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Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

  • Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    NASCAR travels to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas this week for the first of six scheduled Cup Series and Xfinity Series road course races.

    The Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series will kick off the racing action with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon with the Cup Series headliner set for Sunday afternoon.

    Chase Elliott is the leader in the Cup Series driver standings and the defending race winner but is still looking for his first victory of the season.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA will serve as the qualifier for the 14th season of the Dash 4 Cash program. The top four eligible finishers will advance to the opening Dash 4 Cash race at Richmond Raceway on April 2 to compete for a $100,000 cash prize that will be awarded to the top finisher. The winner advances to the next round along with the three highest-finishing drivers.

    COTA will be the first of three road course races for the Truck Series. Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Chandler Smith is leading the point standings by 13 over second-place driver, Tanner Gray. Team owner, Kyle Busch, will make his 2022 Truck Series debut this weekend and his first Truck Series start on a road course.

    Friday, March 25

    3 p.m.: Truck Series Practice (All Entries) FS1
    3:30 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound) (Group A & B) (Multi-Vehicle, Two Rounds) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice (All entries) – FS1
    5:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) (Group A & B) (Multi-Vehicle, Two Rounds) FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, March 26

    10 a.m.: Cup Series Practice (Group A & B) FS1
    11 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) (Group A & B) (Multi-Vehicle, Two Rounds) FS1

    1 p.m.: Truck Series XPEL 225 race (Stages 12/26/42 Laps=143.22 Miles) FS1/MRN
    Purse: $725,505
    2021 Race Winner: Todd Gilliland

    4:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 race (Stages 14/30/46 Laps=156.86 Miles) FS1/PRN/TSN2/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Purse: $1,654,894
    2021 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

    Sunday, March 27

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Echopark Automotive Grand Prix race (Stages 15/30/68 Laps=231.88 Miles) FOX/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Purse: $8,799,709
    2021 Race Winner: Chase Elliott

  • Corey Heim scores first Truck Series career win at Atlanta

    Corey Heim scores first Truck Series career win at Atlanta

    Rookie Corey Heim executed a bold final lap pass over teammate Chandler Smith and fended off the field to win the Fr8 208 at the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 19, for his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in his fifth series start.

    The 19-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, who competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports and in the Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports, led four times for 22 of 150-scheduled laps as he received a boost from teammate John Hunter Nemechek, who was two laps behind, to overtake teammate Chandler Smith at the start of the final lap. Then for a single lap, Heim fended off a pack of storming trucks to notch his first career victory in his second series start of the season.

    The starting lineup for the event was determined through the Performance Metrics formula based on four statistics: drivers’ results, owners’ race and points results and the fastest lap from the previous Cup event. With that, Chandler Smith, winner of the previous scheduled Truck event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, started on pole position. Joining him on the front row was Stewart Friesen.

    The use of the Performance Metrics formula occurred after rain cancelled all on-track activities on Friday, which resulted with the Truck competitors receiving a single practice session earlier on Saturday in place of on-track qualifying.

    Prior to the event, Jordan Anderson, John Hunter Nemechek, Thad Moffitt, Chase Purdy and Ty Majeski dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustment to their respective trucks.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Chandler Smith peaked ahead with an early advantage until Friesen received a strong push from Matt DiBenedetto to take the lead. Then in Turn 3, DiBenedetto got into the outside wall in Turn 3 as the field overtook DiBenedetto’s slow truck through the turn. Meanwhile, Friesen led the first lap ahead of the field as the race continued to run under green. 

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Friesen was leading followed by Grant Enfinger, Carson Hocevar, Derek Kraus and Matt Crafton while Chandler Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Christian Eckes, Austin Wayne Self and Tanner Gray were in the top 10. 

    By Lap 20, Friesen continued to lead ahead of the field with the competitors mired in a tight, side-by-side battle for positions.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 30, Friesen captured his first Truck stage victory of the season. Enfinger settled in second followed by Kraus, Eckes, Matt Crafton, Gray, Chandler Smith, Ross Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek and Ankrum. Meanwhile, Hailie Deegan pulled her No. 1 David Gilliland Racing Ford F-150 to pit road as her left-rear tire was on fire. The incident was enough to terminate her event on pit road.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Eckes emerged out in front with the lead. During the pit stops, Tyler Ankrum and Rhodes overshot their pit stalls. Chase Purdy and Brennan Poole were busted for speeding while Jesse Little and Chris Hacker were penalized for having a crew member over the pit wall too soon.

    The second stage started on Lap 37 as Friesen and Eckes occupied the front row. At the start, the leaders battled dead even through the backstretch until Friesen stormed to the lead on the outside lane. 

    At the Lap 40 mark, Friesen was leading by a tenth of a second over Nemechek followed by Eckes, Crafton, Majeski, Kraus, Chandler Smith, Preece, Zane Smith and Enfinger.

    Nearing the Lap 50 mark, the caution flew due to debris on the frontstretch that came off of the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST piloted by Matt Mills. Under caution, some led by Friesen pitted while the rest of the field led by Nemechek remained on the track.

    With five laps remaining in the second stage, the race restarted under green. At the start, Nemechek received a push from Eckes on the outside lane to peak ahead of Majeski for the lead. A few laps later, Majeski received a push from Chandler Smith to move in front of Nemechek for the lead. 

    Then prior to the final lap of the second stage, Nemechek bolted to the inside lane to reassume the lead over Majeski followed by teammate Chandler Smith. Shortly after, the caution flew due to a tire tread that came off of Ross Chastain’s No. 41 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST. The caution was enough for the second stage scheduled for Lap 60 to conclude under caution as Nemechek captured the stage victory. Majeski settled in second followed by Chandler Smith, Eckes, Ankrum, Crafton, Dean Thompson, Gray, Hocevar and Preece were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, names like Friesen, Rhodes, Enfinger and Jack Wood remained on the track while the rest of the field remained on the track. 

    The third and final stage restarted under green on Lap 66. At the start, Grant Enfinger muscled his GMS Racing machine to the top spot over Friesen.

    Then on Lap 68, the caution flew for a multi-truck wreck in Turn 3 that consumed Eckes, Jack Wood, Dean Thompson and Lawless Allen. Under caution, some including Preece remained on the track while the rest led by Enfinger pitted.

    Seven laps later, the race restarted under green. At the start, Heim received a push from teammate Chandler Smith to retain the lead over Preece while the field jostled for positions.

    The caution returned, however, on Lap 80 when Tate Fogleman spun on the frontstretch. Four laps later, the race proceeded under green as Heim moved into the lead over Preece. By then, Enfinger, who pitted, was penalized for running over his air hose on pit road.

    Then on Lap 91, the caution once again flew when Jordan Anderson and Tanner Gray made contact entering Turn 1, which got Anderson loose as he came down across the track and hit Tate Fogleman, which then sent Fogleman hard against the Turn 1 outside wall. 

    With 38 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Majeski shoved teammates Rhodes to the lead over Heim as the field fanned out to three lanes through the backstretch. 

    With the majority of the field settling in a long single file line, Rhodes was ahead of teammate Majeski, Heim, Preece and Zane Smith while Chandler Smith, Kraus, Nemechek, Chastain and Friesen were in the top 10.

    Following an incident involving Kris Wright with 35 laps remaining, the race restarted under green six laps later. At the start, the field locked in a side-by-side battle for the top spot until Rhodes managed to retain the lead by a narrow margin. Shortly after, Heim challenged Rhodes for the lead as he led the following lap. With Heim and Rhodes running the outside lane along with Preece, Chandler Smith challenged on the inside lane followed by Kraus. 

    Not long after, the battle for the lead intensified between Heim and Chandler Smith, both of whom representing Kyle Busch Motorsports and as Georgia natives competing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, teammate Nemechek, who was running near the top 10, was off the pace after making contact with Crafton through the backstretch. 

    Down to the final 20 laps of the event and with the battle for the lead fanning out to two lanes as the top-20 competitors were mired in a tight pack towards the front, Chandler Smith was ahead over teammate Heim followed by Tanner Gray, Friesen and Tyler Ankrum. 

    Five laps later, Chandler Smith settled with an advantage of more than a tenth of a second over teammate Heim while Friesen, Zane Smith and Rhodes were in the top five. Majeski was in sixth followed by Gray, Austin Wayne Self, Kraus and Ankrum.

    With 10 laps remaining, Chandler Smith continued to lead followed by teammate Heim, Friesen, Zane Smith, Rhodes and the field.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, the front-runners continued to run in a single file line with the top-11 trucks separated by more than a second as Chandler Smith remained in the lead ahead of teammate Heim, Zane Smith, Rhodes and Majeski. By then, Nemechek, who was two laps down, blended in with the leaders.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Heim made his move beneath teammate Chandler Smith followed by teammate Nemechek, Rhodes and the field while Chandler Smith was trapped on the outside lane. Through the backstretch and Turn 3, Heim continued to lead as Rhodes tried to make a final lap charge for the top spot. With the field fanning out approach the finish line, Heim managed to streak across the finish line in first place to claim his first checkered flag by 0.173 seconds over Rhodes.

    With the victory, Heim became the 119th different competitor to achieve a Truck Series victory and the 12th to do so while competing for Kyle Busch Motorsports as KBM notched its fourth Truck victory at Atlanta. Heim is scheduled to compete in 13 of the remaining 21 Truck events in KBM’s No. 51 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.

    “That was awesome!” Heim said on FS1. “I can’t believe it. We just put ourselves in the right place at the right time. Our JBL Tundra TRD Pro was amazing today. Just can’t thank everyone enough back at the shop. Toyota Racing helped so much to get here and this truck looks awesome in Victory Lane. So glad to be here.”

    “[There were] No team orders there [for the finish],” Heim added. “As long as one [Kyle Busch Motorsports] truck won, that’s all that matters. [Teammate Chandler Smith] did an awesome job defending for most of the race there and [teammate John Hunter Nemechek] stuck with me when it mattered the most. [I] Got to give all the credit to John Hunter Nemechek for helping out there. It’s surreal. Awesome.” 

    Rhodes settled in second place followed by Majeski while Chandler Smith fell back to fourth place in front of Zane Smith.

    “I would’ve liked to duke it out with [Heim], just us and not have anyone else in the middle of it,” Chandler Smith said. “It is what it is. I’m happy for [the 51 team]. That’s their first win of the year and first win for Corey. That’s exciting, I remember how it was to get my first and it was a really cool moment. Happy for him and happy for that whole group. [Crew chief Danny] Stockman and everybody back at KBM. They give me a really fast Safelite/Charge Me/NGE Roofing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro today. It just sucks that it had to end like that. I wish we could’ve duked it out.

    Friesen, Preece, Gray, Kraus and Austin Wayne Self came home in the top 10. Notably, Enfinger finished 14th, Eckes finished 17th, Nemechek and Crafton finished 24th and 25th and DiBenedetto settled in 30th.

    There were 18 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 40 laps.

    With his fourth-place result, Chandler Smith continues to lead the regular season standings by 13 points over Tanner Gray, 17 over Ty Majeski, 26 over Stewart Friesen and 27 over Ben Rhodes.

    Results.

    1. Corey Heim, 22 laps led, 

    2. Ben Rhodes, nine laps led

    3. Ty Majeski, one lap led

    4. Chandler Smith, 21 laps led

    5. Zane Smith

    6. Stewart Friesen, 49 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    7. Ryan Preece, four laps led

    8. Tanner Gray

    9. Derek Kraus

    10. Austin Wayne Self

    11. Tyler Ankrum

    12. Grant Enfinger, 14 laps led

    13. Jack Wood

    14. Chase Purdy

    15. Jesse Little

    16. Christian Eckes, three laps led

    17. Chris Hacker

    18. Jordan Anderson

    19. Matt Jaskol

    20. Spencer Boyd, one lap down

    21. Kris Wright, one lap down

    22. Timmy Hill, one lap down

    23. Ross Chastain, two laps down

    24. John Hunter Nemechek, two laps down, 11 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    25. Matt Crafton, two laps down, one lap led

    26. Colby Howard, two laps down

    27. Carson Hocevar, three laps down

    28. Brennan Poole, five laps down

    29. Blaine Perkins, nine laps down

    30. Matt DiBenedetto, 12 laps down

    31. Tate Fogleman – OUT, Accident

    32. Thad Moffitt – OUT, Engine

    33. Lawless Alan – OUT, Accident

    34. Dean Thompson – OUT, Accident

    35. Matt Mills – OUT, Suspension

    36. Hailie Deegan – OUT, Tire

    Next on the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule is the series’ second annual event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which will occur on Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway – Updated

    Weekend schedule for Atlanta Motor Speedway – Updated

    This weekend all three NASCAR national series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway. The revamped and repaved 1.54-mile asphalt track now includes 28-degrees of banking in every corner, making it the steepest intermediate track on the schedule.

    Throw in the variable of a new car and a style of racing similar to the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega and Atlanta promises to deliver an exciting racing experience.

    “Our goal all along for the reconfiguration of Atlanta Motor Speedway has been to create a first-of-its-kind experience on the NASCAR circuit and we’ve done just that,” said AMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison. “Never before has NASCAR raced on an intermediate track like ours with 28 degrees of banking, much less with superspeedway cars. Both will happen for the first time in Atlanta this year.”

    Press Pass Live will be available throughout the weekend.

    All times are Eastern.

    *Friday, March 18 – All on-track activity canceled due to rain

    3:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – All entries – FS1 – canceled
    4:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – All Entries – FS1 – canceled
    5:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – All Entries – FS1 – canceled

    Saturday, March 19

    10:40 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying Canceled, Replaced by a practice session – Starts on FS2, Moves to FS1 at 11 a.m. – Chandler Smith will be on the pole
    11:40 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying Canceled, Replaced by a practice session – FS1 – Noah Gragson will be on the pole
    12:40 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Canceled, Replaced by a practice session – FS1 – Chase Briscoe will be on the pole

    2:30 p.m.: Truck Series Fr8 208 Race
    Stages 30/60/135 Laps = 207.9 Miles
    FS1/MRN
    The Purse: $669,442
    2021 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Nalley Cars 250 Race
    Stages 40/80/163 Laps = 251.02 Miles
    FS1/PRN/TSN3
    The Purse: $1,232,553
    2021 Race Winner: Justin Allgaier

    Sunday, March 20

    3 p.m.: Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Race
    Stages 105/210/325 Laps = 500.5 Miles
    FOX/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Purse: $8,263,045
    2021 Race Winner: Ryan Blaney

  • Chandler Smith claims a dramatic Truck Series victory at Las Vegas

    Chandler Smith claims a dramatic Truck Series victory at Las Vegas

    Executing a three-lap dash to the finish and a final lap crossover move on Zane Smith to his advantage, Chandler Smith raced his way to his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season in the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 4.

    Smith, a 19-year-old Georgia native who is currently in his second season driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, led four times for a race-high 32 of 134-scheduled laps as he dueled with Zane Smith prior to the final lap before executing a final crossover move over Smith to muscle away with the victory ahead of Smith and Kyle Busch, thus becoming the second regular season winner two races into the 2022 Truck Series season.

    Qualifying earlier on Friday determined the starting lineup and John Hunter Nemechek, winner of the spring Vegas event, started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 178.583 mph at 30.238 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Kyle Busch, Nemechek’s owner who was making his first of five scheduled Truck Series starts of this season and turned in a qualifying lap at 178.000 mph, while teammate Chandler Smith made it a Kyle Busch Motorsports’ 1-2-3 sweep by qualifying in third place.

    Prior to the event, Matt Jaskol dropped to the rear of the field due to a driver change along with Jordan Anderson and Blaine Perkins, both of whom due to unapproved adjustments to their respective machines.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Nemechek rocketed with an early advantage ahead of teammate and owner Kyle Busch as the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and through the backstretch.

    Following the first lap that was led by Nemechek, Kyle Busch moved into the lead. Soon after, Nemechek slipped to fourth place as Zane Smith and Ben Rhodes moved up towards the front. 

    Through the first 10 laps of the event, Busch and Zane Smith battled dead even for the lead followed by Rhodes while Nemechek and Chandler Smith were in the top five. 

    A lap later, Zane Smith, winner of the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February, overtook Busch to move into the lead as Rhodes also moved into the runner-up spot. 

    Five laps later, Zane Smith continued to lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over Rhodes while Chandler Smith was in third place in his No. 18 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Behind, Kyle Busch fell back to fourth place followed by Carson Hocevar and Tanner Gray while John Hunter Nemechek was back in seventh place ahead of Christian Eckes, Matt Crafton and Ryan Preece.

    Through the first 20 laps of the event, Zane Smith was leading by nearly a second over Chandler Smith while third-place Kyle Busch trailed by more than a second in his No. 51 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Hocevar was in fourth followed by Tanner Gray while Rhodes was back in sixth ahead of Nemechek.

    A lap later, the first caution of the event flew when Blaine Perkins spun and made contact with the outside wall on the backstretch. Under caution, some led by Zane Smith pitted while the rest led by Chandler Smith remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Todd Bodine, a two-time Truck Series champion who was making his first NASCAR national touring series start since 2017, was penalized for speeding on pit road. In addition, Stewart Friesen was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

    Just as the field restarted under green on Lap 27, the caution immediately returned when Zane Smith made contact with Colby Howard in Turn 1, which sent Howard’s No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST bouncing off of Crafton’s No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra TRD Pro as he then spun in Turn 1 while Chase Purdy and Hailie Deegan also sustained damage while trying to avoid Howard. At the moment of caution, Rhodes had managed to overtake Chandler Smith for the lead. Then, NASCAR ruled that the first stage would conclude under caution. As the green and white checkered flag flew to conclude the first stage on Lap 30, Rhodes claimed his first stage victory of the season followed by Chandler Smith, Tanner Gray, rookie Jack Wood, Carson Hocevar, Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch, Nemechek, Ty Majeski and Zane Smith.

    Under the stage break, some led by Rhodes pitted while the rest led by Hocevar and Gray remained on the track.

    The second stage started on Lap 37 as Gray and Hocevar occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out, Hocevar passed Gray to take the lead while Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Majeski and Eckes battled for third place. Then in Turn 3, Majeski, Eckes and Nemechek made contact, but all three competitors managed to keep their trucks running straight as Nemechek moved up to third followed by Majeksi, Kyle Busch and Eckes while Hocevar continued to lead, 

    By Lap 40, Hocevar was leading by less than three-tenths of a second over Gray as Kyle Busch challenged Gray for the runner-up spot. 

    Five laps later, Hocevar continued to retain a narrow advantage over Kyle Busch while Nemechek was in third. Behind, Gray was in fourth ahead of Ty Majeski and Rhodes.

    During the following laps, however, Kyle Busch reassumed the lead. By Lap 50, Busch was leading by half a second over teammate Nemechek while Hocevar was back in third place. Gray and Majeski were in the top five followed by Rhodes, Eckes, Chandler Smith, Stewart Friesen and Derek Kraus.

    Five laps later, the caution flew when Bodine got loose and spun his No. 62 Camping World Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in Turn 4. Under caution, some led by Busch pitted while the rest led by Gray remained on the track.

    With the field restarting for a one-lap dash to the conclusion of the second stage, Rhodes managed to overtake Gray for the top spot and fend off the field to claim the second stage victory on Lap 60 and sweep the stages. Busch settled in second place followed by Majeski, Nemechek, Gray, Chandler Smith, Crafton, Eckes, Friesen and Derek Kraus.

    Under the stage break, some led by Rhodes pitted while the rest led by Kyle Busch remained on the track.

    With 68 laps remaining, the final stage started as Kyle Busch Motorsports’ competitors occupied the top-three spots. At the start, Busch received a push from teammate Nemechek to retain the lead as he brought Nemechek’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro with him. Behind, Zane Smith overtook Hocevar to move into fourth place as Stewart Friesen and Ryan Preece joined the party.

    Four laps later, Nemechek ignited a side-by-side battle against owner Kyle Busch for the lead. While teammates Nemechek and Busch battled for the lead, Friesen and Zane Smith started to challenge Chandler Smith for third place.

    A few laps later, the caution returned for an incident involving Chase Purdy and Jack Wood. At the moment of caution, Nemechek emerged with the lead ahead of his two KBM teammates. Under caution, Crafton and Spencer Boyd pitted while the rest led by Nemechek remained on the track.

    With 57 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Nemechek received a push from teammate Chandler Smith to retain the lead. Behind, Zane Smith moved up to third while Kyle Busch was left in a battle with Hocevar for fourth.

    Seven laps later, Nemechek was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Chandler Smith while bossman Kyle Busch trailed by seven-tenths of a second. Zane Smith was in fourth followed by Derek Kraus while Friesen, Preece, Eckes, Rhodes and Hocevar were in the top 10. Grant Enfinger was in 11th followed by Gray, Tyler Antrum, Matt DiBenedetto and Majeski while Crafton was mired back in 23rd. In between Matt Mills and Kaz Grala. Meanwhile, Todd Bodine was in 26th.

    With 45 laps remaining, the caution returned when Bodine spun in Turn 4 and across pit road as his rear deck lid came loose despite making significant contact with any obstacles.

    Under caution, the leaders except for Timmy Hill peeled to pit road and Nemechek retained the lead followed by teammates Busch and Chandler Smith. Following the pit stops, Zane Smith was penalized for speeding on pit road. In addition, Hill dropped to the rear of the field and yielded the lead to the KBM competitors.

    Down to the final 40 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, teammates Nemechek and Chandler Smith battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns before Smith peaked ahead through the backstretch. As Smith took the lead, Eckes challenged Nemechek for the runner-up spot while Rhodes, Kyle Busch, Hocevar and Nemechek battled.

    Two laps later, the caution returned when Hocevar, who was overtaken by Rhodes and Busch in Turn 3, got loose and was hit by Preece’s No. 17 United Rentals Ford F-150 before spinning his No. 42 Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet Silverado RST through the frontstretch grass.

    Then as the field restarted with 32 laps remaining, the caution returned during the following lap when Ty Majeski got loose entering Turn 4 and turned his teammate Ben Rhodes, sending Rhodes’ No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro hard into the outside wall and out of the race as his truck briefly came off the ground. 

    Down to the final 23 laps of the event, the race restarted under green as teammates Chandler Smith and Kyle Busch occupied the front row. At the start, Smith rocketed ahead with the lead as Eckes made his way into second place ahead of Busch. 

    Three laps remaining, Chandler Smith was leading by a narrow margin over teammate Busch while Eckes, Grant Enfinger and Nemechek were in the top five. By then, Carson Hocevar was posted for changing lanes prior to the restart.

    Then with 16 laps remaining, Kris Wright drew the caution when he spun his No. 44 iHeartRadio Chevrolet Silverado RST in Turn 2. 

    Five laps later, the race resumed to green flag competition as teammates Chandler Smith and Eckes occupied the front row once again. At the start, Eckes received a strong push from Preece to take the lead as Kyle Busch made a move to the outside lane to rocket pass teammate Smith, who was falling out of the lead pack. Shortly after, Busch overtook Preece for the runner-up spot as he pursued Eckes for the lead.

    Then with nine laps remaining, Eckes, who was challenged by Busch for the lead, spun after making contact with Busch, which sent Eckes’ No, 98 Curb Records Toyota Tundra TRD Pro sliding below the banking and pounding the infield wall drivers’ side before coming back across the track with significant damage despite being dodged by the field. While Busch proceeded with the lead, Eckes’ strong run concluded in the garage.

    Down to the final three laps of the event, the field restarted under green. At the start, Zane Smith emerged with the top spot following a strong start over Kyle Busch as the field fanned out entering the backstretch. Behind, Preece and Chandler Smith placed Kyle Busch in a three-wide situation as Smith moved into second place followed by Busch while Preece slipped in Turn 3.

    During the following lap, Zane Smith continued to lead ahead of a hard-charging Chandler Smith while Kyle Busch remained in third. Then through the backstretch, Derek Kraus, who got loose during the initial lap, made contact with Grant Enfinger, which sent Kraus’ No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST bouncing off of Nemechek’s No. 4 Toyota before slipping sideways below the banking. In spite of the incident, Kraus continued as the race proceeded under green. 

    Back at the front, Chandler Smith drew himself alongside Zane Smith’s No. 38 Michael Roberts Construction Ford F-150 through Turns 3 and 4 while Kyle Busch lurked behind the two leaders.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Chandler Smith and Zane Smith dueled for the lead as Chandler peaked ahead on the outside lane. Then in Turn 1, Chandler Smith remained on the outside lane in front of teammate Kyle Busch while Zane Smith tried to clear the two Kyle Busch Motorsports competitors from the bottom lane entering Turn 2. Chandler Smith, however, pulled a crossover move against Zane Smith’s slide job process, which gave Chandler’s No. 18 Toyota the inside lane as he rocketed back to the lead entering Turn 3. As Zane Smith was unable to mount another challenge for the lead, Chandler Smith was able to able to pull away and cross the finish line in first place by less than three-tenths of a second over Zane Smith followed by the field.

    As the field took the checkered flag, Grant Enfinger crossed the finish line on fire and with damage to his No. 23 Champion Chevrolet Silverado RST after making contact with the outside wall in Turn 3. Behind, Nemechek, who was losing ground following the contact with Kraus, was involved in a vicious accident after spinning before being t-boned by Jordan Anderson in Turn 3. Also involved was Spencer Boyd, who dislocated his shoulder and announced plans to check in to a hospital for get x-rays.

    With the victory, Chandler Smith notched his third Camping World Truck Series career win in his 40th series start. He also recorded the first victory of the season for Kyle Busch Motorsports and the first NASCAR win for the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro stock car.

    “When you guys tune into me halfway through the race, ‘how did he get up there?”’ Smith, who motioned towards the sky, said on FS1. “It’s the good Lord, man. He performs miracles all day. He’s given me this talent, this opportunity to drive this truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports and for [sponsor] Safelite. I’m just beyond thankful for this whole opportunity. All the glory goes to Him, all my guys, my wife, everybody’s that’s a part of this deal that deals with me, honestly, every single day. I’m just super thankful right now. Man, I’m just another guy that’s just trying to race cars for a living. I’ll do whatever the good Lord lets me do.”

    Zane Smith, who was trying to claim back-to-back victories after winning the season-opening event at Daytona, settled in second place followed by Kyle Busch, who led 31 of 134-scheduled laps.

    “[Chandler Smith’s truck] was, definitely, the best truck tonight,” Busch said. “They did a great job being able to execute there. We split him on that second-to-last restart and there on that last restart, he split us. Kind of a little payback, I guess, but then I was worried that [Zane Smith] was gonna win. Overall, [Chandler Smith] was able to get a good run and get cleared down the backstretch here. Really proud of those guys. [Crew chief] Danny [Stockman Jr.] and Chandler both just executed very well tonight. Cool to see [sponsor] Safelite in Victory Lane with them. Our JBL Tundra was just not quite as good as theirs…Overall, a really good night. First and third.”

    Following the event, however, Zane Smith was disqualified and stripped of his runner-up result when his truck failed post-race inspection because his lug nuts did not conform to the rule book.

    With Busch promoted to second place behind teammate Chandler Smith, Friesen was credited with third place followed by Ryan Preece and Tanner Gray. Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Crafton, Bret Holmes, Austin Wayne Self and Ty Majeski finished in the top 10. The seventh-place result for Crafton occurred in his 500th Truck Series consecutive career start.

    Dean Thompson was the highest-finishing rookie competitor in 11th behind Ty Majeski, Todd Bodine finished 21st, Enfinger finished 23rd and Nemechek managed to finish 25th on the lead lap.

    There were 21 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 52 laps.

    Following his victory, Chandler Smith leads the regular-season standings by five points over Tanner Gray, 15 over Ty Majeski, 17 over Ben Rhodes and 22 over Stewart Friesen.

    Results.

    1. Chandler Smith, 32 laps led

    2. Kyle Busch, 31 laps led

    3. Stewart Friesen

    4. Ryan Preece, three laps led

    5. Tanner Gray, seven laps led

    6. Matt DiBenedetto

    7. Matt Crafton

    8. Bret Holmes

    9. Austin Wayne Self

    10. Ty Majeski

    11. Dean Thompson

    12. Tate Fogleman

    13. Carson Hocevar, nine laps led

    14. Chase Purdy

    15. Matt Mills

    16. Tyler Ankrum

    17. Kris Wright

    18. Timmy Hill

    19. Lawless Alan

    20. Loris Hezemans

    21. Todd Bodine

    22. Matt Jaskol

    23. Grant Enfinger

    24. Derek Kraus

    25. John Hunter Nemechek, 23 laps led

    26. Jordan Anderson – OUT, Accident

    27. Spencer Boyd – OUT, Accident

    28. Christian Eckes – OUT, Accident, four laps led

    29. Thad Moffitt, 20 laps down

    30. Kaz Grala – OUT, Engine

    31. Ben Rhodes – OUT, Accident, nine laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    32. Jack Wood – OUT, Accident

    33. Hailie Deegan – OUT, Accident

    34. Colby Howard – OUT, Accident

    35. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Dvp

    36. Zane Smith – Disqualified, 15 laps led

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors and teams will return to action at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

    Weekend schedule for Las Vegas

    All three NASCAR national series will compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.

    Kyle Larson hopes to make it two in a row after his Cup Series victory last week at Auto Club Speedway. AJ Allmendinger is leading the way in the Xfinity Series driver standings and the defending race winner and the Camping World Truck Series returns to the track after a week off from competition.

    The Cup Series practice sessions will be handled differently at Las Vegas to give the drivers and teams extra time on the track. The full field will practice for about 35 minutes instead of being split into two groups as we will see at most ovals this year.

    Single car, single-lap qualifying will immediately follow practice and cars will be split into two groups. The top five drivers from each group will advance to a second round of single-car, single-lap qualifying to determine who will win the pole position.

    Press Pass Live will be available throughout the weekend.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 4

    Camping World Truck Series

    4:30 p.m.: Practice – All Entries – FS1
    5 p.m.: Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle: 1 Lap/1 Round/All Entries – FS1
    9 p.m.: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 race
    Stages: 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles
    Purse: $699,491
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2021 Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek

    Xfinity Series

    6:30 p.m.: Practice – All Entries – FS1
    7 p.m.: Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle: 1 Lap/1 Round/All Entries – FS1

    Saturday, March 5

    Cup Series

    1:30 p.m.: Practice (Groups A and B Combined)
    FS2/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2:05 Qualifying (Impound) Groups A & B – Single Vehicle, 1 Lap, 2 Rounds – FS1

    Xfinity Series

    4:30 p.m.: Alsco Uniforms 300 race
    Stages: 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles
    The Purse: $1,676,079
    FS1/PRN/TSN2/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2021 Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger

    Sunday, March 6

    Cup Series

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Pennzoil 400 race
    Stages 80/165/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles
    Purse: $8,483,997
    FOX/PRN/TSN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    2021 Race Winner: Kyle Larson

  • Crafton to make 500th Camping World Truck Series career start at Las Vegas

    Crafton to make 500th Camping World Truck Series career start at Las Vegas

    A record-setting milestone start is in the making from Matt Crafton, three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Crafton, who enters his 22nd consecutive season of Truck competition, will achieve his 500th consecutive career start in the Truck circuit.

    A native of Tulare, California, Crafton made his inaugural presence in the Truck Series during the season finale at California Speedway in October 2000. By then, he had achieved the 2000 Featherlite Southwest Series championship. Driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for SealMaster Racing, Crafton started 17th and finished ninth. 

    The following season, Crafton took over the No. 88 Chevrolet for SealMaster Racing as a full-time Truck Series competitor. He commenced his first full-time season with a 27th-place result in the season-opening event at Daytona after retiring midway into the event due to an engine failure. He then went on to record 11 top-10 results throughout the 24-race schedule, including two season-best sixth-place results at Martinsville Speedway in April and at Pikes Peak International Raceway in May, before settling in 12th place in the final standings.

    After recording a total of 17 top-10 results between 2002 and 2003, with his best points result being 11th place in 2003, Crafton joined Kevin Harvick Inc. as driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado. He finished 19th during the season-opening event at Daytona, but proceeded to finish in the top five for the first six times in his career. His best results were a pair of third-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and at Phoenix Raceway in November. To go along with a total of 17 top-10 results throughout the 25-race schedule, Crafton finished in fifth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the Truck Series.

    Crafton, who was released by KHI at season’s end, rejoined ThorSport Racing for the 2005 Truck Series season as the team rebranded from SealMaster Racing during the previous season. In his return to ThorSport, he started on pole position for the first time in his career at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. He also recorded two top-five results, a season-best fourth-place result at the Indianapolis Raceway Park in August and a total of 10 top-10 results before finishing in ninth place in the final standings. 

    From 2006 to 2007, Crafton achieved a total of five top-five results and 20 top-10 results, including three third-place results, as he notched an eighth-place result in the final standings in 2007. Four races into the 2008 Truck season, Crafton dodged a last lap collision between Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson Jr. to earn a career-best second-place result at Martinsville Speedway in March. Then two races later at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, he fended off the field during a two-lap shootout to score his first NASCAR Truck Series career victory in his 178th series start, which marks the most starts for a competitor prior to a first victory in the Truck circuit. In a season where he etched himself as a first-time NASCAR winner, Crafton also earned a total of nine top-five results and 12 top-10 results throughout the 25-race schedule before finishing in fifth place in the final standings.

    Despite going winless in 2009, Crafton endured a successful, consistent season, where he earned two poles, five runner-up results, 11 top-five results, 21 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 6.7 and a career-best runner-up result in the final standings behind four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. By then, Crafton surpassed 200 career starts in the Truck Series. 

    After finishing in fourth place in the final standings during the 2010 season, where he also earned a pole, 10 top-five results and 20 top-10 results, Crafton snapped a two-year winless drought at Iowa Speedway in July 2011 and claimed his second Truck Series career victory after leading the final 12 laps while fending off Austin Dillon. While he earned an additional pole from the previous season, Crafton, however, earned less top-five and top-10 results from 2010 (five and 13), as he settled in eighth place in the final standings in 2011.

    The 2012 season featured a manufacturer change from Chevrolet to Toyota for Crafton and ThorSport Racing as the California veteran recorded a pole, eight top-five results, 14 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 9.8 and a sixth-place result in the final standings. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Crafton had the lead late in the event until he was overtaken by Nelson Piquet Jr. on the final lap and settled in a close runner-up result.

    Crafton commenced the 2013 season, his 13th as a full-time Truck competitor, with three consecutive top-10 results, including a runner-up result behind teammate Johnny Sauter at Martinsville in March. Then at Kansas Speedway in April, Crafton notched his third career win in the Truck Series after leading the final 30 laps and holding off Joey Coulter. The victory vaulted Crafton to the top of the driver’s standings. From there, Crafton and the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra team displayed a superb consistent season by finishing in the top 10 during the following 12 scheduled events. By then, he surpassed 300 consecutive career starts in the Truck Series. He then finished no lower than 17th during the following five events as he maintained the points lead. Entering the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November with a 46-point advantage over Ty Dillon, Crafton clinched his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship by starting his engine and rolling his truck out on the track for the pace laps. Despite being involved in a late incident and settling in 21st place in the final running order while on the lead lap, Crafton locked up his first title by 40 points over Dillon and became the first competitor to complete every lap of a Truck Series season. To go along with a first NASCAR title for himself and for ThorSport Racing, Crafton recorded seven top-five results, 19 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 7.9 throughout the 22-race schedule.

    The 2014 Truck Series season was an historic season for Crafton, who earned multiple victories in a season for the first time in his career and repeated as a champion. After finishing 13th during the season-opening event at Daytona, he persevered during a two-lap shootout to claim his fourth career victory at Martinsville in March. Four races later, he utilized fuel strategy to claim his fifth career win at Texas Motor Speedway in June. By September, Crafton was leading the driver’s standings and went on to claim his second consecutive Camping World Truck Series championship on a strength of 13 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and a career-best average-finishing result of 7.0. Overall, Crafton became the first NASCAR competitor to win back-to-back Truck Series championships.

    Crafton began his quest for a record-setting third consecutive Truck title during the 2015 season, which marked his 15th consecutive full-time season in the series, by finishing eighth at Daytona before notching his sixth career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February. During the following eight scheduled events, he collected three additional victories at Kansas, Texas and Kentucky Speedway as he remained as the points leader. Over the next 12 events, Crafton won at Martinsville in late October and earned seven results in the top 10 as he remained in the championship battle between himself, Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick. Two late accidents and finishes outside of the top 20 at Talladega in October and at Phoenix Raceway in November, however, were enough to prevent Crafton’s opportunity in making history with a third consecutive title as he slipped into third place in the final standings. Nonetheless, Crafton went on to record his sixth victory of the season (a career best) during the finale at Homestead as he walked away from the 2015 season with four poles, 13 top-five results, 18 top-10 results, and an average-finishing result of 7.7 in 23 races.

    In 2016, Crafton earned back-to-back victories for the first time in his career after winning at Dover Motor Speedway and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in back-to-back weekends in May. He also earned an additional nine top-10 results throughout the 16-race regular season stretch as he emerged as one of eight competitors to qualify for the inaugural 2016 Truck Playoffs. Throughout the Playoffs, Crafton utilized consistency, including four results in the top 10 to transfer all the way to the Championship Round and contend for the title at Homestead in November. During the finale, however, Crafton finished seventh on the track, four spots behind title rival Johnny Sauter, as Sauter claimed the championship while Crafton settled in second place in the final standings. Overall, Crafton earned two victories, a pole, eight top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.9 throughout the 23-race schedule.

    Crafton commenced the 2017 Truck Series season on a harrowing note after he was involved in a multi-truck wreck while leading on the final lap at Daytona, where he was clipped by teammate Ben Rhodes on the backstraightaway as Crafton’s No. 88 Toyota went airborne and barrel-rolled in the air before landing back down on all four wheels and coming to rest against the infield wall. He rallied from the incident by finishing second at Atlanta. Nine races later, Crafton snapped a 27-race winless drought by claiming his first victory of the season and the 14th of his career at Eldora Speedway in July. The Eldora win along with nine results in the top 10 throughout the 16-race regular season stretch were enough for the two-time champion to qualify for the 2017 Truck Playoffs. Despite earning five top-10 results throughout the Playoffs and reaching the Championship Round for a second consecutive season, Crafton ended up in sixth place during the finale at Homestead and in fourth place in the final standings behind Christopher Bell, Sauter and Austin Cindric. Crafton, though, was able to achieve a victory, a pole, five top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 9.3 throughout the 23-race schedule as he even surpassed 400 consecutive career starts in the Truck Series. 

    Swapping to a new manufacturer from Toyota to Ford, Crafton endured an up-and-down season in 2018, where he earned a season-best runner-up result at Dover in May along with seven top-five results, 13 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 11.2 throughout the 23-race schedule. Despite making the 2018 Truck Playoffs, he was eliminated from championship contention following the Round of 6 and settled in sixth place in the final standings.

    Commencing the 2019 Truck season with a fifth-place result at Daytona, Crafton produced a consistent regular season stretch that included 14 results in the top 10 to secure the eighth and final spot to the Playoffs. He then returned to the Championship Round at Homestead in November after finishing in the top 10 in all but two Playoff events. Then at Homestead, Crafton finished in second place behind race winner Austin Hill, but managed to finish ahead of title rivals Ross Chastain, Brett Moffitt and Stewart Friesen to score his third Camping World Truck Series championship. With the result, Crafton, who recorded three poles, seven top-five results, 18 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 8.8 in 2019, became the first competitor to achieve a championship in a winless season since Austin Dillon made the last accomplishment during the 2013 Xfinity Series season. His three championships moved him into a tie with Jack Sprague for the second-most championships in the history of the Truck Series and one shy behind four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. 

    Campaigning in his 20th consecutive full-time season as a NASCAR Truck competitor, Crafton achieved four top-five results during the first nine scheduled events before snapping a 67-race winless drought and collecting his 15th career victory at Kansas Speedway in July. He went on to earn three additional results in the top five before the 2020 Truck Playoffs commenced. From the Round of 10 to 8, Crafton recorded six consecutive results in the top 10, but missed the cutoff to the Championship Round by three points as he settled in fifth place in the final standings.

    Reuniting with Toyota as his manufacturer in 2021, Crafton initiated the season with a 15th-place result at Daytona despite being involved in a multi-truck wreck on the final lap. He rallied with four top-10 results during the following seven races before finishing no higher than 15th during the next three. Crafton, nonetheless, was able to claim three consecutive top-six results before qualifying for the Playoffs. Finishing no lower than 14th throughout the Playoffs, he managed to return to the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway in November. During the finale, however, Crafton finished 12th on the track and in fourth place in the final standings.

    The 2022 Truck Series season marks Crafton’s 22nd consecutive season of competition, where he is coming off a 27th-place result at Daytona after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck.

    Through 499 previous Truck starts, Crafton has achieved three championships, 15 victories, 16 poles, 130 top-five results, 300 top-10 results, nearly 2,700 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.2.

    Crafton is schedule to make his 500th Camping World Truck Series consecutive career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 4, with the event scheduled to occur at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR 2022 driver and team updates

    NASCAR 2022 driver and team updates

    As the NASCAR season winds down, we typically look forward to all the driver and team announcements. This year, however, has given new meaning to the name, “silly season.”

    The biggest surprise came on June 30 when Chip Ganassi Racing announced the sale of its entire NASCAR operation to Trackhouse Racing Team, effective at the end of the 2021 season.

    While rumors had hinted of it in the preceding months, on July 20 it was confirmed that Brad Keselowski was leaving Penske Racing to drive the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford and will also have a minority ownership stake in the company.

    One of the most anticipated changes is the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022. After months of testing, NASCAR announced on Dec. 21 that the 670 Horsepower and the 4-inch rear spoiler will be used for all tracks except for Daytona and Talladega which will have a “separate speedway package” with 510 Horsepower and a 7-inch rear spoiler.

    Please check out the list below for more NASCAR updates. Future news and announcements will be added regularly.

    Cup Series 2022 driver and team updates

    Anthony Alfredo

    Front Row Motorsports announced on Nov. 9 that Alfredo will not return to drive for the team in 2022. His future plans are to be determined.

    AJ Allmendinger

    In addition to competing full-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing, Allmendinger will also run part-time in the Cup Series for the team in the No. 16 car (16 races) sharing driving duties with Noah Gragson (14 races) and Daniel Hemric (nine races).

    Aric Almirola

    Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Jan. 4, 2022, that Drew Blickensderfer will serve as the crew chief for Almirola in the Cup Series this season. On Jan. 10, Almirola announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2022 season.

    Josh Bilicki

    Spire Motorsports announced on Jan. 10 that Bilicki will drive the team’s No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro for the majority of the 2022 Cup Series race schedule. Kevin Bellicourt will return as crew chief for Bilicki and the other drivers who will compete in the No. 77. In addition to his Cup Series schedule, Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 27 that Josh Bilicki will also compete in six races for them in the Xfinity Series that will include four road courses and two ovals in the No. 44 Chevrolet. Bilicki’s first race with Alpha Prime Racing will be at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on March 26.

    Alex Bowman

    Hendrick Motorsports announced on June 18 that Bowman signed a two-year extension to drive the No. 48 Chevrolet in the Cup Series through 2023 with Ally Financial as his primary sponsor. With Bowman’s extension, all four HMS drivers have been resigned through 2022.

    Harrison Burton

    Burton will leave Joe Gibbs Racing where he currently competes in the Xfinity Series to move up to the Cup Series in 2022 with Wood Brothers Racing. The press release on July 15 stated that sponsorship will be announced at a later date but would include support from Ford Quick Lane and Motorcraft. On Nov. 11 it was announced that Brian Wilson will serve as crew chief for Burton with Tyler Green as the spotter. 

    Kurt Busch

    After the announcement that Chip Ganassi Racing has been sold to Trackhouse Racing, Busch became a free agent. On August 27, 23XI Racing announced that Busch will join them as they field two full-time teams, alongside Bubba Wallace in his second year with 23XI. Busch will race the No. 45 Toyota with Monster Energy as a sponsor. It was confirmed on Nov. 16 that Billy Scott will be Busch’s crew chief. Jason Jarrett (Ryan Newman’s former spotter) will spot for Busch in 2022. 

    William Byron

    On Sept. 21, 2020, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Byron signed a contract extension through 2022. In June of this year, Rick Hendrick stated that his “plan is for Chase (Elliott) and William (Byron) to retire with us, so that’s an ongoing situation with me. I love the lineup right now, and I want to keep the band together.” Brandon Lines, spotter for Ryan Preece in 2021, will spot for Byron in 2022.

    Chris Buescher

    Buescher will continue to drive the No. 17 Ford for RFK Racing with Scott Graves as his crew chief. Graves began working with Buescher in Oct. 2021 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

    Ross Chastain

    On August 3, Trackhouse Racing announced that Chastain will join the team to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro in the Cup Series. Another announcement was made on Oct. 25 stating that Phil Surgen will make the move with Chastain to continue as his crew chief at Trackhouse Racing.

    Austin Cindric

    After the news that Brad Keselowski was leaving Team Penske next season, it was announced that Cindric will move up from the Xfinity Series with Team Penske to take over Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford in the Cup Series in 2022. Jeremy Bullins will serve as Cindric’s crew chief with, spotter, Doug Campbell.

    Ty Dillon

    On Sunday, Oct. 10, it was announced that Dillon will drive full time in the No. 94 Chevrolet for GMS Racing (now Petty GMS Motorsports) in 2022 in their inaugural NASCAR Cup Series season. On Nov. 16, Jerame Donley, Ganassi engineer, was named as Dillon’s crew chief for next year.

    Chase Elliott

    On February 20, Hendrick Motorsports announced that they had signed a five-year contract extension with Elliott that will be in effect through the end of the 2027 racing season.

    Todd Gilliland

    On Nov. 30 it was announced that Gilliland will move up from the Camping World Truck Series to the Cup Series to drive the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports.

    Noah Gragson

    On Dec. 14 it was announced that Gragson will drive a part-time schedule in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing in the No. 16 car in addition to driving full-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. His first Cup Series race with Kaulig Racing will be on Sunday, Mar. 20, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Kaz Grala

    Grala will attempt to qualify for the Cup Series Daytona 500 in the No. 50 Chevrolet for The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing), as announced by the organization on Feb. 1.

    On Jan. 24, Alpha Prime Racing announced that Grala will join their Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts in 2022. His first race with them will be at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

    His season will get even busier as it was confirmed on Feb. 3 that Grala will return to Young’s Motorsports this year and drive the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado in 11 Truck Series races. His first scheduled race with Young’s Motorsports will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2022.

    Justin Haley

    Haley will drive the No. 31 Camaro for Kaulig Racing in 2022 as he moves from the Xfinity Series to drive for the team in their first full-time season in the Cup Series. Trent Owens will join the team as the crew chief.

    Joey Hand

    Rick Ware Racing announced on Jan. 27 that Hand will drive all of the six Cup Series road course races for the team this year. His first race will be at Circuit of the Americas on March 27 followed by Sonoma on June 12, Road America on July 3, the Indianapolis road course on July 30, Watkins Glen on Aug. 21 and the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 9.

    Daniel Hemric

    Hemric will begin the 2022 season competing in the Daytona 500 in the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. As noted below, Hemric, along with AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson will split the driving duties for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16. Chevrolet in the Cup Series this year. Hemric will also compete full-time in Kaulig Racing’s No. 11 entry in the Xfinity Series.

    Erik Jones

    Jones announced Sunday, August 22 at Michigan International Speedway that he will return to Richard Petty Motorsports (now Petty GMS Motorsports) in 2022 for his second season driving the No. 43 Chevrolet. Dave Elenz (Noah Gragson’s former crew chief) will serve as the crew chief for Jones.

    Brad Keselowski

    On July 20, Roush Fenway Racing confirmed the rumors that Keselowski will move from Team Penske to drive the No. 6 Ford for RFR in 2022 and will also have a minority ownership stake in the company. He explained the move as a way to live “up to the maximum potential that I have. I don’t feel like I’ve lived up to that. I feel like I have a lot more to offer than being just a race car driver. Short of having won championships in the last few years, I haven’t achieved that.” It was announced on Nov. 2 that Matt McCall (currently crew chief for Kurt Busch) will join Keselowski in 2022 as crew chief. TJ Majors will spot for Keselowski.

    Corey LaJoie

    Spire Motorsports announced in November 2020 that they had signed a multi-year deal with LaJoie to continue as the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet full-time in the Cup Series. Ryan Sparks will return as crew chief for LaJoie.

    Kyle Larson

    It was confirmed on July 14 that Larson’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports has been extended through 2023. HendrickCars.com will provide the majority sponsorship of the No. 5 Chevrolet for 35 races per year and will sponsor Larson in his non-NASCAR races.

    Michael McDowell

    McDowell will return to the Cup Series and Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 34 Ford Mustang for his fifth year with the team, as announced on Nov. 30. On Jan. 6, the team announced that Blake Harris will serve as the crew chief for McDowell.

    Ryan Newman

    Keselowski will take over the driving duties in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in 2022, leaving Newman’s future uncertain. RFR team president Steve Newmark indicated that a part-time role within the company is possible but Newman has not announced his plans for next season.

    Ryan Preece

    Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Jan. 6 that they have hired Preece as a reserve driver for the 2022 season. As part of an alliance between SHR and Rick Ware Racing, Preece will run a total of 12 races in the No. 15 including two in the Cup Series on May 1 at Dover Motor Speedway and May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and three in the Xfinity Series on April 2 at Richmond Raceway, May 28 at Charlotte and June 25 at Nashville Superspeedway. He will also run seven Truck Series races – March 4 at Las Vegas, March 19 at Atlanta, May 6 at Darlington, May 20 at Texas, June 24 at Nashville, July 23 at Pocono, and Sept. 9 at Kansas Speedway.

    David Ragan

    Rick Ware Racing announced on Jan. 12 that Ragan will pilot the No. 15 Ford in multiple Cup Series races this season beginning with the Daytona 500. Sponsors will be announced at a later date.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    During a media availability session prior to the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, Stenhouse confirmed that he will return to drive the No. 47 for JTG Daugherty Racing for the 2022 season. Tab Boyd will move from Hendrick Motorsports as the spotter for William Byron to spot for Stenhouse in 2022.

    Bubba Wallace

    Wallace will enter his second season with 23XI Racing. It was announced on Nov. 16 that Bootie Barker will be the full-time crew chief for Wallace in 2022.

    Cody Ware

    On Jan. 14, Ware confirmed that he will drive full-time in the Cup Series driving the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 Ford.

    Beard Motorsports – Will return to the Cup Series in 2022

    Beard Motorsports, a non-chartered team, announced today that they will return to compete in 2022 in the Cup Series in the No. 62 Camaro and attempt to race in the Daytona 500 and subsequent races at Daytona as well as Talladega. The driver is yet to be determined.

    Chip Ganassi Racing – Sold and will cease operations at the end of the 2021 season

    On June 30 Chip Ganassi Racing announced the sale of its NASCAR operation to Trackhouse Racing Team, effective at the end of the 2021 season.

    Front Row Motorsports – Will field two cars in 2022

    Front Row Motorsports announced on Nov. 9 that they will continue to field two cars in the 2022 Cup Series (No. 34 and No. 38). The team also said that Anthony Alfredo will not return next year to FRM. On Nov. 30 they announced that Michael McDowell will return to drive the No. 34 Ford and Todd Gilliland will move up to pilot the No. 38 Ford next year in the Cup Series. With Gilliland moving up, Zane Smith will join the team to compete in the No. 38 Ford in the Truck Series.

    GMS Racing/Petty GMS Motorsports – Will make its Cup Series debut in 2022

    It was announced on Dec. 1 that RPM sold a majority interest to GMS Racing owner, Maury Gallagher. The team announced the name change of Petty GMS Motorsports on Dec. 7. Erik Jones will return to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet in 2022. Ty Dillon will drive the No. 42 which was the original number used by Lee Petty from 1949 to 1961.

    JTG Daugherty Racing

    The team confirmed on Sept. 30, 2021, that they will only field one car in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet.

    Kaulig Racing – Purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports

    Kaulig Racing purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports for the 2022 season. As noted above, Justin Haley will drive full-time for the team in the Cup Series in the No. 30 entry. On Dec. 14, Kaulig Racing announced the driver lineup for their second Cup Series entry. Noah Gragson will drive the No. 16 Chevrolet in 14 races. AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Hemric will split the driving duties for the other 24 races. Sponsors and the race schedule for each driver will be announced at a later date. On Jan. 8, it was announced that Matt Swiderski will serve as the crew chief for the No. 16 entry. It will be Swiderski’s first, full-time season as a crew chief in the series.

    Richard Petty Motorsports agrees to sell majority interest to Maury Gallagher, owner of GMS Racing

    It was announced on Dec. 1 that RPM sold a majority interest to GMS Racing owner, Maury Gallagher. The team announced the name change of Petty GMS Motorsports on Dec. 7. They will race out of GMS Racing’s current headquarters in Statesville, NC. As confirmed in August, Erik Jones will return to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet in 2022. Ty Dillon will drive the No. 42 which was the original number used by Lee Petty from 1949 to 1961. Petty will serve as Chairman of the Board, with Mike Beam as President and Brian Moffitt as the Executive Vice President of Sales.  

    Roush Fenway Racing – Changes name

    Roush Fenway Racing announced on Nov. 16 that it has changed its name to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing).

    Stewart-Haas Racing

    Stewart-Haas Racing announced their driver/crew chief lineup for 2022 on Jan. 4 with Mike Bugarewicz making the move from crew chief to serve as the performance director at Stewart-Haas Racing after two years with Aric Almirola. Drew Blickensderfer will take over as crew chief for Almirola in the Cup Series this season. All of the other driver/crew chief pairings will remain the same – Kevin Harvick with Rodney Childers, Cole Custer with Mike Shiplett and Chase Briscoe with Johnny Klausmeier. Xfinity Series crew chief, Richard Boswell, will return to his position as crew chief for Riley Herbst.

    The Money Team Racing

    On Feb. 1, Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his plans to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series on a partial schedule this season with The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing). They will start out the year with Kaz Grala behind the wheel of the No. 50 Chevrolet as they attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500. Tony Eury Jr. will serve as crew chief for the team.

    Trackhouse Racing Team – Will field two cars in 2022

    Trackhouse Racing’s purchase of Chip Ganassi Racing includes two charters and they confirmed that Daniel Suarez will be back to drive for the team in 2022. On August 3, they announced that Ross Chastain will join the team to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro in the Cup Series. Another announcement was made on Oct. 25 stating that Phil Surgen will make the move with Chastain to continue as his crew chief at Trackhouse Racing.

    23XI Racing

    On August 27, 23XI Racing announced that Kurt Busch will join them as they field two full-time teams, alongside Bubba Wallace in his second year with 23XI. It was announced on Nov. 16 that Billy Scott will serve as crew chief for Kurt Busch and Bootie Barker will continue as crew chief for Bubba Wallace. Dave Rogers will also join the team to serve as performance director.

    Xfinity Series 2022 driver and team updates

    Anthony Alfredo

    Our Motorsports announced their driver lineup in the Xfinity Series on Dec. 16. Alfredo will drive full-time with crew chief Pat Tryson. Brett Moffitt and Jeb Burton will complete the three-driver team for Our Motorsports.

    Justin Allgaier

    JR Motorsports announced Sept. 14 that Allgaier will return to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. Jason Burdett will return as his crew chief. It will mark Allgaier’s seventh season with JRM.

    AJ Allmendinger

    It was announced on July 18 that Allmendinger has signed a multi-year agreement with Kaulig Racing and will continue to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in the No. 16 Chevrolet. Bruce Schlicker will serve as the crew chief for Allmendinger in the Xfinity Series in 2022. Allmendinger will also run part-time in the Cup Series for the team in the No. 16 car, sharing driving duties with Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric.

    Michael Annett

    It was announced on Oct. 6 that JR Motorsports driver, Annett, will retire from full-time competition in the Xfinity Series at the end of the 2021 season.

    Trevor Bayne

    2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will make his return to NASCAR in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota for seven starts. Bayne made the announcement Feb. 9 on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub. His first start will be on Feb. 26 at Auto Club Speedway. He’s also scheduled to race at Phoenix Raceway on March 12, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, and Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 22. Jason Ratcliff will serve as crew chief for the team. Additional drivers and sponsors will be announced at a later date.

    Josh Berry

    JR Motorsports announced on August 16 that Josh Berry will compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet with Mike Bumgarner as crew chief.

    Josh Bilicki

    In addition to his Cup Series schedule, Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 27 that Bilicki will also compete in six races for them in the Xfinity Series that will include four road courses and two ovals in the No. 44 Chevrolet. Bilicki’s first race with Alpha Prime Racing will be at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on March 26.

    Brandon Brown

    Brown announced on Dec. 30 that he would compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022 after securing a sponsorship agreement with LGBcoin.io for his team, Brandonbilt Motorsports. However, NASCAR chose not to approve the sponsorship, though the team and LGBcoin.io stated that NASCAR had already granted the approval. After a week of ‘he said, they said,’ LGBcoin.io, on Jan. 8, made the decision to expand their commitment to a 2-year sponsorship/personal endorsement deal with Brandon Brown. While NASCAR will not allow any sponsorship decals or logos on the car, Brown’s uniform, etc., the partnership will include Brown’s “participation in publicity events, videos and crypto conferences.”

    Jeb Burton

    Our Motorsports announced their driver lineup in the Xfinity Series on Dec. 16. Burton will drive full-time with crew chief Chad Walter. On Oct. 11 Burton had confirmed that he would not be returning to Kaulig Racing for the 2022 season due to funding issues. Brett Moffitt and Anthony Alfredo will complete the three-driver team for Our Motorsports.

    Landon Cassill

    It was announced on Dec. 9 that Cassill will drive the No. 10 Chevy in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing in 2022. Voyager Digital Ltd., a publicly-traded cryptocurrency platform, also announced a two-year extension of their partnership with Cassill who will be paid in a portfolio of cryptocurrencies. Jason Trinchere was announced on Jan. 8 as Cassill’s crew chief for the 2022 season.

    Sheldon Creed

    On September 14 Richard Childress Racing announced that Sheldon Creed will join RCR in 2022 to compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Creed currently drives for GMS Racing in the Camping World Truck Series.

    Bayley Currey

    It was announced on Dec. 27 that Currey will return to JD Motorsports with Gary Keller for the 2022 season to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series. Sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

    Howie DiSavino III

    On Jan. 26, Alpha Prime Racing announced that DiSavino will join the team’s Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts. He will make his Xfinity Series and Alpha Prime Racing debut at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, March 12.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt

    On Jan. 14. 2022, Sam Hunt Racing announced that Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive multiple Xfinity Series races for them this year in the No. 26 Toyota.

    Ty Gibbs

    On Feb. 16 Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that Ty Gibbs will compete full-time for the team this year in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 54 Toyota. Chris Gayle will return to the No. 54 team as crew chief.

    Noah Gragson

    JR Motorsports announced on August 31 that Gragson has been re-signed and will remain with the team in 2022 to compete in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 9 Chevrolet. Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® Camo and Black Rifle Coffee will return as sponsors. Dave Elenz will not return as Gragson’s crew chief and will move to Richard Petty Motorsports to serve as the crew chief for Erik Jones. On Dec. 14, it was announced that Gragson will also drive a part-time schedule in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing in the No. 16 car and is scheduled to compete in 14 Cup Series events, sharing driving duties with AJ Allmendinger (16 races) and Daniel Hemric (nine races). Luke Lambert was announced as Gragson’s crew chief for this season on Jan. 4, 2022.

    Kaz Grala

    Kaz Grala – Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 24 that Grala will join the team’s Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts in 2022. His first race with them will be at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

    His season will get even busier as it was announced on Feb. 3 that Grala will also return to Young’s Motorsports this year and drive the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado in 11 races Truck Series races. His first scheduled race with Young’s Motorsports will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2022.

    His diverse schedule will also include an attempt to qualify for the Cup Series Daytona 500 in the No. 50 Chevrolet for The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing), as announced on Feb. 1.

    Derek Griffith

    Sam Hunt Racing announced on Feb. 2 that Griffith will drive multiple Xfinity Series races for the team this year. His first start will be at Martinsville in April with additional races to be announced at a later date.

    Daniel Hemric

    Kaulig Racing announced on Sept. 25 that Hemric will drive the team’s No. 11 car in the Xfinity Series in 2022. On Jan. 8 Alex Yontz was announced as the crew chief for Hemric. He will take over for Justin Haley who will transition to drive Kaulig Racing’s first full-time entry in the Cup Series. Hemric will also run a part-time schedule for them in the Cup Series and compete in nine races, sharing driving duties with AJ Allmendinger (16 races) and Noah Gragson (14 races) in the No. 16.

    Austin Hill

    Richard Childress Racing announced on Oct. 29 that Austin Hill will join the team and compete in the No. 21 Chevrolet full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. On Feb. 11, it was announced that Hill will also drive in the Truck Series race at Daytona for Spire Motorsports in the No. 7 Chevrolet.

    Jesse Iwuji/Jesse Iwuji Motorsports

    On Aug. 21, 2021, Jesse Iwuji announced that he had partnered with NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith to form Jesse Iwuji Motorsports for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. On Feb. 7, Iwuji and Smith announced a partnership with Chevrolet and their intention to use car number 34, as a tribute to Wendell Scott. They will run a full-time schedule with Iwuji as the driver and Jason Houghtaling as the crew chief.

    Brandon Jones

    Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Oct. 20 that Jones will return to drive the No. 19 Toyota full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022.  It will be his fifth consecutive season with JGR.

    Alex Labbé

    On Feb. 12 DGM Racing announced that Alex Labbé will return to the team to run a partial schedule of 18 Xfinity Series races in 2022. Labbé will drive the No. 90 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19 and will then move to the No. 36 car for the next three races at Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway. Labbé will also try to secure sponsorship so that he can compete full-time in the series.

    Mason Massey

    DGM Racing announced on Dec. 15 that Massey will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet in the “majority” of races in 2022.

    Sam Mayer

    JR Motorsports also confirmed on August 16 that Mayer will run a full-time Xfinity Series schedule for JRM in 2022 in the No. 1 with Taylor Moyer as crew chief.

    CJ McLaughlin

    On Jan. 17, McLaughlin announced that he will rejoin RSS Racing with sponsorship from SciAps for 13 Xfinity Series races in the No. 38 Ford Mustang beginning with the season-opener at Daytona on Feb. 19. He will also race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, Talladega Superspeedway on April 23, Texas Motor Speedway on May 21, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, Michigan International Speedway on August 6, Daytona on August 26, Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 16, Texas on Sept. 24, Talladega on Oct. 1, Las Vegas on Oct. 15, Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 22 and Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 29.

    Matt Mills

    It was announced on Jan. 20 that Mills will return to BJ McLeod Motorsports in 2022 to compete in the Xfinity Series in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

    Brett Moffitt

    Our Motorsports announced their driver lineup in the Xfinity Series on Dec. 16. Moffitt will be back to drive full-time with Jeb Burton and Anthony Alfredo as teammates. Jeff Hensley will join the team as Moffitt’s crew chief. Car numbers were not revealed.

    Miguel Paludo

    Paludo will drive the JR Motorsports No. 88 for three Xfinity Series road course races in 2022 at Circuit of the Americas (March 26), Road America (July 2) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on July 30.

    Stefan Parsons

    B.J. McLeod Motorsports announced on Sept. 21 that Parsons will compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022 with “returning primary sponsor Sokal Digital and Advertising on-board for the entire season as well as Springrates Automotive Suspension Source.” This will be his first full-time season with the team.

    Ryan Truex

    Truex will race for Sam Hunt Racing in the No. 26 Xfinity Series car at Daytona with Circle B sponsorship. Any additional races are to be determined and announced at a later date.

    Will Rodgers

    Reaume Brothers Racing announced on Feb. 16 that Will Rodgers will join the team to drive a part-time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. He will make his debut in the Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 26. Rodgers will also compete in the Truck Series race at Sonoma Raceway on June 11 and will race in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Circuit of the Americas on March 26.

    Myatt Snider

    Jordan Anderson Racing announced on Nov. 3 that Myatt Snider has signed with the organization to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. He will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet and his longtime sponsor, TaxSlayer, will make the move with him.

    David Starr

    It was announced on Feb. 18, 2022, that Starr will drive the No. 08 Ford for SS Green Light Racing in 28 Xfinity Series races this season. His first race will be at Daytona International Speedway in the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 race.

    Ryan Vargas

    On Jan. 19. JD Motorsports w/Gary Keller announced that Vargas will return to the team for his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series. His car number and sponsors will be released at a later date.

    Kyle Weatherman

    DGM Racing announced on Jan. 31 that Weatherman will race in the first five Xfinity Series races of 2022 in the No. 92 Chevrolet.

    Josh Williams

    Williams confirmed on Nov. 15 that he will not return to DGM Racing next year. On Dec. 8, BJ McLeod Motorsports announced that Williams will join their Xfinity Series team driving the No. 78 in 2022 with crew chief Danny Johnson.

    DGM Racing

    DGM Racing announced on Nov. 15 that the team plans to field at least two full-time entries in the Xfinity Series in 2022 with the driver lineup to be announced at a later date. On Dec. 15, they also announced that Mason Massey will drive the majority of the Xfinity races in the No. 91 next season. This will be in addition to the two full-time teams announced in November.

    Joey Gase Racing

    On Nov. 18, driver Joey Gase announced plans to start an Xfinity Series team in 2022. He released a statement stating that the team “currently has 5 cars and bought the remaining cars and equipment of H2 Motorsports from Shane Lee.” The team plans to run a full-time schedule and Gase will drive the No. 35 car most of the year with Rick Bourgeois as the General Manager of the team. Gase also plans to drive part-time in the Cup Series. The newly formed team is now looking for additional sponsors and hiring for all positions, including qualified drivers. More information will be announced at a later date.

    Camping World Truck Series 2022 driver and team updates

    Tyler Ankrum

    Hattori Racing announced on Dec. 1 that they are expanding to two Truck Series teams in 2022 and that Ankrum will join them to compete in the No. 16 Toyota with crew chief Scott Zipadelli.

    Matt Crafton

    On Nov. 12, ThorSport Racing confirmed that Crafton will return in 2022 to race full-time for the team in the Truck Series in the No. 88.

    Hailie Deegan

    David Gilliland Racing announced on Dec. 15 that Deegan has been re-signed to run the full season in the Truck Series in 2022.

    Matt DiBenedetto

    It was announced on Jan. 6 that DiBenedetto will compete full-time in the Truck Series in 2022 for Rackley W.A. R. driving the number 25 Chevrolet.

    Christian Eckes

    On Feb. 3, ThorSport Racing announced that Eckes will drive a full Truck Series schedule for the team in the No. 98 Toyota this year.

    Grant Enfinger

    GMS Racing announced on Oct. 1 that Enfinger will drive the team’s No. 23 Chevrolet Silverado full-time in 2022 and 2023. His longtime sponsor, Champion Power Equipment, will serve as the primary sponsor for the majority of races over the next two seasons.

    Tate Fogleman

    It was announced on Nov. 30 that Fogleman will move from Young’s Motorsports to drive the No. 30 Toyota Tundra for On Point Motorsports.

    Jake Garcia

    Garcia, who currently races Super Late Models and Pro Late Models will make his debut in the Camping World Truck Series this season and compete in five truck races for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. He will drive the No. 35 Chevrolet Silverado, the same number he has used in Pro Late Models.

    His first race will be at Martinsville Speedway on April 7. Garcia is also scheduled to compete at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 4, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 29, Richmond Raceway on Aug. 13 and Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 15.

    Kaz Grala

    it was announced on Feb. 3 that Grala will return to Young’s Motorsports this season and drive the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado in 11 Truck Series races. His first scheduled race with Young’s Motorsports will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2022.

    In addition to his Truck Series schedule, Alpha Prime Racing announced on Jan. 24 that Grala will join the team’s Xfinity Series driver lineup for select starts in 2022. His first race with them will be at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

    To complete his schedule, on Feb. 1 The Money Team Racing (TMT Racing) announced that they will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with Grala in the No. 50 Chevrolet.

    Chris Hacker

    Reaume Brothers Racing announced on Dec. 21 that Hacker will return to the team in 2022 to run a limited schedule in the Truck Series. His first race will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, 2022. The remainder of his schedule and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

    Corey Heim

    Kyle Busch Motorsports announced on Dec. 21 that Heim will compete in 15 Truck Series races in the No. 51 truck in 2022. Heim will begin the season at Daytona International Speedway and in the final eight races. The remainder of his season is to be determined.  

    Austin Hill

    Hill announced on Oct. 2 that he will not return to drive in the Truck Series for Hattori Racing Enterprises next year. On Oct. 29 Richard Childress Racing announced that Hill will join RCR to compete full time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. On Feb. 11, it was announced that Hill will also drive in the Truck Series race at Daytona for Spire Motorsports in the No. 7 Chevrolet.

    Timmy Hill

    On Dec. 6, 2021, Hill Motorsports announced that they will field two Truck Series teams in 2022 and make the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota. Timmy Hill will drive the No. 56 Toyota full-time in 2022. The number of the second truck and the driver will be revealed at a later date.

    Carson Hocevar

    Niece Motorsports announced on August 17 that Carson Hocevar will race full time for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2022. It will be his second full-time season with the team.

    Jesse Little

    Young’s Motorsports announced on Dec. 22 that Little will join the team and compete in the Truck Series in 2022. His first race will be at the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. His truck number, crew chief, schedule, and sponsors will be announced at a later date.

    Ty Majeski

    ThorSport Racing announced on Feb. 11 that Ty Majeski will compete full time with the team in the Truck Series driving the No. 66 with Joe Shear Jr. as crew chief. Majeski joins returning drivers Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton and Christian Eckes in his first full-time season with ThorSport.

    Matt Mills

    Young’s Motorsports confirmed on Feb. 10 that Matt Mills will join the team and drive the No. 20 Chevrolet for a limited Truck Series schedule beginning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Fri., Mar. 4, 2022. He will also be behind the wheel at Kansas Speedway (May 14), World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (June 4) and Richmond (Va.) Raceway (Aug. 13). These races are in addition to Mills’ Xfinity Series races with BJ McLeod Motorsports this year in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

    Thad Moffitt

    It was announced on Feb. 10 that Moffitt, the fourth-generation driver, and grandson of Richard Petty, will run a partial Truck Series schedule driving the No. 43 Chevrolet as part of a GMS Racing partnership with Reaume Brothers Racing. He will make his debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 in the NextEra Energy 250. STP will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Richard Petty’s “Fan Appreciation Tour” with a paint scheme that will pay homage to his 1992 retirement season. Moffitt’s 2022 schedule will include races in the Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, and the Trans-AM Series. More information on his schedule and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

    John Hunter Nemechek

    On Oct. 14, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Nemechek will return to drive the No 4 Toyota full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2022.

    Blaine Perkins

    On Dec. 23, CR7 Motorsports (owned by Codie Rohrbaugh), announced that Perkins compete full-time for the team in 2022 and pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet in the Camping World Truck Series after signing a single-year contract.

    Chase Purdy

    It was announced on Nov. 30 that Chase Purdy will move from GMS Racing to Hattori Racing Enterprises and drive the No. 61 Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck Series. On Dec. 22 the team also announced that Matt Lucas has joined the organization as Team Manager and will also serve as crew chief for Purdy.

    Ben Rhodes

    On Nov. 12, ThorSport Racing confirmed that Rhodes will return in 2022 to race full-time for the team in the Truck Series in the No. 99.

    Will Rodgers

    Reaume Brothers Racing announced on Feb. 16 that Will Rodgers will join the team to drive a part-time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. He will make his debut in the Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 26. Rodgers will also compete in the Truck Series race at Sonoma Raceway on June 11 and will race in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Circuit of the Americas on March 26.

    Johnny Sauter

    On Feb. 3 it was announced by G2G Racing that Johnny Sauter will drive the No. 47 entry at Daytona, as part of a 13-race schedule with the team.

    Chandler Smith

    It was announced on Nov. 30 that Smith will return to Kyle Busch Motorsports next season to drive the No. 18 in the Camping World Truck Series.

    Zane Smith

    As announced on Nov. 30, Smith will move from GMS Racing and join Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 38 Ford in the Camping World Truck Series with crew chief Chris Lawson.

    Dean Thompson

    On Nov. 2 Thompson announced that they will join Niece Motorsports in 2022 to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and contend for Rookie of the Year.

    Jack Wood

    It was announced on Aug. 26 that Wood has been re-signed by GMS Racing for the 2022 Truck Series season and will compete full-time in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

    G2G Racing

    G2G Racing will field two full-time trucks in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is owned by NASCAR driver, Tim Viens, and business partner Bill Shea. Matt Jaskol will pilot the No. 46 Toyota full-time while the No. 47 Toyota will be driven by three different drivers in 2022, including Johnny Sauter who will run a 13-race part-time schedule.  Sauter’s first race will be at Daytona. Roger Reuse and Viens will compete in the remaining races.

    GMS Racing – Truck Series

    GMS Racing confirmed on Dec. 7 that they will continue to compete full-time in the Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series after their majority purchase of Richard Petty Motorsport, operating as GMS Racing. Grant Enfinger will drive the Truck Series No. 23 Chevrolet with Jack Wood in the No. 24.  

    ThorSport Racing

    ThorSport Racing will field four full-time teams in the Truck Series this year. Ty Majeski will compete full time with the team in the Truck Series driving the No. 66 with Joe Shear Jr. as crew chief. Majeski joins returning drivers Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton and Christian Eckes in his first full-time season with ThorSport.

  • Daytona Speedweek schedule and format

    Daytona Speedweek schedule and format

    NASCAR kicks off the start of the 2022 season at Daytona International Speedway this week culminating in the 64th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon. While we got a glimpse of the Next Gen car in the Busch Clash at the L.A. Coliseum, the true test begins this weekend as the regular season begins.

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will compete Friday night in the ‘NextEra Energy 250’ and the Xfinity Series will be on track Saturday evening for the ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300.’

    Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is set for Wednesday night and will have a new look this year. There will be two rounds of qualifying with the top 10 fastest cars moving to the second round. The fastest two cars in Round 2 will lock in their starting positions on the front row.

    The remaining starting positions will be determined in the Bluegreen Vacation Duels on Thursday evening. The lineup for the Duels will be set by the single-car qualifying results from Wednesday.

    The cars that finished first, third, fifth, etc. in the single-car qualifying will make up the field for Duel 1. The cars that finished in even-numbered positions will compete in Duel 2. There will be the same number of Open teams in each Duel race.

    The Bluegreen Vacation Duels will set the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. The drivers from Duel 1 will line up on the inside row in order of their finish and the drivers from Duel 2 will line up on the outside row in order of their finish.

    The fastest open team in each Duel will qualify into the Daytona 500. The two open teams with the fastest times in single-car qualifying that did not qualify through the duels will make up the final two spots in the field.

    This year the top-10 finishers in each Duel will receive points that will count toward the regular-season championship. The winner receives 10 points, the runner-up nine points, etc., with the 10th-place finisher earning one point.

    If it rains and the Duel races cannot be run, the starting grid for the Daytona 500 will be set based on the best qualifying speeds along with the four fastest Open cars, If only the second Duel race is canceled due to rain, the highest-finishing open team from the first duel plus the three remaining fastest open teams from qualifying will advance to the Daytona 500.

    All times are Eastern.

    Tuesday, Feb. 15:
    5:05 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1/MRN
    6:35 p.m.: Cup Series Second Practice – FS1/MRN

    Wednesday, Feb. 16:
    8:05 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – Single Vehicle, One Lap, Two Rounds – FS1, MRN

    Thursday, February 17
    4 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series practice
    5 p.m.: Truck Series practice – FS1
    7 p.m.: Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 – 60 Laps, 150 Miles – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    8:45 p.m.(approx.): Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 – 60 Laps, 150 Miles – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Friday, February 18
    1:30 p.m.: ARCA Qualifying (Groups)
    3:00 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle, One Lap, Two Rounds) FS1
    4:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1
    6 p.m.: Cup Series Third Practice – FS1/MRN
    7:30 PM Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 (Stages 20/40/100 Laps=250 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Saturday, February 19
    10:30 a.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS2/MRN (coverage moves to FS1 at 11 a.m.)
    11:35 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle, One Lap, Two Rounds) – FS1
    1:30 p.m.: ARCA Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire (80 Laps, 200 Miles) FS1/MRN
    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 (Stages 30/60/120 Laps=300 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, February 20
    2:30 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 (Stages 65/130/200 Laps=500 Miles) FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • Eckes inks full-time Camping World Truck Series ride with ThorSport Racing

    Eckes inks full-time Camping World Truck Series ride with ThorSport Racing

    ThorSport Racing announced that Christian Eckes will be returning to the organization and campaign as a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor for the upcoming racing season.

    Eckes, a 21-year-old native from Middletown, New York, and the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion, will be piloting the No. 98 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and carry sponsorship support from AHI Facility Services, Inc. for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. He will be a teammate to three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton and the reigning Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes.

    Eckes is coming off a part-time season with ThorSport Racing, where he drove the No. 98 Toyota in nine of the 23-race schedule while sharing the ride with Grant Enfinger. During his stint, Eckes scored his first Truck Series career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September during the 2021 Truck Series Playoffs and recorded an additional four top-10 results.

    “I am extremely excited to be back with ThorSport Racing and ready to kick the year off at Daytona with AHI Facility Services on the No. 98 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro,” Eckes said. “This is an amazing opportunity and I’m more than ready to show that I belong.”

    “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ThorSport Racing this season,” Todd Haddock, President of AHI Facility Services, Inc., added, “I am excited to see the AHI Facility Services Toyota Tundra TRD Pro hit the track at Daytona with Christian Eckes.”

    Prior to ThorSport Racing, Eckes made 35 Truck career starts for Kyle Busch Motorsports from 2018 to 2020. He competed for KBM on a full-time basis in 2020, where he made the 2020 Truck Series Playoffs and finished in eighth place in the final standings.

    Through 2021, Eckes has recorded one victory, three poles, 12 top-five results, 23 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 13.2 in 45 career starts in the Truck Series.

    Eckes’ full-time campaign with ThorSport Racing is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 with coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR unveils 2022 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedule

    NASCAR unveils 2022 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedule

    With a new season of NASCAR competition less than a week away from commencing, two major cash-winning initiatives will also be returning and featured throughout the season: Dash 4 Cash from the Xfinity Series and Triple Truck Challenge from the Camping World Truck Series.

    The Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash program, which made its debut in 2009, will appear in four events this upcoming spring and offer four opportunities for the Xfinity Series regulars to compete for the $100,000 prize. The qualifier event for the program will be the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on March 26, where the top-four highest-finishing Xfinity regulars competing for points in the series will qualify for the first Dash 4 Cash event at Richmond Raceway scheduled for April 2. The highest-finishing Dash 4 Cash contestant at Richmond will earn the prize money and automatically be eligible for the following Dash 4 Cash event.

    The remaining Dash 4 Cash events in 2022 include Martinsville Speedway on April 8, Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 and at Dover Motor Speedway on April 30.

    In 2021, JR Motorsports swept all four Dash 4 Cash events, with Noah Gragson claiming three money bonuses (Martinsville Speedway in April, Talladega Superspeedway in April and Darlington Raceway in May) and Josh Berry claiming the fourth and final $100,000 bonus (Dover International Speedway in May). Both Gragson and Berry return to the Xfinity circuit as full-time competitors for JRM.

    The Camping World Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge, which made its debut in 2019, returns for three events this upcoming summer and presents three opportunities for the Truck Series regulars to earn bonus money by winning a program event and having their winnings increase by winning multiple events.

    The program will launch at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 4 before returning at Nashville Superspeedway on June 24, thus skipping Sonoma Raceway on June 11 and Knoxville Raceway on June 18. The third and final Triple Truck Challenge event will occur at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on July 9.

    This past season, Sheldon Creed, Todd Gilliland and John Hunter Nemechek each claimed a $50,000 bonus by winning a respective Triple Truck Challenge event. Creed claimed the first Challenge bonus by winning at Darlington Raceway in May, which marked his third victory in the program after winning twice in 2020. Todd Gilliland won the second Challenge event at Circuit of the Americas in May and Nemechek capped off the Challenge by winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a week later. Nemechek returns to the series on a full-time basis for Kyle Busch Motorsports while Creed and Gilliland have moved up to the Xfinity Series and Cup Series respectively.

    Photo by Matt Beamer for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    In addition, NASCAR announced that the Xfinity Series field will increase from 36 to 38, beginning with the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on February 19.

    The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 19 with coverage to start at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 while the Camping World Truck Series season will occur at Daytona a day before on February 18 with coverage to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.