Pit Road Penalty Hurts Strong Run
Zane Smith and the No. 38 Speedco/Chevron Delo F-150 team traveled to the Bristol Motor Speedway for the first race of the second round of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs.
Qualifying 10th, Smith and the No. 38 team were ready to punch their ticket into the Championship Four. Battling a tight race truck, Smith pushed his way to the front finishing fifth in Stage 1.
Opting not to pit, Smith started Stage 2 in third before quickly taking the lead. Smith battled hard with fellow competitor, Christian Eckes, before losing the lead and finishing second in the stage.
Pitting for four tires and fuel under the stage two caution, Smith was forced to serve a pit road penalty and go to the rear of the field for pitting outside of his pit stall. Smith did what he could to make his way back to the front but ultimately finished 24th.
Smith is now 14 points below the cut line going into the Talladega Superspeedway.
Zane Smith, Driver No. 38 Speedco/Chevron Delo Ford F-150:
"It’s really a cool racetrack, but a terrible race. It’s just wherever you are is where you are. They said I was pitted outside my box by a little bit and I had to start at the tail end. I mean, we definitely had a rough night. You saw it, wherever you were gonna restart is where you’re gonna run. My truck was terrible in the second stage, but I had clean air. You just can’t pass.
HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT TWO? “I’m not trying to be a negative Nellie, but it’s just an odd round for the final four. This is exactly how I raced last year and then Talladega to get in the final four is a little odd, so who know on that one. We’ve obviously won on superspeedways with FRM, but it’s anyone’s battle, and then I feel like the only real place that’s a true tell is Homestead, so hopefully we’ll run well there.”
IS THIS A SHORT TRACK PACKAGE PROBLEM BEING STUCK WHERE YOU ARE? “No. I don’t know. I mean, you just can’t move around and the PJ1 is so dominant. Like I said, you saw how dominant it was. I had 100 laps on tires and almost won the stage somehow. It just is what it is.”
The team next races Saturday, September 30th at the Talladega Superspeedway. The race is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on FS1.