Smith Finishes Fifth at the Kansas Speedway

Advances to the Round of Eight in Championship Hunt

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Zane Smith and the No. 38 RTA gigFAST Internet Ford F-150 made their return to the Kansas Speedway for the first elimination race of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs. In dramatic fashion, Smith finished fifth and advances to the second round.

The final two laps, however, Smith wasn't thinking about points. Instead, he was trying to win his third race of the season. Smith was involved in a three truck battle for the win and had the lead on the final lap. Going into the final turn, Smith was sent up the track while battling for the checkered and made an incredible save after his truck was turning sideways. He crossed the line in fifth.

Smith had already had an impressive night after finishing sixth and fourth in the first two stages. The team was debuting a new RTA gigFAST truck at Kansas Speedway and it had speed all night. Smith just needed a little extra speed for the win, but it's another in a long list of top-five finishes for the team over the past two seaons.

The team will now be seeded fifth heading into the next playoff race.

Zane Smith, Driver No. 38 RTA Ford F-150:

"“It was a crazy one. I felt like we were in a really good position. I thought the No. 19 was coming with the push there, and he did as I would have. Had the run – three-wide, you get such a massive run when you’re behind two trucks like that. He just got me in a good spot , where he was able to run up the track… and just nowhere [to go]. Fortunately, I didn’t wreck. I shot at it, and I thought we were going to get it. But still, all-in-all, a good day. I felt like our truck was pretty strong. Just not quite fast enough.”

HOW DO YOU ASSESS GOING INTO THE ROUND OF 8 WITH ANOTHER TOP-FIVE PERFORMANCE? “To be honest, I forgot about points there. I was just going for the win. Happy our whole team at FRM and all our partners advance to the Round of 8. It’s a wild round as we know with Bristol, Talladega and Homestead. So, I feel like we’re in a good spot playoff position wise. So, we’ll try to carry some of this momentum into this next round.”

The team now has a short week before racing Thursday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway.