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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news

  • Frankie Muniz will race part-time in Craftsman Truck Series for Reaume Brothers Racing in 2024

    Frankie Muniz will race part-time in Craftsman Truck Series for Reaume Brothers Racing in 2024

    Reaume Brothers Racing has announced that Frankie Muniz will join the team for three races this season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Muniz will take part in three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events at Nashville Superspeedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

    He will also compete at Michigan International Speedway in August in the ARCA Menards Series for the team.

    Video from Black Flags Matter

    Muniz has raced part-time in the Xfinity Series this season for Emerling-Gase Motorsports where his best finish was 30th at Phoenix Raceway for the Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200.

    Last year he had a great season in the ARCA Menards Series for Rette Jones Racing and led the points standings for a long time, showing that he could race well with his opponents and demonstrating good car control.

    It will be exciting to see how well Muniz does in the Truck Series as he continues to build his resume in NASCAR with Ford and Reaume Brothers Racing.

    You can watch Muniz in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 22 Ford F-150 at Nashville Superspeedway, on Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET on FS2.

  • Tanner Gray claims pole for Charlotte Truck Series race

    Tanner Gray claims pole for Charlotte Truck Series race

    Tanner Gray won Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He topped NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying with a 178.241 mph lap in the No. 15 Toyota for TRICON Garage to earn his first pole this season and his second consecutive Truck Series pole at Charlotte.

    Gray’s teammate, Corey Heim, will start beside him on the front row. Ty Majeski qualified third followed by Rajah Caruth and Layne Riggs to complete the top five.

    Chase Purdy, Connor Mosack, Jack Wood, Kaden Honeycutt and Bayley Currey rounded out the top 10 in qualifying.

    Truck Series points leader, Christian Eckes, will start at the rear of the field after damage during practice.

    Justin Carroll and Jennifer Jo Cobb did not qualify for the race.

    The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m. on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Line Up:

  • Ross Chastain wins the Truck Series race at Darlington in overtime

    Ross Chastain wins the Truck Series race at Darlington in overtime

    Ross Chastain persevered to win the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway after taking the lead in overtime to claim his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory of 2024.

    He only led the final three laps during the race in his No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet but he led the one that mattered most.

    “We have been trying to win at Darlington,” Chastain said, “This is where my career changed, my life changed forever. It’s so cool — we won Darlington.”

    Nick Sanchez finished second in the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet to an impressive second-place finish. He was fastest in qualifying but the team had to replace the right rear wheel hub due to a leak and he started at the rear of the field.

    Corey Heim won the first two stages in his No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota and led 77 laps but was caught up in a racing incident on Lap 98 when Dean Thompson’s truck got loose and Heim was relegated to a 28th-place finish. Rajah Caruth, Layne Riggs and Matt Crafton also sustained damage.

    Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes and Ty Majeski rounded out the top five. Eckes now leads the standings by 14 points over Heim.

    Chase Purdy, Colby Howard, Taylor Gray, Ty Dillon and Tanner Gray rounded out the top 10 at Darlington.

    You can catch the next Truck Series race on May 18 at 1:30 p.m. ET at North Wilkesboro Speedway on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    *Post-race inspection was completed with no issues.

  • Heim wins the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas

    Heim wins the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas

    Corey Heim has enough fuel to capture his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) win of the season on Saturday in the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).  Heim and the Tricon Garage No. 11 Toyota led a race-high of 31 laps for his win at the 3.41-mile road course and the sixth of his NCTS career.

    “On the last lap of the last restart, I stuttered a little bit on the right-handers because the fuel pick up is on the other side. The whole fuel load would go to the other side. I thought I was going to be out by the time I came around, but luckily I had a couple of left-handers at the end of the course, and I had fuel, but regardless of that, I’m super thankful for everyone at TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing.” Heim said. 

    “I worked my butt off for this one. With the one (road course) race a year for the Truck Series, I felt like it was just so important for me to prove my road course ability. I knew I needed to capitalize on today, and I did. After it was done with all of the late cautions, I was glad it was over, and it was time to celebrate. It definitely means a lot,” Heim added.

    Teammate Taylor Gray recovered from an early penalty and stretched his fuel mileage to finish second in the Tricon’s No. 17 Toyota.  The second-place finish ties his career-best with a runner-up finish and also gives TRICON Garage their first 1-2 finish.

    “I can’t thank everyone at TRICON Garage enough for bringing me a really good JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. I thought I ruined our race at the beginning of the race by getting that penalty, but just can’t thank all of our guys enough. We put ourselves in position and Jeff (Hensley, crew chief) did a great job with the strategy, just couldn’t attack on those last couple of laps. Something to figure out on how to give him a little bit of a tougher race at the end, but those guys executed all day long, and we have to keep executing ourselves,” said Gray.

    Ty Majeski finished third. Polesitter and rookie Connor Zilisch recovered from a lap down and finished fourth after overshooting the first turn on the first lap, and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain rounded out the top five.

    The rear-end housing broke off the No. 04 Roper Racing Chevrolet driven by Marco Andretti, bringing out the red flag and extending the race by four laps.

    Heim leads the series standings by 10 points over Majeski, Tyler Ankrum is third, Gray fourth, and Rajah Caruth rounds out the top-5 in the standings after five races.

    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the Long John Silver’s 200 on April 5th for the sixth race of the season at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – XPEL 225
    Circuit of The Americas
    Austin, Texas
    Saturday, March 23, 2024
    (Pos, Driver, Make, Laps)

    1. Corey Heim, Toyota, 46.
    2. Taylor Gray, Toyota, 46.
    3. Ty Majeski, Ford, 46.
    4. Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 46.
    5. Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 46.
    6. Jack Hawksworth, Toyota, 46.
    7. Ben Rhodes, Ford, 46.
    8. Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 46.
    9. Dean Thompson, Toyota, 46.
    10. Tanner Gray, Toyota, 46.
    11. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 46.
    12. Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 46.
    13. Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 46.
    14. Jake Garcia, Ford, 46.
    15. Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 46.
    16. Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 46.
    17. Timmy Hill, Toyota, 46.
    18. Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 46.
    19. Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 46.
    20. Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 46.
    21. Carter Fartuch, Ford, 46.
    22. Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 46.
    23. Matt Crafton, Ford, 46.
    24. Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 46.
    25. Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 46.
    26. Dale Quarterley, Toyota, 45.
    27. Layne Riggs #, Ford, 43.
    28. Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 42.
    29. Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 42.
    30. Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 42.
    31. Marco Andretti, Chevrolet, Suspension, 40.
    32. Thad Moffitt #, Chevrolet, 39.
    33. Lawless Alan, Ford, Rear Gear, 34.
    34. Vicente Salas, Chevrolet, Transmission, 33.
    35. Mason Massey, Chevrolet, Brakes, 32.
  • Connor Zilisch claims pole at COTA in Truck Series debut

    Connor Zilisch claims pole at COTA in Truck Series debut

    Connor Zilisch won the Pole Award Friday afternoon at Circuit of the Americas in his NASCAR Truck Series debut. He topped the speed chart in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet with a fast lap at 93.012 mph in 131.983 seconds and he also set a track record average lap speed of 92.941 mph.

    “It’s truly a testament to all the people around me,” Zilisch said after qualifying. “This Spire Motorsports team, (crew chief) Brian Pattie, everybody back at the shop, killer, killer job. This thing was basically driving itself. I don’t even want to take any of the credit for it. It’s awesome to come here in my first race and be on the pole. Thank you to everybody who supported me along the way. It’s super cool to have Austin Hatcher Foundation on the truck.”

    He concluded by saying, “It’s an honor to be on the pole in my first race but we still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

    The pole is one of several highlights this year for the seventeen-year-old beginning with the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in January where he won a LMP2 class victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He also scored a class win in the 12 Hours of Sebring one week ago.

    Corey Heim will start beside Zilisch on the front row after posting a qualifying lap of 92.512 mph in the No. 11 TRICON Garage entry. Heim’s teammate, Taylor Gray, will start third in the No. 17 Chevrolet followed by Nick Sanchez in the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet. Ross Chastain will round out the top five in the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.

    Jack Hawksworth, Tanner Gray, Layne Riggs, Ty Majeski and Christian Eckes completed the top-10 fastest drivers in the qualifying session.

    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series XPEL 225 will be broadcast on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM Radio.

  • Daniel Dye earns first NASCAR Truck Series career pole at Atlanta

    Daniel Dye earns first NASCAR Truck Series career pole at Atlanta

    Daniel Dye will lead the field to green in the Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after winning his first career pole Friday afternoon. He topped the charts with a lap time of 31.817 seconds at 174.246 mph in the No. 43 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet Silverado.

    Dye spoke about his qualifying effort, saying, “We were definitely more stuck on that second run. I don’t know if maybe that was because the tires were warmed up a little bit, still had some heat in it from that first lap. But whatever it was, it was fast enough to sit here and talk to you, so, it’s good. Exciting.”

    Tyler Ankrum, Dye’s teammate, posted the second-fastest speed of 173.467 mph and will start on the front row beside Ankrum. ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski qualified third in the No. 98 Ford. MHR had a strong showing, claiming four of the top five posts, with Jack Wood (fourth) and Christian Eckes (fifth).

    Grant Enfinger, Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Chase Purdy and Conner Jones completed the top 10 fastest drivers in qualifying.

    The Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, February 24, at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

    1. Daniel Dye
    2. Tyler Ankrum
    3. Ty Majeski
    4. Jack Wood
    5. Christian Eckes
    6. Grant Enfinger
    7. Kyle Busch
    8. Matt Crafton
    9. Chase Purdy
    10. Conner Jones
    11 Jake Garcia
    12. Rajah Caruth
    13. Layne Riggs
    14. Ben Rhodes
    15. Colby Howard
    16. Stewart Friesen
    17. Ty Dillon
    18. Nick Sanchez
    19. Corey Heim
    20. Bayley Currey
    21. Matt Mills
    22. Tanner Gray
    23. Dean Thompson
    24. Bret Holmes
    25. Kaden Honeycutt
    26. Mason Maggio
    27. Timmy Hill
    28. Thad Moffitt
    29. Lawless Alan
    30. Mason Massey
    31. Taylor Gray
    32. Keith McGee
    33. Spencer Boyd

  • Nick Sanchez scores first victory in wild NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck race

    Nick Sanchez scores first victory in wild NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck race

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With cars wrecking and flipping behind him in overtime, Nick Sanchez claimed the first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory of his young NASCAR Cup Series career in Friday night’s Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

    The race ended under caution on the second lap of the overtime after Rajah Caruth, running fourth, moved up the track and turned the No. 91 Chevrolet of Jack Wood in front of the field.

    Sanchez and runner-up Corey Heim were clear of the chaos, and Caruth escaped with minimal damage to run third. But behind them, the Chevy of Daniel Dye launched the Toyota of Taylor Gray, which flipped in mid-air and landed upright on its tires in a gaggle of mangled cars.

    All told 12 trucks were involved in the wreck, which caused the record 12th caution of the evening.

    Coincidentally, Sanchez rallied from a 13-truck crash on Lap 6 to score the victory for his No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet team in his sophomore season.

    “It’s huge,” Sanchez said. “We spent all of last year trying to get a win. I knew coming into this year I knew that I had to, right? What better race than to do it than Daytona? Honestly, out of every race, if I was going to do it, this would have been the last one (I expected), but happy to do it. It’s awesome.

    “I just knew I had to lead at the white flag, because they were probably going to wreck. I’m glad they wrecked — if everyone is OK. I’m just happy.

    “It’s huge. Obviously, we have a new technical partner in Spire (Motorsports)—our first race with them. What a better way to start a partnership. (Sponsor) Gainbridge has stuck with me. They were winless last year. They all deserve it, and they’re going to celebrate with me.”

    Caruth was thankful for his third-place finish, but he rued the wreck that ended the race.

    “I’m trying to play it back differently in the last laps, but thank you to everybody at Spire Motorsports, HendrickCars.com, the Hendrick Automotive Group, and Mr. H (Hendrick) for what they’ve done for me along with everybody at Spire and Chevy,” Carruth said.

    “Man, I felt like I got a bad push there, and you’re already getting tight off of the corner, and everybody is going for all they have on the last lap. I feel terrible to see trucks like that torn up. I hope Taylor (Gray) is all right. But a good night to start the year.”

    Fifty-one of the 101 laps were run under caution, and it didn’t take long for the action to start. The first major incident KO’d a handful of drivers.

    On the backstretch on Lap 6 of a scheduled 100 circuits, a shove from Christian Eckes’ Chevrolet turned the Ford of three-time series champion Matt Crafton into the Ford of Layne Riggs, igniting a 13-truck accident that eliminated Ty Dillon, Thad Moffitt and Jake Garcia.

    With his team unable to effect repairs on his No. 38 Ford F-150, Riggs took his Truck to the garage under caution on Lap 17.

    “Chaos, a lot of craziness — everybody was just kind of all over the place,” Dillon said after a mandatory trip to the infield care center. “I’ve never seen anything look like that from behind the wheel four laps into a race.

    “With my experience, I knew something like that was going to happen. That’s why I got myself to the bottom to hopefully have a spot to bail. And sure enough, it happened. I thought I got through… I hit the grass and it knocked the tires out of my hand, and I was trying to catch it with the throttle…

    “Just hate to be taken out so early and not have a chance.”

    The Lap 6 incident was a harbinger of the chaos to come.

    Defending series champion Ben Rhodes saw a good night turn bad when Tyler Ankrum door-slammed his Ford on Lap 68. Rhodes pitted with a flat tire a lap later, but after leaving the pits, he spun and crashed as the lead packed tried to dodge the No. 99 Ford in the center of the track.

    Rhodes exited the race, and soon after, Johhny Sauter was an innocent victim of a four-truck wreck off Turn 4—after leading 24 laps, second only to Sanchez’s 26.

    Bret Holmes finished fourth, followed by Spencer Boyd. Stefan Parsons, Crafton, Timmy Hill, Bryan Dauzat and Eckes completed the top 10.

    NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – Fresh From Florida 250
    Daytona International Speedway
    Daytona Beach, Florida
    Friday, February 16, 2024
    (6) Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 101.
    (26) Corey Heim, Toyota, 101.
    (20) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 101.
    (19) Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 101.
    (31) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 101.
    (27) Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 101.
    (11) Matt Crafton, Ford, 101.
    (33) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 101.
    (29) Bryan Dauzat, Chevrolet, 101.
    (25) Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 101.
    (5) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 101.
    (34) Jason White, Ford, 101.
    (9) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 101.
    (17) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 101.
    (8) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 101.
    (1) Ty Majeski, Ford, 101.
    (8) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 101.
    (22) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 101.
    (23) Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 101.
    (12) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 100.
    (3) Corey LaJoie(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 100.
    (7) Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, Accident, 100.
    (30) Cory Roper, Chevrolet, Accident, 100.
    (14) Codie Rohrbaugh, Chevrolet, Accident, 100.
    (15) Dean Thompson, Toyota, Accident, 100.
    (32) Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 100.
    (4) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 99.
    (13) Toni Breidinger, Toyota, 97.
    (18) Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, Accident, 93.
    (2) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, Accident, 79.
    (24) Ben Rhodes, Ford, Accident, 71.
    (36) Keith McGee, Ford, Accident, 44.
    (35) Lawless Alan, Ford, Overheating, 27.
    (21) Layne Riggs #, Ford, DVP, 13.
    (16) Jake Garcia, Ford, Accident, 6.
    (28) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 5.
    (10) Thad Moffitt #, Chevrolet, Accident, 5.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 98.933 mph.

    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 33 Mins, 8 Secs. Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds.

    Caution Flags: 12 for 52 laps.

    Lead Changes: 24 among 12 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: J. Sauter 1;T. Majeski 2;J. Sauter 3-13;T. Majeski 14;J. Sauter 15-22;T. Majeski 23-26;T. Ankrum 27-41;B. Holmes 42-44;T. Gray 45;B. Holmes 46-51;J. Sauter 52;B. Holmes 53-56;J. Sauter 57-58;G. Enfinger 59-60;N. Sanchez 61-63;B. Rhodes 64-68;J. Sauter 69;T. Ankrum 70;C. Purdy 71;C. Eckes 72;C. LaJoie(i) 73-77;N. Sanchez 78-90;R. Caruth 91;N. Sanchez 92-101.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Nick Sanchez 3 times for 26 laps; Johnny Sauter 6 times for 24 laps; Tyler Ankrum 2 times for 16 laps; Bret Holmes 3 times for 13 laps; Ty Majeski 3 times for 6 laps; Ben Rhodes 1 time for 5 laps; Corey LaJoie(i) 1 time for 5 laps; Grant Enfinger 1 time for 2 laps; Tanner Gray 1 time for 1 lap; Rajah Caruth 1 time for 1 lap; Chase Purdy 1 time for 1 lap; Christian Eckes 1 time for 1 lap.

    Stage #1 Top Ten: 45,98,41,18,17,32,91,19,5,11

    Stage #2 Top Ten: 18,19,88,43,99,98,7,9,2,11

  • NASCAR reveals 2024 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Craftsman Trucks Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    NASCAR reveals 2024 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Craftsman Trucks Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    As the 2024 NASCAR season nears its approach, the Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash and the Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge initiatives are set to return and retain their spots in the first half of the upcoming racing season with one new and a bevy of familiar circuits also returning.

    For the Xfinity Series, the Dash 4 Cash program will launch its 16th consecutive season by hosting its qualifying event at Richmond Raceway on March 30, where the top four highest-finishing Xfinity regulars in the final running order will contend for the first round of bonus money. The first Dash 4 Cash event of the 2024 season will then occur at Martinsville Speedway on April 6 followed by the series’ lone visit of the season to Texas Motor Speedway on April 13, which is new to the initiative’s schedule, and Talladega Superspeedway on April 20 before concluding at Dover Motor Speedway on April 27.

    The highest-finishing Xfinity Dash 4 Cash contender in each event will receive the cash-winning prize of $100,000, with opportunities for the prize to increase should a competitor achieve the bonus more than once.

    This past season, where all Dash 4 Cash events occurred in April, Justin Allgaier claimed the first Dash 4 Cash bonus and the fifth of his career at Richmond Raceway despite finishing in 13th place, but by finishing ahead of his initiative rivals Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith and Daniel Hemric. John Hunter Nemechek claimed the second bonus at Martinsville in an event where he led a race-high 198 of 250 laps en route to his second Xfinity victory of the season. Cole Custer, the 2023 Xfinity Series champion, would conclude the initiative by claiming the final two bonuses at Talladega Superspeedway and at Dover Motor Speedway, where he finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

    Ironically, the trio of Allgaier, Custer and Nemechek would square off against one another along with Sam Mayer for the 2023 Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway in November for the Championship 4 round event. Allgaier and Custer are set to run another full-time Xfinity season and bid for more bonuses in 2024 with JR Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing, respectively, while Nemechek has moved up to the Cup Series to drive for Legacy Motor Club.

    For the Craftsman Truck Series, the Triple Truck Challenge initiative will occur in three events for a sixth consecutive season, beginning at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, which will also serve as the series’ 700th race in history. The initiative will continue at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 1 before concluding at Nashville Superspeedway on June 28, a three-race schedule that resembles last year’s schedule.

    Each event will offer Truck Series regulars three opportunities to notch a $50,000 bonus for themselves per race victory, with opportunities for the bonus to increase to $150,000 if two Triple Truck Challenge events are won by any eligible competitor or even to $500,000 if all three events are won.

    Last season, Ben Rhodes, the 2023 Truck Series champion, claimed the first Triple Truck Challenge bonus after achieving his first victory of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Grant Enfinger, the 2023 championship runner-up finisher, would earn the second bonus with his second victory of the season at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in early June. Carson Hocevar capped off the program by winning at Nashville Superspeedway in mid-June for his second career victory in the Truck circuit. Rhodes and Enfinger are slated to remain in the Truck Series with ThorSport Racing and CR7 Motorsports, respectively, and contend for additional opportunities while Hocevar is set to campaign in his first full-time season in the Cup Series for Spire Motorsports.

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    With the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash and Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge schedules set, the 2024 Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250 on February 16 with the event’s air coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The 2024 Xfinity Series season is scheduled to occur the following day, February 17, for the United Rentals 300 and air at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Marco Andretti inks part-time ARCA, Truck Series rides in 2024

    Marco Andretti inks part-time ARCA, Truck Series rides in 2024

    Marco Andretti will be elevating his racing resume to new heights by competing on a part-time basis across the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series divisions in 2024.

    The 36-year-old, third-generation Andretti from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, will be joining forces with Cook Racing Technologies for 14 ARCA events, beginning at Daytona International Speedway in February, and make seven Truck Series starts with Roper Racing, which is aligned with Cook Racing Technologies, beginning at Circuit of the Americas in late March.

    Andretti’s other Truck starts with Roper Racing will include Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July, the Milwaukee Mile in August, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway in September, Homestead-Miami Speedway in October and the finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

    The news comes as Andretti is coming off an eventful season, where he competed in his 18th consecutive Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, where he finished 17th. He also competed in the Camping World SRX Series, where he finished in the runner-up spot in the final standings, and made his first three Truck Series career starts with Spire Motorsports, where he notched two top-20 results and a season-best 18th-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway last October.

    “I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” Andretti said. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after. It will answer a lot of my unknowns in stock cars. I also want to do it the right way and not go right to the top of their sport on my INDYCAR and SRX merit as I respect the amount of talent in all of the various stock car series. I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun with Bruce and the team. I’m confident that we can be pretty competitive right out of the gate.”

    To date, Andretti, the grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti and the son of former racer Michael Andretti, has achieved two victories, six poles, 20 podiums and 1,035 laps led in 251 starts in the NTT IndyCar Series, with his best result in the Indy 500 being a runner-up result during his event’s debut in 2006. Having achieved championships in Skip Barber National division and the SRX Series along with making a single start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Andretti made his NASCAR national touring series debut in the Xfinity Series level at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October 2022 with Big Machine Racing Team, where he ended up in 36th place.

    The addition of Andretti to Cook Racing Technologies brings excitement for Bruce Cook, co-owner of the team who will serve as Andretti’s crew chief, as the organization is coming off the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West owner’s championship and three victories produced between Landen Lewis and Kaden Honeycutt.

    “I am looking forward to working with Marco and helping him to develop and grow as a driver in stock cars,” Cook said. “Marco has a proven track record across multiple racing platforms. I think with some more seat time and guidance in the stock car world, he’ll be able to compete up front on a regular basis.”

    Marco Andretti’s part-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. His part-time campaign in the Craftsman Truck Series is set to occur at Circuit of the Americas on March 23 and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kevin Manion named crew chief for Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing for 2024 Truck Series season

    Kevin Manion named crew chief for Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing for 2024 Truck Series season

    Kevin “Bono” Manion will be joining Rev Racing to serve as Nick Sanchez’s new crew chief for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The news comes as Rev Racing prepares to embark on its second season in the Truck Series and first in a technical alliance with Spire Motorsports. It also comes as Manion is coming off a full 2023 Truck Series schedule with Spire Motorsports, where he worked with nine different competitors while calling the shots atop the No. 7 Spire Chevrolet entry pit box.

    “I am really looking forward to working with Nick [Sanchez] in the upcoming season,” Manion said. “He is incredibly committed to his craft and I know we are going to work really well together. We have a great group of guys surrounding this effort and we are positioned for success, we just need to execute.”

    Manion, a native of Boylston, Massachusetts, joins Rev Racing amid an illustrious NASCAR career that includes two Xfinity Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05), 17 Xfinity career victories, and five Cup career wins, including the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 titles with Jamie McMurray, all while being a crew chief.

    In 2016, Manion became a crew chief in the Truck Series for the first time as he joined Kyle Busch Motorsports to lead the team’s No. 51 “all-star” entry that was piloted between four competitors. He would then spend the next two seasons at DGR-Crosley before transitioning to GMS Racing for the following two seasons as he led Zane Smith to three career victories and back-to-back runner-up results in the final driver’s standings. For the previous two seasons, Manion moved to Spire Motorsports, which expanded to the Truck Series for the first time, beginning on a part-time basis in 2022 before expanding to a full schedule in 2023. Throughout the two seasons, Manion worked with a total of 12 competitors and achieved two victories.

    Manion achieved his first Truck victory as a crew chief with Daniel Suarez at Phoenix Raceway in November 2016 and has since compiled a total of nine Truck victories with six competitors, with his latest occurring with Kyle Larson at North Wilkesboro Speedway last May.

    Manion’s move to Rev Racing brings excitement for Sanchez, who retains driving responsibilities of the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST for a second full-time Truck campaign. The 22-year-old Sanchez from Miami, Florida, is coming off the first Truck campaign for himself and Rev Racing after winning the 2022 ARCA Menards Series championship. Throughout the 2023 season, Sanchez achieved five poles, two top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 309 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.0, with his best result being a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He qualified for the 2023 Truck Series Playoffs and settled in sixth place in the final driver’s standings after missing the Championship 4 cutline in a tie-breaker. Nonetheless, he managed to achieve the 2023 Rookie-of-the-Year title as he prepares for another bid for both a Championship 4 berth and his first series’ victory.

    “I am thrilled to be returning to Rev Racing for a full season in the [NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series],” Sanchez said. “I certainly have some unfinished business. I am grateful for another opportunity to compete with [owner] Max [Siegel] and appreciative for the returning support of my partners at Gainbridge. They truly are catalysts in my career and continue to drive positive change in our sport. I am energized by the new talent I have surrounding me in 2024, but feel foundationally grounded by those that are returning for a second season. The team makeup is positioned for success and we are all focused on the same goal, to win a Championship.”

    In addition to Manion, Allen Hart, a former engineer and technical director who recently served as crew chief for Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series, will join Rev Racing to serve as the team’s chief engineer.

    Rev Racing’s 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 16 and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.