Zane Smith is self-admittedly not a dirt racer by any stretch of the imagination. However, he is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, and apparently, that pays off quite a bit.
Smith, driving the No. 38 Speedco Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports, will start Saturday’s Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt from the top starting spot, after jumping from tenth to second in the second heat race.
The defending NASCAR Truck Series champion was the only driver to score 17 passing points in Saturday’s heat races and therefore will lead the field to the green, in a top-10 that is heavy with Fords.
Ty Majeski, who scored his first career victory on the concrete at Bristol last season, will start on the outside of the front row in his No. 98 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing.
Kaden Honeycutt put on a stellar performance in the fourth and final heat race on Saturday, putting his Roper Racing Team entry starting in third place, a career-best start.
Joey Logano, making his first NASCAR Truck Series start since Bristol Dirt in 2022, will start fourth in an extra entry for ThorSport Racing. Stewart Friesen scored the victory in the second heat, handing him a top-five starting spot.
Hailie Deegan, Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, Taylor Gray, and Chase Briscoe will round out the top-10 starters for Saturday’s 150-lap contest at Bristol on the dirt.
With 41 trucks entered in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, for 36 spots, five trucks failed to qualify for the event, via their poor finishes in the heat races, and poor owner points position.
Lawless Alan (#45), Josh Reaume (#34), Jessica Friesen (#62), Jerry Bohlman (#46), and Andrew Gordon (#47) all failed to qualify for the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt.
