Smith Wins First Truck Series Race at MIS

Zane Smith, driver of the #21 Bay Mountain Aire Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Henry Ford Health System 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 7, in Brooklyn.  Photo courtesy Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/NASCARMedia.com

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(August 7, 2020 10:19 PM) An emotional Zane Smith couldn’t believe he got to victory lane at Michigan International Speedway on Friday night during the Henry Ford Health System 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

He didn’t come from money as a kid and had to rely on pure skill.

A little Lady Luck didn’t hurt.

Smith came from third place on the last restart – during the second green/white/checkered start – but a wreck by the leaders put Smith and Christian Eckes into a drag race for the nearly two laps.

It was the first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series win for the 21-year-old Smith.

“My situation with racing … it is unbelievable that I got to this point,” Smith said after the race. “A lot of the sport is money; I don’t come from that.”

Both Smith and Eckes were looking for their first truck series win as they battled the last restart.

“This is hard to take in,” Smith said. “I beat my best friend – Christian Ecker – at the end.”

Eckes finished .318 seconds behind smith, Tanner Gray was third, Tyler Ankrum was fourth, and Todd Gilliland placed fifth.

Brett Moffitt, Raphael Lessard, Derek Kraus, Parker Klingerman, and David Gravel finished in the top 10.

The race ended nearly in the dark. More than a dozen cautions – a truck series record at MIS – led to 107 total laps to decide the winner.

Grant Enfinger held the lead heading into the final restart. He spun alongside John Hunter putting Smith and Eckes the spotlight.

Enfinger led 38 laps, Moffitt won stage one and Johnny Sauter won the second stage.

Racing continues at MIS on Saturday with the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at 4 p.m. on NBCSN.

The racing will conclude on Sunday with the ARCA Menards Series VizCom 200 at 1 p.m. on MAVTV and the NASCAR Cup Series Consumers Energy 400 at 4:30 p.m. on NBCSN.