Front Row Motorsports delivered a standout performance in the latest Martinsville race, as Todd Gilliland secured another top 10 finish, making it the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career to achieve this milestone two weeks in a row. This strong run in the Front Row Motorsports Martinsville Report demonstrates the team’s ongoing improvement and drive to finish the season on a high note as they look ahead to Phoenix.
Gilliland Achieves Personal Best Streak
Todd Gilliland started strong in the No. 34 Ford, placing ninth in the first stage, fifth in the second, and finishing the race ninth overall. This performance builds on his previous top 10, underlining a new level of consistency for both himself and his team. Gilliland reflected on the team’s momentum, stating,
“The No. 34 team has brought some fast Ford’s these last two weeks, so it’s nice to have capitalized on it again in Martinsville,” said Gilliland. “It’s the first time in my Cup career to earn back-to-back top-10 finishes. We have one more to go now and we want to translate this momentum into results when we go to Phoenix.”
— Todd Gilliland, Driver
Smith Sees Future Promise Despite Setback
Zane Smith faced challenges at Martinsville, finishing 23rd in stage one and 20th in stage two before ending the day in 25th position overall. Despite the tough outing, Smith is looking ahead with an optimistic outlook, focusing on development for the seasons to come. He shared his thoughts on what the race taught the team:
“Not the result we hoped for, but we learned a lot about what we’ll need for next year,” said Smith. “We have one more race to capitalize on and show the garage what we have in store for 2026.”
— Zane Smith, Driver
Gragson Battles Through Difficult Weekend
Noah Gragson encountered a difficult race weekend, finding himself 35th in stage one and moving to 31st in stage two, ultimately finishing in 30th. Despite showing speed and balance in Saturday’s practice, Gragson struggled on race day and recounted the experience:
“We felt like we had pretty good balance and speed Saturday in practice, especially longer runs,” said Gragson. “Qualifying that bad wasn’t a surprise for us due to our position in points and wrecking again in Talladega, we went out third. When the race started the balance was way off. We were crazy loose and all the things the car did well Saturday it did not do Sunday. We just didn’t have the car driving well enough and got behind in the first stage. Just fought our way to the finish from there.”
— Noah Gragson, Driver
Momentum Shifts Toward Phoenix Finale
With the Martinsville event concluded, Front Row Motorsports now focuses on translating their recent successes and lessons learned to the NASCAR Cup Series season finale in Phoenix. Todd Gilliland’s back-to-back top 10s position the team with growing confidence. Meanwhile, Zane Smith and Noah Gragson remain committed to building competitive setups as they look ahead, not just to the final race but to future seasons. The energy gathered in Martinsville intends to propel the team toward a strong finish and set the stage for further growth in 2026.
