The second half of the two-team tango that took NASCAR to trial, Front Row Motorsports will look forward to unloading that baggage in 2026. After showing signs of improvement in 2024, 2025 turned out to be a sour year for the Ford team. Regression swept through their teams while they expanded to 3. Maybe the off-track drama of the trial did take its toll. Perhaps they felt the downside to losing their charters worse than 23XI Racing. Possibly, the loss of Michael McDowell and Travis Peterson sent ripple effects through the organization. Hopefully with the trial behind them, Front Row Motorsports can get back on their steady progression. Will they help boost Front Row Motorsports’ expectations in the 2026 Season Preview?
#4 – Noah Gragson
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Crew Chief: Grant Hutchens
2025 Points Finish: 34
2026 Announced Sponsors: Rush Truck Centers, A&W Root Beer, Miller Tech, TitleMax, Long John Silver’s Rural King, Grillo’s Pickles
Despite racing for a dying organization, Noah Gragson made the most of his tenure with Stewart-Haas Racing. Managing to impress in the 10 car, Gragson joined Front Row Motorsports in the offseason last year. The season got off to a promising start, as Gragson picked up 6 Top-20s in the first third of the season. That included an impressive 8th place finish at COTA. However, his Top-10 in the Coca-Cola 600 proved to be his last. After averaging a 21.2 finish in the first 13 races, the 4 team plummeted to 34th in points with an average finish of 27.4 in the final 23 races.
2026 Expectations
It should be a realistic expectation that Noah Gragson can find himself in the Top-30 in points. Afterall, his first 13 races of last demonstrates the team has the capability. Maybe the impacts of the trial explain the cratering performance as the season waned. However, that would not explain why one of his teammates starting hitting his stride late in the year. Outside of superspeedways, it is difficult to think Gragson has any shot of picking up his first win this season. At best, you can hope for a Top-5 to go with 5+ Top-10s.
Last Chance Saloon
Silly season this season should be a busy one. Between the 3 Front Row drivers, Noah Gragson has the best chance of being shown the door. If he cannot hang on at Front Row, it is difficult to see how he remains in the Cup Series. Limited sponsorship dollars mixed with mediocre performance does not lead to fulltime Cup rides. Plus, FRM has two Cup caliber drivers in the Truck Series, with Layne Riggs likely touted as the next in-house replacement.
#34 – Todd Gilliland
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Crew Chief: Chris Lawson
2025 Points Finish: 27
2026 Announced Sponsors: Love’s Travel Stops, Ruedebusch, A&W Restaurants, Grillo’s Pickles, Aaron’s, Frontline Enterprises
With the departure of Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports turned to Todd Gilliland to be their lead driver. After an impressive 2024, the thought was that fans would see the next step in Gilliland’s progression. While it did not turn out that way, there were still moments of promise sprinkled in a trying season. Obviously, the drop from 22nd in points to 27th is not ideal. That will need to be fixed this season. Yet, there is more reason to have faith in Gilliland than other young drivers. If FRM can supply him with quality equipment, he could turn more heads this year.
2026 Expectations
Arguably, Todd Gilliland stands the best chance at The Chase from the Front Row camp. That chance is still a longshot, but his career best of 22nd in points 2 years ago gives some credence to that notion. What would be critical in his fight for The Chase is maximizing stage points at the superspeedways (otherwise known as the Austin Cindric strategy). That is where Gilliland will make up most of ground. To be fair, the FRM driver has been impressive elsewhere, such as Indianapolis and Martinsville. The Chase might be too far off to be a reasonable goal for this team. However, claiming 2 Top-5s in one season is a check box that should be marked this year.
#38 – Zane Smith
Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty
2025 Points Finish: 28
2026 Announced Sponsors: Speedy Cash, TitleMax, Mystik Lubricants, Horizon Hobby, Aaron’s, Long John Silver’s
Returning to Ford after a one-year hiatus to Trackhouse/Spire, Zane Smith experienced a season similar to Todd Gilliland. They both finished with the same amount of Top-5s and 10s while averaging a finish within .3 spots of each other. Overall, a trying season where there were glimmers of hope. It was enough to get Smith inked to a contract extension with Front Row Motorsports.
2026 Expectations
What can Zane Smith do when he has continuity? After jumping ship to Chevy/Trackhouse in 2024, Smith again went through an organization change for 2025. For the first time since his Truck Series career, the young driver will have the same organization around him through the offseason. In his first two Cup seasons, it appears that Smith blooms in the second half. The end of his Trackhouse/Spire tenure saw him finish the second half of 2024 on a better note. Same could be said for 2025, as 3 of his 5 Top-10s were in the second half. Similar to Todd Gilliland, netting multiple Top-5s while setting a career high in Top-10s are reasonable expectations for Zane Smith.
New Driver #1?
Who is driver #1 at Front Row Motorsports? Based on car numbers, that would go to Todd Gilliland. However, Zane Smith looked stronger while receiving a multi-year extension. There is an argument to be made that Smith is seen as the driver 1 for FRM. Considering his touted Truck Series career with the organization, it would be sensible to see him as the star driver.
#36 – Open Car
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Announced Dates: Daytona 500 (Chandler Smith)
How many races will the 36 be sent to the track? More than likely, this will be a one-off attempt for the Daytona 500 to then never be seen again. Chandler Smith gets a chance at redemption after wrecking Garage 66’s entry in last year’s Duels. Front Row usually brings speed to the superspeedways, so there is not too much worry whether the 36 will make the race. After the 500, it would be curious to see FRM use the 36 similar to how RCR uses the 33. Giving Layne Riggs some Cup seat time would be an interesting prospect for the organization.
Catch up on the previous 2026 Season Previews
Hendrick Motorsports; Joe Gibbs Racing; Team Penske; Trackhouse Racing; 23XI Racing; RFK Racing; Spire Motorsports; Legacy Motor Club