NASCAR: 5 drivers who could replace Kevin Harvick in 2024
By Asher Fair
Possible Kevin Harvick replacements – No. 4 – Zane Smith
If Stewart-Haas Racing had to make a decision at the start of the 2023 season as to Kevin Harvick’s replacement, Zane Smith would have been considered the odds-on favorite to land behind the weel of the No. 4 Ford.
Ford’s young driver pool is shallow. Aside from Stewart-Haas Racing, their Xfinity Series teams are limited to AM Racing and RSS Racing, neither of which compete in the Cup Series.
Ford’s top young driver may very well be a Truck Series driver. Smith looked as though he would be without a ride for 2022 after finishing in second place in the championship standings with GMS Racing in both 2020 and 2021.
However, after he made over 100 calls, the only team to respond was Front Row Motorsports, which signed him for 2022. He went on to win the championship to cap off a four-win season.
Smith signed a multi-year contract extension with Front Row Motorsports, which included several Cup Series starts in 2023, back in 2022, and he has already won two Truck Series races for the team this year as he attempts to defend his championship.
The 23-year-old Huntington Beach, California native has option years with the team through 2026, but there is little reason to believe that anybody would stop him from taking a Cup ride with Stewart-Haas Racing if called upon to do so.
And given the overall lack of production from the team’s current lineup (aside from Harvick), he could become the new face of the organization in no time.