Front Row Motorsports: Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Report – Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith

Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith

Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Report

Straight Talk Wireless 400

Date:  March 23, 2025

Event: Race 7 of 38

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile)

Length of Race: 267 Laps over three hours, two minutes, and 13 seconds.

FRM Finish:

Zane Smith (Started 17th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)

Noah Gragson (Started 3rd, Finished 16th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)

Todd Gilliland (Started 29th, Finished 30th / Running, completed 266 of 267 laps)

FRM Points Standings:

Zane Smith (25th)

Todd Gilliland (26th)

Noah Gragson (32nd)

Zane Smith Key Takeaways

Stage One: 29th / Stage Two: 19th / Race Result: 11th

Zane Smith qualified 17th for his second Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR Cup Series start yesterday. With Aaron’s Rent-to-Own back on his Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Smith made small gains to get himself into the top-15. As the pit cycle started in Stage One, Smith and the team chose to join the fun on pit road, taking four tires and fuel. Smith had to come back to pit road however to serve a pass-through penalty for speeding. Smith finished Stage One in 29th. Smith and the No. 38 team bounced back during Stage Two, breaking into the top-20 to finish Stage Two in 19th. Smith and the No. 38 team carried the Stage Two momentum into the final stage of the race, flirting with the top-10 before crossing the start / finish line in 11th. Smith is now 25th in the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championship points standings.

Smith’s Thoughts: “That was a strong run today all things considered,” said Smith. “We got in a hole early with the pass-through penalty in Stage One, but thankfully we executed on pit road and had the car to get us back in the mix and almost come away with a top-10. Really happy with how we came back and I’m proud of this group.”

Noah Gragson Key Takeaways

Stage One: 9th / Stage Two: 17th / Race Result: 16th

Noah Gragson made his third Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR Cup Series start yesterday. In Saturday’s practice & qualifying session, Gragson earned his season best qualifying position, qualifying third for the 267-lap event. With just one caution in Stage One, Gragson held his own within the top-five but after missing a shift on a restart, Gragson finished Stage One in ninth. Grabbing spots on pit road, Gragson started Stage Two within the top-10. Struggling to maintain track position, Gragson fell to 17th where he finished Stage Two. In the final stage, Gragson and the No. 4 team were not able to get back up front as Gragson struggled with front turn and finding rear grip. Gragson crossed the start / finish line in the 16h position. He is now 32nd in the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championship points standings.

Gragson’s Thoughts: “We started out pretty solid, but track position was tough, and from there, we struggled with front turn and rear grip,” said Gragson. “Some runs were a little better than others, but overall, we just fought the balance all day. The guys did a great job on pit road, and I appreciate their effort.”

Todd Gilliland Key Takeaways

Stage One: 30th / Stage Two: 32nd / Race Result: 30th Todd Gilliland qualified 29th for the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gilliland spent most of the first stage within the top-25 but ran within the top-10 as the pit cycle started. With no caution giving him a chance to pit under yellow, Gilliland pitted under green for tires and fuel, going a lap down. Gilliland finished Stage One in the 30th position. The bad luck rolled over into Stage Two as Gilliland struggled with the handling of his race car. Gilliland finished Stage Two in the 32nd position. In the final stage, the No. 34 team made more attempts to fix the handling of the No. 34, but were not able to get to the front. Gilliland finished the race in the 30th position.

Gilliland’s Thoughts: “Just overall a really bad day for myself and this 34 group,” said Gilliland. “I dug ourselves into a hole with qualifying, and in the race, we just weren’t able to get our car to where we needed it to be to get the track position. It’s a grind, for sure, but we will keep our heads high and come back stronger at Martinsville.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.