The Champ is Back … The 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) champion, Zane Smith, returns to the series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) on Friday night with MHR. Smith, a nine-time winner on the tour, is piloting the No. 91 Instacoat Premium Products (IPP) Chevrolet Silverado RST for his first of four starts with MHR this season. Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt will continue to call the shots for the No. 91 squad as Smith steps into the seat amidst his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Smith will also drive the No. 91 entry at Bristol Motor Speedway (March 16th), Texas Motor Speedway (April 12th), and Kansas Speedway (May 4th).
Las Vegas History … Over his tenure of being a full-time NCTS competitor from 2020-2023, Smith has been a model of consistency at LVMS. In six career starts, Smith has four finishes of seventh or better, including a runner-up last season. He’s led laps in his last two outings in “Sin City” and has one previous NCTS victory on a 1.5-mile track (Kansas Speedway – 2022).
MHR Track Record Las Vegas … Smith, Bellicourt, and the IPP team look to build on a strong showing by MHR at LVMS last season. Both entries of Christian Eckes and Jake Garcia finished in the top-10 last March and the No. 91 team has displayed the outright speed this season to be a contender on Friday night. Last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jack Wood qualified fourth and joined his three MHR teammates in the top-five on the starting grid. Wood also positioned the No. 91 Chevrolet in the top trio on the final lap at Daytona International Speedway in contention for the win. Smith looks to capitalize on the team’s recent speed to make his first trip to LVMS’ victory lane on Friday night.
Tune In … FOX Sports 1’s coverage at LVMS begins on Friday afternoon with practice and qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET. Coverage continues with NASCAR Raceday at 8:00 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 9:00 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 returning to the NCTS:
“I’m excited to get back into the Craftsman Truck Series with MHR. It’s going to be a lot of fun to race without the pressure of points and just be able to compete for wins. This is a cool opportunity to be in competitive equipment with a great team for a few races. I’m looking forward to getting in our Instacoat Chevrolet on Friday and see what kind of speed we have. Hopefully we’ll be able to put a strong night together and be able to get to victory lane during these four races.”
McAnally Hilgemann Racing PR
