Zane Smith wins rain-shortened Daytona Truck Series opener

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Zane Smith won Friday night’s wreck-strewn, rain-shortened NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Smith was in front when NASCAR called the race official with 21 laps of the scheduled 100 to go. The race ended at 11:12 p.m. ET.

Smith, last year’s Truck Series champion, won the Daytona opener for the second consecutive year.

“I know there’s about a million ways to get one at Daytona, but we’re proving that,” Smith said. “Obviously wanted to go back racing there, somewhat, to duke it out with good friends of mine actually, but, hey, we’ll take a win at Daytona any day we can get it. Just a huge shout-out to everyone at Front Row Motorsports. This whole group, I’ve said it over and over again, they work their guts out, and they prove it. Locked into the playoffs, it’s like a repeat of last year.”

Following Smith at the finish were Tanner Gray, Christian Eckes, Colby Howard and Grant Enfinger. Smith led the final 15 laps and 17 total.

“We want to win and I think it’s time for me to do that,” Gray said of his second-place run. “Obviously, with the way our night was going, second was a good night for us. Not as smooth of a race as we would like.”

Former Cup Series champion Chase Elliott was 10th, and action sports star Travis Pastrana, who is scheduled to make his Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500 Sunday, was 13th.

The trucks remained on the track as light rain fell earlier in the race, but officials parked the field on pit road under red-flag conditions when showers across the 2.5-mile track became heavier with 27 laps to go. Smith led the race at that point.

After a delay, trucks returned to the track under caution, but showers and a stubborn lingering mist forced them