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Author: Andrew Kim

  • Rajah Caruth re-signed by Spire Motorsports for 2025 Truck season

    Rajah Caruth re-signed by Spire Motorsports for 2025 Truck season

    Rajah Caruth will return as the driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for Spire Motorsports for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The news come as the 22-year-old Caruth from Washington D.C. is coming off his second consecutive full-time campaign in the Truck circuit, where he achieved his first career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. In doing so, Caruth joined Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace as the only African-American competitors to win across NASCAR’s top three premier series. In addition to the Vegas victory, Caruth notched his first two career poles, five top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 56 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.6. After qualifying for his first Truck Playoffs this past season, he settled in seventh place in the final driver’s standings and was named the 2024 Most Popular Driver in the series.

    Caruth’s announcement of his 2025 racing plans also occurred on December 13th, the day he graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a Bachelor of Science in Motorsports Management.

    “It is great to have a home and stability heading into next year,” Caruth said in a released statement. “I believe this is the first time in my career I won’t be with a new team or competing in a different series at the start of the season. I really appreciate the opportunity [owners] Jeff [Dickerson] and T.J. [Puchyr] have given me, and I’m excited to continue preparations for 2025. Our organization has really grown over the past year, and we have shown what we are capable of. We have set the bar high for the season and the expectation is to win more races and compete for a championship.”

    Caruth, whose racing career started virtually through iRacing in 2018, made his Truck Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway in June 2022, where he piloted the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet entry to an 11th-place result. After making three additional Truck starts with Spire for the remainder of the 2022 season, he campaigned in his first full-time season in the series with GMS Racing in 2023. During the season, he notched four top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 18.2 and settled in 16th place in the final standings before he returned to Spire on a full-time basis in 2024.

    Through 50 current starts in the Truck Series, Caruth has achieved one victory, two poles, five top-five results, 16 top-10 results, 57 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.7. He has also made 19 career starts in the Xfinity Series and 25 in the ARCA Menards Series, the latter of which he notched 14 top-10 results and finished in third place in the final driver’s standings during the 2022 season while competing for Rev Racing.

    “I’m thrilled to confirm that Rajah Caruth will be back with us in 2025 driving the No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado,” Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire Motorsports, said. “He took the incredibly high expectations we placed on him to start the year and exceeded them in every way. I’m impressed with how he’s balanced his commitments to his race team, his craft, the media and his growing fanbase while managing a full workload at Winston-Salem State University. Our organization believes in Raj and he has consistently shown the leadership, form and work ethic that every team looks for in a driver. Everyone at Spire Motorsports is really happy to run it back with him next season.”

    As part of Caruth’s return to the Truck Series, HendrickCars.com, which sponsored Caruth for the entire schedule in 2024, will also return to sponsor him for the entire 25-race schedule in 2025. Caruth was also sponsored by HendrickCars.com when he competed in the 2023 Xfinity Series finale at Phoenix Raceway for Hendrick Motorsports, where he finished 14th after starting 13th.

    “Rajah is a young man of tremendous character and has proven to be a great representative of HendrickCars.com and our nearly 11,000 teammates across the country, Rick Hendrick, chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said. “In addition to being extremely talented, he has an incredible work ethic. We couldn’t be prouder to make this announcement on the same day Rajah and his family celebrate his college graduation. He has a very bright future in the sport, and we are thrilled to continue supporting his journey in 2025.”

    The remainder of Spire Motorsports’ driver and crew chief lineup for the 2025 NASCAR season remains to be determined.

    With his plans for next season set, Rajah Caruth’s 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Chris Lawson named crew chief for Todd Gilliland for 2025 Cup Series season

    Chris Lawson named crew chief for Todd Gilliland for 2025 Cup Series season

    Chris Lawson has been named crew chief for Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports (FRM) Ford Mustang Dark Horse team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    The news comes as Lawson, a former racer turned crew chief from Medway, Ohio, spent this past season as a Cup Series crew chief for Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry that was split between Justin Haley and Corey LaJoie. Through the first 29-scheduled events of the 2024 season, Haley recorded two top-10 results. Following a midseason driver swap between Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports, LaJoie replaced Haley and piloted the No. 51 entry for the remaining seven events on the schedule. At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing entry settled in 34th place in the final owner’s standings.

    Lawson, who made his crew chief debut during the 2018 Craftsman Truck Series season for DGR-Crosley, first joined FRM in 2020 when he was paired with Gilliland and the No. 38 Ford F-150 team. Over the next four seasons, Lawson would notch six victories while working with Gilliland and Zane Smith. During the 2022 season, Lawson achieved his first NASCAR championship as a crew chief when Smith fended off the competition during an overtime shootout to win the finale at Phoenix Raceway. The championship would also mark the first for both Smith and FRM.

    Prior to the 2024 season, Lawson made his debut as a Cup Series crew chief for Gilliland and the No. 36 FRM Ford team at Talladega Superspeedway, where Gilliland finished 10th. Through 36 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Lawson has recorded three top-10 results and has worked with four different competitors as both he and Gilliland strive to notch their first victory in NASCAR’s premier series in 2025. The duo had previously achieved back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West championships between the 2016 and 2017 seasons while competing for Bill McAnally Racing.

    For the 2025 Cup Series season, Lawson and Gilliland replace crew chief Travis Peterson and driver Michael McDowell. The latter duo are set to join Spire Motorsports after spending this past season notching a season-high six poles, seven top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.3 with FRM’s No. 34 team.

    The remainder of Front Row Motorsports’ driver and crew chief lineup remains to be determined.

    The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season for crew chief Chris Lawson, driver Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse team is scheduled to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that is scheduled to occur on February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Jonathan Toney, Jason Trinchere named Haas Factory Team’s Xfinity crew chiefs in 2025

    Jonathan Toney, Jason Trinchere named Haas Factory Team’s Xfinity crew chiefs in 2025

    Jonathan Toney and Jason Trinchere have been named crew chiefs for Haas Factory Team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series two-car program in 2025.

    Toney, the 2023 Xfinity championship-winning crew chief from Newton, North Carolina, will remain with the No. 00 Ford Mustang team and be paired with the organization’s newest competitor, Sheldon Creed. Jason Trinchere, a native of Easton, Pennsylvania, will join the team and be paired with driver Sam Mayer, the latter of whom is also new to the Haas organization as he will be piloting the No. 41 Ford Mustang entry.

    The news of Haas Factory Team’s crew chief lineup for the 2025 Xfinity season was made on December 10 on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio by Joe Custer, president of the organization that has been restructured from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). This past season, SHR notched four Xfinity victories, including the 2024 finale at Phoenix Raceway, between its former competitors Cole Custer and Riley Herbst, both of whom have been elevated to the Cup Series for Haas Factory Team and 23XI Racing, respectively, for the 2025 season.

    During the crew chief reveal, Custer also announced that the organization has retained a majority of its employees since being restructured and that Adam Gravitt has been elevated from engineering manager to competition director for the Xfinity program. In addition, the Haas Factory Team will maintain a technical alliance with AM Racing and RSS Racing. The retention of the organization’s staff and alliances comes as Custer anticipates extending the on-track momentum from the 2024 season towards the upcoming 2025 season under a new Haas identity.

    “[The Haas Factory Team] whole program is looking very similar, and we believe we’ll be starting where we left off [from 2024],” Custer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We finished half the deal at Phoenix [Raceway in November] with winning the race and the championship slipped through our fingers, which was disappointing, but we were there. We led a lot of laps, we had a lot of speed. We’re optimistic about next year at Phoenix, putting our two drivers into that final race.”

    Toney, who first joined the Haas organization before the 2004 season and was a former Cup Series lead engineer for three-time champion and former Haas co-owner Tony Stewart, made his crew chief debut in 2023 when he was paired with Cole Custer. By then, Custer had returned to the Xfinity division on a full-time basis following a three-year campaign in the Cup division.

    In their first season together, Toney and Custer notched three victories, six poles, with 19 top-10 results and transferred to the Championship 4 round, where they won the championship after Custer prevailed in an overtime shootout to also win the finale at Phoenix. The 2023 championship would also be the first ever for the Haas organization in the Xfinity circuit. This past season, Toney and Custer notched two victories and the 2024 Xfinity Series regular-season title. Despite returning to the Championship 4 round, the duo ended up in second place in the final standings.

    Through 64 appearances as an Xfinity crew chief, Toney has achieved five victories, nine poles, 27 top-five results and 42 top-10 results, all of which occurred with Custer, as he prepares to embark on his first campaign with Sheldon Creed, the latter of whom has notched 13 runner-up results through 103 Xfinity starts.

    Meanwhile, Trinchere’s transition to Haas Factory Team occurs as the Pennsylvania native spent the 2024 season as a Craftsman Truck Series crew chief for Spire Motorsports and Chase Purdy, the latter of whom notched a pole at Kansas Speedway, six top-10 results and a 15th-place result in the final driver’s standings. Previously, Trinchere spent three seasons as an Xfinity crew chief at Kaulig Racing, where he notched five victories and made the Championship 4 round with driver AJ Allmendinger in 2021.

    Through 99 appearances as an Xfinity crew chief, Trinchere has recorded five victories, one pole, 27 top-five results and 51 top-10 results while working with seven different competitors. The 2025 season will mark Trinchere’s first with Sam Mayer, the latter of whom has notched seven Xfinity victories and spent the previous four seasons at JR Motorsports.

    In addition to the Xfinity Series, the Haas Factory Team will also field a single full-time entry in the Cup Series for Cole Custer, the latter of whom was announced to be driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry on July 20. Nearly a month later, Aaron Kramer, a former lead engineer at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, was revealed as Custer’s Cup crew chief for the 2025 season.

    The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for the Haas Factory Team is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • Jeb Burton, Blaine Perkins named full-time Xfinity competitors for Jordan Anderson Racing in 2025

    Jeb Burton, Blaine Perkins named full-time Xfinity competitors for Jordan Anderson Racing in 2025

    Jeb Burton and Blaine Perkins will both be driving for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport (JAR-BA) as full-time competitors for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

    Burton, who returns to JAR-BA for a third consecutive season, will retain driving responsibilities of the No. 27 Chevrolet Camaro entry while Perkins, who is new to the organization, will be inheriting the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro entry as he replaces the departing Parker Retzlaff.

    The news comes as JAR-BA is coming off its fourth consecutive season competing in the Xfinity Series and second in a row in fielding two full-time entries (Nos. 27 and 31 entries). Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule in 2024, JAR-BA entries tallied a combined two poles, four top-five results, 12 top-10 results and 65 laps led. At the conclusion of the season, Burton finished in 19th place in the final standings while Retzlaff, who recorded the organization’s first two poles and highest-finishing result of the season in third place at Daytona International Speedway in February, finished in 21st place.

    In addition, JAR-BA fielded a third entry (No. 32 Chevrolet) for a total of 15 events as team owner Jordan Anderson, Austin Green, Sage Karam and Ryan Vargas took turns piloting the entry. The entry, which recorded two top-five results and five top-10 results in 2024, is scheduled to return in 2025 as an “all-star” entry with its driver lineup to be determined.

    “We’re excited to continue building this program with Jeb and Blaine as we lay the groundwork for the future entering our fifth season in the Xfinity Series.” Anderson said in a released statement. “The journey from a single-car operation to where we are now speaks to our team’s perseverance and growth mindset. Having Jeb return as the veteran to our program will continue to add depth and the experience needed to take us to the next level. I’m grateful to Parker Retzlaff’s efforts these last two seasons in the No. 31 and the opportunity to assist in his growth as a driver as he continues to move up the ranks. We have the same vision with Blaine next season, and plan to give him all the tools, and opportunities, to continue developing as a driver on and off the track. This is a fantastic opportunity to keep expanding our program with focused drivers, dedicated team members, and committed partners who believe in our shared vision for the organization.”

    “Teamwork truly makes the dream work, and it’s a ‘never give up’ mentality that drives everything we do,” John Bommarito, co-owner of JAR-BA, added. “We’re eager to see what Jeb and Blaine can accomplish together. Both of these drivers embody the integrity and tenacity we aim to bring to the track, and with the entire JAR-BA family behind them, we know we’re set for another season of great achievements.”

    Amid the announcement, Burton expressed his excitement in returning to JAR-BA, the organization that the Halifax, Virgnia, native recorded is first NASCAR victory at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2023. Burton’s victory also enabled both him and the organization to make the Xfinity Series Playoffs, where he settled in 12th place in the final driver’s standings. Currently, Burton has made 175 career starts in the Xfinity Series and has tallied two victories (both at Talladega), 14 top-five results, 40 top-10 results, 170 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.5 as he strives to return to the Playoffs and contend for more victories in 2025.

    “Coming back for a third season with Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport means a lot to me,” Burton said. “We’re building something special here, and I’m ready to carry the momentum forward into 2025. It’s a privilege to work with this team, and I’m grateful to Jordan, John, [crew chief] Shane [Whitbeck], and all our great partners involved for their belief in what we’re doing. I’m looking forward to putting this Chevrolet back up-front next season and giving our fans something to cheer for.”

    Like his new teammate Burton, Perkins expressed his excitement in joining JAR-BA and striving to be competitive after spending this past season driving for RSS Racing. Perkins, a three-time ARCA Menards Series West race winner from Bakersfield, California, has recorded a single top-10 result and an average-finishing result of 26.8 through 75 current Xfinity starts.

    “Joining Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport is an exciting step in my career development,” Perkins said. “To be part of such a dedicated Chevrolet organization with a team that shares a passion for growth and success is a fantastic opportunity. I’m looking forward to representing the team and all our partners with everything I have and making the most of the 2025 season.”

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • Kaulig Racing reveals crew chief lineup, technical director hiring for 2025 Cup season

    Kaulig Racing reveals crew chief lineup, technical director hiring for 2025 Cup season

    Kaulig Racing revealed its crew chief lineup and the hiring of a technical director for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    Veteran crew chief Trent Owens will be paired with veteran driver AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry while Andrew Dickeson will be working atop the pit box of the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry that will be piloted by Ty Dillon. For the technical director position, Mike Cook will assume the position after recently being a lead engineer for Stewart-Haas Racing.

    The news comes as Kaulig Racing, which strives to be competitive in NASCAR’s premier series in 2025, is coming off its third consecutive season in fielding two full-time cars in the Cup Series division. Throughout the 36-race schedule in 2024, Kaulig’s two entries (Nos. 16 and 31 Chevrolets) recorded a combined 11 top-10 results and 108 laps led. In addition, Daniel Hemric, who drove Kaulig’s No. 31 entry that is renumbered to 10 in 2025, finished in 29th place in the 2024 driver’s standings while Kaulig’s No. 16 entry that was split between Allmendinger, Dillon, Derek Kraus, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Williams ended up in 28th place in the owner’s standings.

    “I think this is the most impressive competition leadership group we have ever had,” Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, said in a released statement. “We have such a great core team with all the men and women of Kaulig Racing, and bringing in smart people with fresh eyes will really help us compete on the track.”

    Owens’ move to Kaulig’s No. 16 team reunites him with Allmendinger, both of whom worked together for nine Cup races in 2018 at JTG-Daugherty Racing. This past season, Owens was the crew chief for Hemric and the No. 31 Chevrolet team. In addition, Allmendinger scaled back down to a full-time Xfinity Series competition after competing on a full-time Cup basis in 2023, where he won at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. During the 2024 season, Allmendinger notched a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener, transferred to the Championship 4 round and settled in third place in the final driver’s standings.

    Dickeson’s move as a crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 10 team and Ty Dillon marks a new beginning for the Australian native, who recently spent a bulk of his career as an engineer for Richard Childress Racing. In addition, the 2025 season marks Dillon’s return to full-time Cup racing since 2023 after he spent this past season competing in all but the remaining five Craftsman Truck Series events for Rackley W.A.R., where he notched two top-10 results.

    The new position with a new organization generates a new and exciting adventure for Cook, who first joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 to work as an engineer and had remained at the organization until it ceased operations at the 2024 season’s conclusion. During Cook’s role at Stewart-Haas Racing, he went to Victory Lane in the 2017 Daytona 500 with former Cup Series champion Kurt Busch.

    “After a decade of learning and honing my craft, I am really excited to contribute to the continuing growth of Kaulig Racing,” Cook said. “Nothing in racing happens overnight, but I know I have the tools and the support I need to bring immediate impact. Andrew [Dickeson] has the demeanor and stability that I think will give Ty [Dillon] the best opportunity he has ever had at the Cup level. AJ [Allmendinger] and Trent [Owens] are just in sync and have a great working relationship. Both drivers are hungry and dedicated, so I know that team is going to be strong and impress some people in 2025.”

    Kaulig Racing’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 that will commence at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Connor Mosack inks full-time Truck ride with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for 2025 season

    Connor Mosack inks full-time Truck ride with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for 2025 season

    Connor Mosack has been named a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) for the 2025 season.

    Mosack, a 25-year-old native from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be driving the No. 81 MHR Chevrolet Silverado RST and will be paired with crew chief Blake Bainbridge for his first full-time campaign in the series, where he will contend for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. In addition, Old World Industries and NAPA Nightvision will be sponsoring him for five Truck races, beginning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

    The news comes as Mosack is coming off an 11-race stint between the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series divisions, where he competed for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity circuit and between Niece Motorsports and Spire Motorsports in the Truck division. He also made five starts in the ARCA Menards Series between Pinnacle Racing Group and Sigma Performance Services, where he notched a victory at Kansas Speedway in May while driving for the former organization.

    “I’m ecstatic to start 2025 with everybody at MHR and want to continue this team’s success in the playoffs,” Mosack said. “All four MHR teams had great performances this past year, so this is a big opportunity to race with a winning organization. It’s great to continue being part of Team Chevy and appreciate NAPA Nightvison and everyone at MHR for making this a reality. I’m looking forward to working with Blake and we want to become one of the weekly contenders, compete for wins, and lock ourselves in the playoffs.”

    Mosack, who commenced his racing career competing in Legends cars and worked his way up to compete in CARS Tour and Late Models, made his Truck Series debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July 2022, where he finished 34th while driving for Bret Holmes Racing. He made an additional Truck start at Bristol Motor Speedway two months later before he returned this past season for nine events. During the nine-race stint, he logged in his first four top-10 career results and notched a career-best third-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October.

    To go along with 11 Truck starts to date, Mosack has also made a total of 28 starts in the Xfinity Series, where he notched three top-eight results and a career-best fifth-place run at Watkins Glen International in August 2023. The Charlotte native has also made 22 career starts in the ARCA Menards Series, four in the ARCA East division and two in the ARCA West division. Within the ARCA division, he claimed his first career victory at Kansas Speedway in September 2023 while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and would double down both at Kansas and in the series this past May. He also recorded two ARCA poles, including the 2023 season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

    Mosack’s addition to MHR adds another missing element to the organization’s 2025 Truck Series lineup as the driver will compete alongside teammates Tyler Ankrum and Daniel Hemric.

    “I was impressed with the job Connor did last season and wanted him to be part of our lineup in 2025,” Bill McAnally, team owner of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, added. “He showed he has the talent and commitment to compete and win at this level and we’re excited about the potential that he has joining our group. He and Blake will make a great pair and create opportunities for us to win races.”

    With his plans for the 2025 season set, Connor Mosack’s first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Joe Gibbs Racing reveals driver-crew chief pairings for No. 54 Cup and Xfinity teams in 2025

    Joe Gibbs Racing reveals driver-crew chief pairings for No. 54 Cup and Xfinity teams in 2025

    Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) revealed its realigned driver-crew chief lineup for the organization’s No. 54 teams between the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series divisions for the 2025 season.

    Tyler Allen, who was initially set to crew chief Taylor Gray and the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra team in the Xfinity Series, has now been named crew chief for Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 JGR Toyota Camry XSE team in the Cup Series. As a result, veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff will return atop the pit box to crew chief Gray for the latter’s first full-time Xfinity campaign in 2025.

    The news comes 10 days after JGR announced that Chris Gayle, who was paired with Ty Gibbs over the previous two Cup seasons, would be paired with Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota team while Chris Gabehart, Hamlin’s former crew chief, would be promoted to work as the organization’s competition director.

    “We take a lot of pride in our Xfinity Series program and the depth of talent that we have been able to maintain,” Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “Tyler Allen was successful at the Cup level with us while working under Adam Stevens and was impressive last season in the Xfinity Series leading that 20 team to eight wins while working with a number of different drivers. We have an exciting young and talented team on the 54 car.”

    Allen, who enters the 2025 season for his first year as a full-time crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series, spent seven seasons (2017-23) working as a race engineer under crew chief Adam Stevens. During the seven-year span, he was a part of the 2019 Cup Series championship with Adams and Kyle Busch. In addition, Allen served as an interim crew chief for a single Cup race for Christopher Bell and the No. 20 JGR Toyota team at Martinsville Speedway in October 2021, where Bell finished 17th.

    This past season, Allen served as a first-year crew chief in the Xfinity Series, where he worked atop the pit box of JGR’s No. 20 Toyota team for 29 races and JGR’s No. 19 Toyota team for four races. Throughout the 33-race schedule, Allen notched eight victories between four competitors (Aric Almirola, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Truex) and led the No. 20 team to a runner-up result in the final Xfinity owner’s standings, all of which Allen strives to utilize the momentum and success from the Xfinity division over to the Cup Series that would enable both him and Ty Gibbs to contend for victories while also returning the No. 54 team back into the Playoffs.

    “It’s an honor to be named crew chief for Ty Gibbs and the 54 Team as we head into the 2025 season,” Allen said. “This opportunity has been a dream of mine since starting here at JGR 10 years ago, and I’m thankful for the support and guidance I’ve received from my mentors, teammates, and everyone along the way. Ty has shown a lot of speed and potential the last two years, and I look forward to building on that experience to get the 54 car in victory lane.”

    For JGR’s No. 54 team in the Xfinity Series, Ratcliff makes his return atop the pit box as a crew chief following a one-year absence. He initially retired from being a crew chief at the conclusion of the 2023 season and spent this past season working as a driver and team coordinator for JGR’s Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series operations. Since making his crew chief debut in the Xfinity Series in 2000, Ratcliff has notched 57 victories between seven competitors and the 2009 championship with Kyle Busch. He has also recorded 15 victories as a Cup Series crew chief, 14 of which occurred with Matt Kenseth and one with Joey Logano.

    Overall, Gray, who was announced to drive for JGR for the 2025 Xfinity season on October 16, is set to become the 26th competitor to work at least one race with Ratcliff, the latter of whom intends to make Gray competitive for his first Xfinity campaign after he spent the previous two seasons competing in the Craftsman Truck Series for TRICON Garage.

    “I’m thrilled to join Taylor and the 54 team for the 2025 season,” Ratcliff said. “After a year away from the track, I’m eager to return to the pit box every weekend. Taylor has the talent and determination to excel in NASCAR, and it’s our mission to help him achieve that success.”

    “It is also exciting to have Jason Ratcliff back on the pit box in the Xfinity Series to work with Taylor Gray next season,” Gibbs added. “He has contributed so much to our organization over his career.”

    Photo by Ted Seminara for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 that will commence at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

    Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • Toni Breidinger joins TRICON Garage for first full-time Truck campaign in 2025

    Toni Breidinger joins TRICON Garage for first full-time Truck campaign in 2025

    Toni Breidinger will elevate her racing status to new heights in 2025 by joining TRICON Garage for her first full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign in 2025.

    For her rookie Truck season, Breidinger will be driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, an entry that was formerly piloted by Dean Thompson, and receive partnership support from CELSIUS, Raising Cane’s and Sunoco.

    The news comes as Breidinger, a 25-year-old racer from San Francisco, California, is coming off her second full-time season in the ARCA Menards Series, where she drove for Venturini Motorsports. Through 20-scheduled events, she recorded 11 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 12.2 and a career-best fourth-place result in the final standings.

    “Racing full-time with TRICON is a dream for me. It’s been a 15-year process to get here but I’m so excited for this moment and ready to capitalize on it,” Breidinger said. “I wouldn’t have this opportunity if it wasn’t for Toyota, Raising Cane’s, CELSIUS, and Sunoco. I’m beyond grateful to have these partners and team in my corner to take this next step in my career.”

    Breidinger, who grew up competing in go-karts, claimed the USAC Speed2 Western US Asphalt Midget Series Rookie-of-the-Year title in 2014 before she claimed the championship two years later. In 2018, Breidinger made her first three career starts in the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports. Since then, she made a total of 65 career starts in the ARCA division in five seasons (2018 & 2021-24). Throughout her starts, she recorded four top-five results and 27 top-10 results, with her best result being a third-place run at Kansas Speedway in September 2023.

    During the 2023 season, Breidinger made her Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway while driving the No. 1 Toyota entry for TRICON Garage, where she finished in a career-best 15th place. She made two additional Truck starts with TRICON throughout the 2023 season before she made her recent series’ start at Daytona International Speedway in February 2024, where she finished 27th.

    Breidinger’s addition to TRICON’s 2025 Truck Series lineup adds another missing piece to the team’s roster as Corey Heim and Tanner Gray were already announced to return for next year’s Truck season. Additional plans for TRICON’s driver lineup and Dean Thompson have yet to be determined.

    With her plans for next season set, Toni Breidinger’s first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway to commence the 2025 racing season. The event is scheduled to occur on February 14 and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Tyler Ankrum returns to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for 2025 Truck season

    Tyler Ankrum returns to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for 2025 Truck season

    Tyler Ankrum will be returning as the driver of the No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The news comes as the 2018 ARCA Menards Series East champion from San Bernardino, California, is coming off his fifth full-time campaign in the Truck Series and first with MHR. In his first season with MHR, Ankrum made the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs and finished in eighth place in the final standings. He also notched career-high stats in top fives (six), top 10s (12) and laps led (92) while also tying his career-best average-finishing result of 13.4, the same he generated in 2020, throughout the 23-race schedule.

    For the 2025 season, Ankrum will also have continuous crew chief support from Mark Hillman, the latter of whom returns for his fourth Truck season as a crew chief for MHR.

    “I’m really glad to be staying at MHR with Mark and the entire LIUNA team,” Ankrum said in a released statement. “This last year was probably the best of my career with the consistency we showed throughout the season. Making the playoffs was a huge goal for us and we were in the mix all the way to Martinsville, so we want to take another step and make it to Phoenix in 2025. We all want to get back to victory lane, and I think keeping this group together and continuing to develop as a team will help us get there.”

    Ankrum made his Truck Series debut in 2018, the same season where he would claim the ARCA East title. Driving the No. 54 Toyota for DGR-Crosley at Martinsville Speedway in October 2018, Ankrum started 19th and finished 18th in his debut. He would make an additional start at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he finished sixth.

    The following season, Ankrum moved up to the Truck Series to drive the No. 17 entry for DGR-Crosley. After being absent for the first three-scheduled events due to age restrictions, he spent his first nine events racing between DGR-Crosley and NEMCO Motorsports due to sponsorship woes. Then at Kentucky Speedway, he claimed his first Truck career victory and earned an automatic berth to the Playoffs. Despite being eliminated from the Playoffs following the Round of 6, he settled in eighth place in the final standings and wrapped up the 2019 Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Ankrum would proceed to spend his next two Truck seasons racing for GMS Racing. During the two-year span, he made the Playoffs in 2020 and settled in ninth place in the final standings on the strength of 10 top-10 results. He also recorded his first career pole for the series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas in May 2021. The following two seasons, he transitioned to Hattori Racing Enterprises, where his best points result was 12th in 2022, before he made his recent move to MHR in 2024.

    Through 136 current starts in the Truck Series, Ankrum has recorded one victory, one pole, 16 top-five results, 50 top-10 results, 236 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.4 as he strives to extend the momentum from this past season towards a return to Victory Lane and another Playoff bid in 2025.

    “Tyler had his strongest season in 2024 and the best is yet to come,” Bill McAnally, team owner of MHR, added. “He, Mark (Hillman), and the whole LIUNA team worked well together, made a strong playoff run, and put themselves in position to win some races. The growth of MHR we have for 2025 will make the No. 18 team stronger and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish with Tyler next season.”

    With his plans for next season set, Tyler Ankrum’s 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Joe Gibbs Racing shifts half of Cup Series crew chief lineup in 2025

    Joe Gibbs Racing shifts half of Cup Series crew chief lineup in 2025

    Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced a new role and new team for crew chiefs Chris Gabehart and Chris Gayle, respectively, for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    For the upcoming season, Gabehart will be assuming the role as JGR’s Competition Director while Gayle will shift from JGR’s No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE team to the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE team, where he will be paired with veteran driver Denny Hamlin.

    The news comes as both Gabehart and Gayle are coming off their respective roles as crew chiefs for the Nos. 11 and 54 JGR Toyota teams, the latter of which is piloted by driver Ty Gibbs, in the Cup Series.

    “We have a lot of pride in the depth of talent we have throughout our organization,” Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “Chris Gabehart will now be an asset across all four of our teams as competition director and we thought it was important to have him transition into his new role immediately. Chris Gayle will bring his own perspective to the 11 team while also maintaining the consistency and continuity they have developed with Denny [Hamlin] over the past several years. While we are still in the process of finalizing the new crew chief for the 54 team, we believe all these moves ultimately make our team stronger as we prepare for 2025.”

    Gabehart, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, who graduated from Purdue University with a mechanical engineering degree, made his crew chief debut in the Xfinity Series in 2016, where he was paired with Erik Jones at JGR. The following season, he made his Cup Series crew chief debut on an interim role with Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota team at Richmond Raceway, where Hamlin finished fifth.

    After accumulating a total of nine Xfinity victories between 2016 to 2018, Gabehart was promoted to the Cup Series to serve as a full-time crew chief for Hamlin and the No. 11 team in 2019. Commencing his Cup crew chief career with his first career victory in the 61st running of the Daytona 500, Gabehart and Hamlin would accumulate a total of 22 victories through 209 events (2019-24). In addition to making the Playoffs throughout their six-year journey, they also made the Championship 4 round from 2019 to 2021, where they finished as high as third place in the final standings during the latter season.

    Through 209 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Gabehart has also recorded 11 poles, 90 top-five results and 120 top-10 results, all while working atop the No. 11 JGR Toyota pit box and paired with Hamlin as he prepares to etch a new chapter with his new role in 2025.

    “I am very thankful for the opportunities that Joe Gibbs Racing has continued to provide me for my entire tenure here and cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed and appreciated my time with Denny and the entire 11 team,” Gabehart said. “They have all taught me so much about not only how to race at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series, but also, how to lead a great group of talented professionals. In my next opportunity, I am as excited as I have ever been to work with all our talented drivers, crew chiefs, teams and partners to help focus all our efforts towards making 2025 one of the best seasons Joe Gibbs Racing has ever had.”

    Meanwhile, Gayle, a native of Little Rock Arkansas, and a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Mechanical Engineering degree, made his crew chief debut in 2013, where he was paired with Elliott Sadler at JGR in the Xfinity Series. During the season, he made his Cup crew chief debut with Sadler at Kansas Speedway, where Sadler finished 40th.

    Four years later, Gayle became a full-time crew chief in the Cup Series for the first time, where he was paired with Erik Jones at Furniture Row Racing. After notching the 2017 Rookie-of-the-Year title, both Gayle and Jones moved back to Joe Gibbs Racing and notched their first Cup career victory at Daytona International Speedway in July. Gayle would continue to work with Jones over the next two seasons, where they won the 2019 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, before he transitioned back down to the Xfinity Series during his next two years.

    After capturing the 2022 Xfinity Series championship with Ty Gibbs, Gayle moved back up to the Cup Series and continued to work with Gibbs as his crew chief in 2023, where Gibbs captured the Rookie-of-the-Year title while piloting the No. 54 JGR Toyota entry. This past season, they qualified for the 2024 Playoffs and finished in 15th place in the final standings on the strengths of two poles, eight top-five results and 12 top-10 results.

    Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Through 214 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Gayle has achieved a total of two victories, four poles, 43 top-five results and 81 top-10 results while working with three competitors as he now strives to pick up the torch and maintain the momentum carried forth by the No. 11 team and his new driver Denny Hamlin. Ironically, Gayle is set to become Hamlin’s fifth full-time crew chief overall as Hamlin enters his 20th consecutive season as a full-time Cup Series competitor, all with JGR, in 2025.

    “Denny is obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Gayle added. “I’m looking forward to working with him and the guys on the No. 11 team. He and Gabehart have established an incredible culture that is a very good barometer for our other drivers and teams to strive to match. I have all the confidence in the world we can hit the ground running and continue the success that this group is accustomed to in 2025.”

    A crew chief replacement for Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team remains to be determined.

    The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season for Joe Gibbs Racing is set to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 that will commence at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.