Front Row Motorsports (FRM) travelled south for the weekend to the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for NASCAR Truck and Cup Series action. On a weekend that featured Zane Smith continue his top-10 streak and Michael McDowell pick up his fourth top-10 of 2022, and Todd Gilliland scored a top-15 on Sunday- his best Cup Series finish to date.
SMITH KEEPS TOP-10 STREAK ALIVE IN DARLINGTON
Zane Smith entered Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race under the lights at the Darlington Raceway after two weeks off. After fighting a tight truck in practice, Smith started the 149-lap race in fourth.
A brief rain shower delayed the start of the event, washing the rubber off the racetrack and cooling the temperature. By the time Smith took the green flag, the track conditions had completely changed.
Smith reported that the truck was loose and very difficult to drive. The Fr8Auctions team quickly went to work making adjustments, forcing the No. 38 Ford F-150 to drop to the back multiple times throughout the night. Finally, the team got the truck to Smith’s liking and he was able to battle back for a seventh-place finish.
SMITH ON DARLINGTON:
“Darlington is one of the toughest tracks we come to on the schedule and we were very loose to start the race. I’m proud of my guys for how hard they worked all night on the truck to give me what I needed to get the Fr8Auctions Ford inside the top-10.”
MCDOWELL SCORES FOURTH TOP-10 OF 2022, FINISHES 7TH
The track “Too Tough to Tame” gave every driver a challenge this weekend with the new car, but those effects were amplified due to the drastic weather change this weekend. Practicing in the hot sun, but racing in cool, overcast conditions meant for some tough conditions.
Working on handling in Stage 1, McDowell and his Navage Nasal Care Ford Mustang started Stage Two in the 26th position. Through long green runs and pit strategy in Stage Three, McDowell advanced in into the top- 20 and aimed for more.
Having one of the fastest cars on track, McDowell kept picking up positions late in the race. Avoiding a multi-car accident, McDowell jumped into the top-10 and was working on a top-five finish. He finished seventh at the end of the race.
MCDOWELL ON DARLINGTON:
“This is such a great run for us and everyone that works on this Navage Nasal Care Ford. A great day. Unfortunately, we had some mishaps on pit road, some being of my doing, but we came back from that. I’m really proud of everyone for the gains we have made. We have a nice string of finishes and we just need to continue the streak.”
GILLILAND EARNS BEST NASCAR CUP SERIES FINISH, FINISHES 15TH
Todd Gilliland and his Black’s Tire Ford Mustang team had a difficult test ahead of him in his first NASCAR Cup Series start at the Darlington Raceway- one f NASCAR’s toughest tracks. But, Gilliland passed with flying colors and collected his best finish to date.
Getting trapped a lap down early, the team was able to get back on the Lead Lap through a series of cautions. After adjustments to the Black’s Tire Ford Mustang, Gilliand had speed in his Mustang and started to move forward.
He moved into the top-20 to start the final stage and kept racing forward into the top-15. Capitalizing on the mistakes of others, Gilliland finished 15th at the end of the day.
GILLILAND ON DARLINGTON:
“We just kept working to make our car better each time we came to pit. It is awesome to get a great finish with all our supporters from Black’s Tire here at their home track. I can’t thank Seth and everyone on the team enough. They worked hard and we had a good day because of it.”
