Front Row Motorsports: Phoenix Raceway Race Report - Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith

Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith

Phoenix Raceway Race Report

Shriners Children's 500

Date:  March 10th, 2025

Event: Race 5 of 38

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Phoenix Raceway (1.0-mile)

Length of Race: 312 Laps over three hours, 23 minutes, and 10 seconds.

FRM Finish:       

● Zane Smith (Started 26th, Finished 9th / Running, completed 312 of 312 laps)

● Todd Gilliland (Started 27th, Finished 17th / Running, completed 312 of 312 laps)

● Noah Gragson (Started 33rd, Finished 26th / Running, completed 303 of 312 laps)

FRM Points Standings:    

• Todd Gilliland (17th)
• Zane Smith (26th)
• Noah Gragson (31st)

Zane Smith Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 20th / Stage Two: 18th / Race Result: 9th

• Zane Smith made his fourth Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Cup Series start this past Sunday. In Saturday's practice session, Smith posted the 4th fastest 30-lap average speed and qualified 26th for Sunday's race. In a mostly uneventful Stage One, Smith hung around in the top-20 before finishing the stage in the 20th position. While other teams switched to the softer, option tire, Smith continued to hold his ground in the top-20 while running the primary tire. Smith finished Stage Two in the 18th position. Having saved his sets of option tires, Crew Chief Ryan Bergenty put a set on to start the final stage. Smith worked his way up through the field, avoiding the chaos and pitting for his last option tire set with 42 laps to go. Smith crossed the start / finish line in the 9th position, earning his first top-10 finish of the season. Sunday's 9th place finish helped Smith jump five spots from 31st to 26th in points.

• “Really proud to get a top-10 finish for the Aaron's Dream Machine's first ride on the No. 38," said Smith "We unloaded quick on the long run and with some good strategy calls, we were able to capitalize. Really excited to get to Vegas with this momentum.”

Todd Gilliland Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 22nd / Stage Two: 24th / Race Result: 17th

• Todd Gilliland qualified 27th for his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at the Phoenix Raceway this past Sunday. Like his teammate Zane Smith, Gilliland and the No. 34 team decided to save their option tire sets. Gilliland fought to stay within the top-25 during the first two stages, even taking minor damage on lap 10 after contact with the No. 41 and No. 47. Gilliland used his first set of the option tire at the stage-break caution at the end of Stage Two. On the softer tire, Gilliland defended his top-25 position before pitting under caution for his last set of the option tire. Gilliland broke his way into the top-20, crossing the start/finish line in the 17th position, earning his third straight top-20 result. Gilliland now sits 17th in the Driver Championship points standings and is just five points below the cutline.

• "It was a decent day for us," said Gilliland. "Nothing 'bad' or 'good' happened, we just kind of hung around the mid-pack and eventually put ourselves in the top-20. You'll have races like that though. Hopefully, we can close the points gap next Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway."

Noah Gragson Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 18th / Stage Two: 29th / Race Result: 26th

• Noah Gragson debuted the fan-favorite Long John Silver's livery this past Sunday on the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Qualifying 33rd for the event, Gragson wasted no time making his way to the top-20. Gragson finished Stage One in the 18th position. In Stage Two, Gragson's Ford Mustang Dark Horse suffered a bent right toe link, control arm damage, and a smashed right front tire rod during a multi-car incident on lap 99. Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer and the No. 4 team made the necessary repairs to get Gragson back on track. Gragson finished Stage Two in the 29th position. Gragson gained a few spots in the final stage, ultimately finishing 26th.

• “Got caught up in a wreck again, just one of those deals where there wasn’t much I could do," said Gragson. "After that, we shifted focus to Vegas, using the rest of the race to get in some extra pit stop practice and fine-tune how I come into the pits with the new crew. We’ve had fast cars, and this one was no different. Really looking forward to my hometown race in Vegas and hoping for a clean run."