By RaceScene Publisher on Saturday, 05 November 2022
Category: The Checkered Flag

Zane Smith finally gets over the hump, wins last NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title

Zane Smith came heartbreakingly close to winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title in 2020 and 2021 as he finished runner-up both years. After a dominant display and a frantic overtime in Friday night’s finale at Phoenix Raceway, he can finally call himself a Truck Series champion.

Smith had been stout throughout the 2022 season, winning thrice and having led the points standings every week since Nashville in June. His momentum carried into Phoenix when he won the pole and the first two stages, but fellow Championship Four contenders Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, and defending champion Ben Rhodes plus Stewart Friesen tried their best to spoil the party.

A series of cautions in the final twenty laps led to Friesen and Rhodes being the top runners. Ironically, it was a wreck involving Zane Smith that helped him out in the end when he and Majeski made contact with five laps to go, causing the latter to spin and eliminate him from contention. In the ensuing overtime, the two Smiths briefly jockeyed for position before Zane cleared Chandler down the backstretch. Rhodes got by Chandler but was unable to find an opening in the final corner.

“I wasn’t gonna let it go down like that,” said Smith. “I knew when I came out eleventh, I’ve been in way uglier times before and I was either wrecked or I was coming home with the championship trophy and we got the big one.

“(I was thinking), ‘I’m gonna win this.’ There was no other option. I was either backing it in the fence wrecking, or I was leaving tonight with a championship trophy. There were no other options and when I saw the #18 (Chandler Smith) get underneath me I was worried that I got him too loose underneath me. Fortunately, he stayed off of me. I have a lot of respect for all three of them. It’s pretty impressive for some of the racing we’ve seen lately for us three to go at it that hard and that clean.”

Smith is the fifth driver to win a Truck championship in his first year with a new team after Mike Bliss (2002), Travis Kvapil (2003), Johnny Sauter (2016), and Brett Moffitt (2018). He joined Front Row Motorsports and the Ford development programme for 2022, ultimately delivering the latter its third Truck driver’s championship following Greg Biffle in 2000 and Matt Crafton in 2019.

He is also the second driver with Stadium Super Trucks experience to win a Truck title after Sheldon Creed in 2020; the two had raced together in SST at Road America that year, just a day after Smith scored his maiden Truck victory at Michigan. The series congratulated Smith on Twitter, posting “Another driver with SST seat time wins the @nascar truck series championship. Congratulations”.

Besides defending his title in 2023, Smith will contest a part-time Cup and Xfinity Series schedule for FRM and an ally, respectively.

As Camping World is ending its title sponsorship after fourteen years, Smith is the final Camping World Truck Series champion. Craftsman will take over naming rights in 2023, though it is unlikely that Johnny Benson will be looking to retain his crown as technically the most recent Craftsman Truck champ.

Race results

FinishStartNumberDriverTeamManufacturerLapsStatus
1138Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord154Running
2699Ben RhodesThorSport RacingToyota154Running
31218Chandler SmithKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota154Running
4104John Hunter NemechekKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota154Running
5552Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota154Running
61323Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet154Running
7351Corey HeimKyle Busch MotorsportsToyota154Running
8415Tanner GrayDavid Gilliland RacingFord154Running
91530Kaden HoneycuttOn Point MotorsportsToyota154Running
102242Carson HocevarNiece MotorsportsChevrolet154Running
112319Derek KrausMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet154Running
12988Matt CraftonThorSport RacingToyota154Running
13262Layne RiggsHalmar Friesen RacingToyota154Running
142416Tyler AnkrumHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota154Running
152091Colby HowardMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet154Running
161735Jake GarciaMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet154Running
172117Taylor GrayDavid Gilliland RacingFord154Running
183245Lawless AlanNiece MotorsportsChevrolet154Running
191961Chase PurdyHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota154Running
20866Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingToyota154Running
212640Dean ThompsonNiece MotorsportsChevrolet154Running
221125Matt DiBenedettoRackley WARChevrolet153Running
23315Tyler HillHill MotorsportsToyota152Running
243022Austin Wayne SelfAM RacingChevrolet152Running
25259Blaine PerkinsCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet152Running
262843Chris HackerReaume Brothers RacingToyota152Running
272956Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota152Running
282702Johnny SauterYoung’s MotorsportsChevrolet152Running
291624Jack WoodGMS RacingChevrolet151Running
30798Christian EckesThorSport RacingToyota151Running
31141Hailie DeeganDavid Gilliland RacingFord133Accident
32187Rajah CaruthSpire MotorsportsChevrolet106Accident
333312Spencer BoydYoung’s MotorsportsChevrolet63Too Slow
343433Keith McGeeReaume Brothers RacingChevrolet15DVP
353520Armani WilliamsYoung’s MotorsportsChevrolet6Accident
Bold – Champion
Underline – Championship Round driver
Italics – Rookie of the Year
† – Competed for Rookie of the Year
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