Smith Chasing Another Checkered Flag in Kansas
Venue: Kansas Speedway
Event: Heart of America 200
Date: Saturday, May 4th
Location: Kansas City, KS
Track Description: 1.5-mile tri oval
Distance: 134 laps, 201 miles (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
Chasing Checkers … Zane Smith has been nipping at the heels of victory and returns to Kansas Speedway for another chance at grabbing a checkered flag in the “Sunflower State”. The driver of the No. 91 Instacoat Premium Products (IPP) Chevrolet Silverado RST has been a fixture at the front of the field in his three starts this season and looks to join his MHR teammate Christian Eckes as a winner this season. The 2022 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) champion is a former Kansas winner and hopes to make MHR the second organization with multiple winners in 2024.
Stats Don’t Lie … Smith’s stats at Kansas Speedway paint a clear picture of how stout he’s been at the 1.5-mile tri oval. His victory in May of 2022 propelled him to the NCTS championship that season and has four top-10 finishes in eight Kansas starts. He’s been rock solid with seven top-10 finishes and has led laps in seven of his eight Kansas races. He, crew chief Kevin Bellicourt, and the No. 91 IPP team have been equally impressive in three races together this season. Smith was close to victory at Bristol Motor Speedway with a third-place finish and a fifth-place effort most recently at Texas Motor Speedway. With Smith’s stout Kansas background and recent strength of the No. 91 squad, the former champ could make his return to victory lane on Saturday night.
Season to Date … Through seven of 16 races of the NCTS regular season, Smith and Jack Wood have combined to place the No. 91 inside the owners’ points playoff grid. The No. 91 team currently resides ninth in the NCTS owners’ point standings with a 15-point cushion on the bubble position. Smith and Wood have combined for three top-10’s and four finishes inside the top-15.
Tune In … FOX Sports 1 has live coverage from Kansas beginning with practice and qualifying at Noon ET on Saturday. Coverage continues with NASCAR Raceday at 7:00 p.m. ET and the green flag at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 91 IPP team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Zane Smith Quote:
On his outlook for Kansas Speedway:
“I’ve love to get another win at Kansas this weekend. I’ve always enjoyed racing there and it’s a place where you can make a difference as a driver with so many options. In the two mile-and-a-half races this year, we definitely made some gains from Las Vegas to Texas, so hopefully we can continue that with our Instacoat Chevrolet and put ourselves up front on Saturday. I’d love to get back to victory lane and we’ll need to execute the right way all night to get the job done.”