TEAM AND RACE NOTES:
This weekend, Zane Smith hops back in the seat of the No. 38 Ford Mustang. Smith will race the No. 38 Boot Barn Ford Mustang in Sunday’s 600-mile race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. It is NASCAR’s longest race of the season.
It is also an annual Memorial Day tradition as we honor and remember the heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our freedom and their families. This year, Front Row Motorsports (FRM), Smith, and Boot Barn will honor Staff Sergeant Kevin Christopher Kimmerly by racing with his name on the windshield of the No. 38 Ford.
Kimmerly was born on September 14, 1972 and raised in North Creek, New York. He joined the Army in 1991 and in 1994 married Inge Kimmerly with whom he had one son who shares his birthday. Following his deployment in the Bosnia-Kosovo conflict, Kimmerly was deployed in the Iraq War as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On September 15, 2003, with only two weeks left before coming home to serve at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Kimmerly was killed in action at a checkpoint after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The team and Boot Barn are honored to host this Gold Star family on Sunday and to race in the memory of Kimmerly.
COMPETITION NOTES:
Smith will be making his 600-mile race debut in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday.
But the 2022 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion has one top-five and one top-10 in the truck series at the track.
In Smith’s first two Cup starts he finished 17th and 13th. He was wrecked out of his third Cup Series start at the Talladega (Ala) Superspeedway.
CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:
“This week, the 38 team is focusing on mental toughness. Charlotte is the longest race on the schedule and a big part of that battle is staying mentally tough. We are working hard to bring a fast Boot Barn Mustang and we will keep working with Zane all weekend.
DRIVER ZANE SMITH:
“We are proud to have Boot Barn on our No. 38 Ford Mustang and I am honored to have Staff Sergeant Kevin Christopher Kimmerly riding along with me. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
“Charlotte is a great track, and I am enjoying these starts in the Cup Series. I just want to keep learning and getting better.”
FRM PR