Zane Smith, #38 driver, made headlines when he secured pole position for NASCAR Cup Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway. He secured this position after impressing everyone with his superb qualifying performance, which he confessed involved studying past winners’ strategies in order to prepare.
In a post-qualifying interview, Smith admitted that he found the Talladega race challenging and anticipated that he would need to adapt his familiar racing style. However, he was confident and set high expectations for the race, despite not expecting to lead every single lap.
Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass asked Smith in the interview if he was eager or apprehensive about the race, especially given the fuel management complexities arising from the length of the speedway.
This victory marks a significant milestone in Smith’s career as it’s his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series pole position. It was a remarkable achievement where he clocked a top speed of 182.174 mph and a best lap time of 52.565s. Close behind him were seasoned champions Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, along with Ryan Preece and Austin Dillon in the top five starting positions.
Front Row Motorsports, Smith’s team, shared a video on Instagram capturing his time at the Talladega Superspeedway. The video concluded with the crowning moment where the young 25-year-old driver was awarded the Busch Light Pole Award. Commending the team’s efforts, Smith highlighted their commendable work during the break between the Bristol race and the current event.
His teammates, Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson, secured the 15th and 27th starting positions respectively. The race is part of the ‘Jack’s Link 500’ event, which started with a wave of the green flag at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The next chapter in Smith’s journey and other NASCAR All-Star race updates, including Xfinity Series news, breaking announcements, rumors, and today’s top stories can be found on the NASCAR news platform. Where he he goes from here is anybody’s guess, but it’s safe to say Zane Smith has made a promising leap with his first pole position in Talladega.
