afternoon's Goodyear 400, and he also had a strong practice session on Saturday, ranking sixth-best in 30-lap average. But will that speed translate to the actual race? Smith didn't have a very good rookie season at Darlington last year, walking away with 23rd- and 35th-place finishes in the two races, but the sophomore driver seems to be more consistent with speed this season in his Front Row Motorsports ride, posting top-11 finishes in three of the last six races overall. At just $6,000 on DraftKings, Zane Smith is a cheap tournament option on the DFS slate, but don't go too crazy because of his potential to post a disappointing score.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
March 30, 2025
Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports obtained a starting position of 19th for Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the first-ever top-20 starting position in the Cup Series at Martinsville for the No. 38 Ford driver. In three previous Cup starts, Smith's best finish was 21st, which he scored with positive place differential in his last appearance at Martinsville in November 2024. Smith is also a former winner in the Truck Series at Martinsville, where he has four top-10 finishes in four starts. Through six races so far this season, Smith has three finishes of 11th or better and has earned positive PD three times. In practice, Smith ranked 22nd in overall lap averages and ranked among the top 20 in 15, 20, 25, and 30 consecutive lap averages. Although he does not offer as much upside for a value pick below $5,500 on DraftKings, Smith is in better equipment than most in this tier that is capable of placing in the top 20.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 22, 2025
One driver who had better-than-expected speed during practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend was Zane Smith, who ranked between ninth- and 11th-fastest in all lap average categories, including 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. His single fastest lap was 17th-fastest on the board. Zane then qualified 17th for this weekend's Straight Talk Wireless 400, which forces the question, does he have upside on Sunday--particularly in DFS? Smith had a day to forget here at Homestead last season, as he qualified up in 19th but ended up finishing 30th when it was all said and done. The No. 38 team also struggled to find speed during the race last week at Las Vegas despite qualifying ninth, as Smith ended up 23rd out in the desert. There's always some sneaky potential for Zane Smith on race days--he does have a second-place finish to his credit at Homestead in the Truck Series--but more than likely, he's going to slip back a bit this weekend. Use him sparingly, if at all, in your DraftKings lineups this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Racing-Reference
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