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Tag: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

  • Kaz Grala to make 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Daytona

    Kaz Grala to make 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Daytona

    The 2023 NASCAR season is set to mark a new beginning for Kaz Grala, who will be competing as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for the first time in his career with Sam Hunt Racing. This season will also mark his eighth season with at least one start across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, in which he is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, Grala will achieve 100 national touring series career starts.

    A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Grala, whose racing career started with go-karts at X1 Boston at the age of four before moving up to Bandoleers, legends cars and stock cars, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series at Martinsville Speedway in April 2016, where he campaigned on a part-time basis in the Truck Series for GMS Racing. By then, he was coming off two full-time seasons in the ARCA Menards Series East, where he finished in seventh place in the standings during both seasons. During his Truck debut at Martinsville, Grala started 19th and finished 31st after being involved in an early single-truck incident. He proceeded to make eight additional Truck starts between GMS Racing’s Nos. 24 and 33 entries, where he recorded a total of three top-10 results and a season-best result of seventh place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. His final start of the season occurred at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he started 11th and finished 28th after being involved in a late incident.

    The 2017 season produced Grala’s first and only full-time campaign to date within NASCAR’s top three national touring series as he was assigned to a full-time driving role of the No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado in the Truck circuit. He commenced the season on a high note by becoming the youngest competitor to win a pole position and a race at Daytona International Speedway in February at age 18 years, one month and 26 days. The victory occurred after Grala dodged a final lap multi-truck wreck to claim his first NASCAR Truck career victory and claim a guaranteed spot to the 2017 Playoffs. He went on to claim five additional top-10 results throughout the 16-race regular-season stretch, including a runner-up result at Dover Motor Speedway in June and a third-place result at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in September despite getting bumped and spun out of the way for the lead by Austin Cindric on the final lap. At the start of the Playoffs, however, Grala was eliminated from title contention following respective finishes of 10th, fifth and 29th during the Round of 8. Nonetheless, he went on to finish in the top 10 in three of the final four scheduled events before finishing in seventh place in the final drivers’ standings.

    Coming off a strong Truck Series campaign, Grala graduated to the Xfinity Series for the 2018 season as he started the season as the driver of the No. 24 JGL Racing Ford Mustang. Despite commencing the season with a fourth-place run at Daytona in February, the Boston native was left without a ride after JGL ceased his entry following the first 10-scheduled events. A few days later, however, Grala managed to secure a part-time Xfinity ride in the No. 61 Ford Mustang for FURY Race Cars, beginning at a Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Making a total of 12 starts with FURY for the remaining 23-scheduled events, he finished in the top 10 four times, which included a strong fifth-place result at Daytona in July.

    In 2019, Grala made only five national touring series starts, all occurring in the Xfinity Series behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. His first start with RCR occurred at Texas Motor Speedway in March, where he finished 18th. He went on to finish 14th during his next three scheduled starts at Richmond Raceway in April, Dover in May and at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. He then capped off his five-race run with RCR by finishing fifth at Road America in August.

    The 2020 season witnessed Grala competing in a total of seven national touring series events: one in the Cup Series, five in the Xfinity Series and one in the Truck Series. His first start of the season occurred in the Xfinity circuit at Kansas Speedway in July, where he returned for a second part-time stint with RCR and finished 13th. He went on to post his best result of the season at Road America in August, where he finished fourth, followed by back-to-back ninth-place results during a Richmond Raceway doubleheader feature in September. His final Xfinity start of the season occurred at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October, where he ended up in 31st place due to a suspension issue despite winning the first stage. In August, Grala served as an interim competitor for Austin Dillon in RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE entry in the Cup Series at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in August. The news of Grala substituting for Dillon came after Dillon tested positive for COVID-19 leading up to the event as Grala made his first career start in NASCAR’s premier series. During the event, the Boston native recorded a strong seventh-place result. For the Truck Series, he made his lone start at Talladega in October, where he piloted the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado to a ninth-place result.

    For the 2021 season, Grala competed in a total of three Cup events, two Xfinity events and three Truck events. In the Cup circuit, he competed on a part-time basis for Kaulig Racing that commenced by making his Daytona 500 debut after earning a transfer spot for the main event based on his qualifying speed. During the 500, he led 10 laps before falling back to 28th place in the final running order due to being involved in a late incident. He then went on to post a strong sixth-place finish at Talladega in April and a 35th-place result at Daytona in August after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. In the Xfinity circuit, Grala made a total of two starts for Jordan Anderson Racing, where he finished 18th at Road America and 15th at Texas Motor Speedway, respectively. In the Truck circuit, he made a total of three starts for Young’s Motorsports, all of which occurred on road course venues, as he finished in the top 12 during all his starts. The highlight of his three-race Truck effort occurred during the inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas in May, where he finished second after overtaking Tyler Ankrum in the closing laps.

    This past season, which marked his third consecutive season of making select starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Grala made three starts in the Cup Series, nine in the Xfinity Series and 12 in the Truck Series. His best result in the Truck circuit was a seventh-place result in the series’ inaugural event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July, with all of his scheduled starts occurring with Young’s Motorsports. In the Xfinity circuit, he competed between Alpha Prime Racing, Big Machine Racing, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports and Sam Hunt Racing, with his best result being fifth at Watkins Glen International in August. In the Cup circuit, Grala teamed up with the newly formed Money Team Racing and embarked on a part-time campaign that commenced in the 64th running of the Daytona 500 in February. After earning a transfer spot for the main event through the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel, he ended up in 26th place in the 500 despite losing his right-front tire on Lap 40. His other two Cup starts were at Circuit of the Americas in March and in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he finished 25th and a season-best 23rd, respectively.

    A month after the 2022 NASCAR season concluded, Grala was announced as a full-time competitor of the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, which he competed for and finished 23rd at Phoenix in November, for the 2023 season as he will contend for the series’ championship for the first time in his career.

    Through 99 previous starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Grala has achieved one victory, one pole, 11 top-five results, 30 top-10 results and 75 laps led while competing for 12 different organizations.

    Grala is scheduled to make his 100th NASCAR national touring series career start in the Xfinity Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 18. The event’s coverage is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Zane Smith emerges victorious in rain-shortened Truck Series opener at Daytona

    Zane Smith emerges victorious in rain-shortened Truck Series opener at Daytona

    The reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith commenced the new season of competition on a high and bizarre note by winning the rain-shortened NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 17.

    The 23-year-old Smith from Huntington Beach, California, led three times for 17 of 79-shortened laps, including the final 15, where he assumed the lead on Lap 65 following a three-wide move against Corey LaJoie and Tyler Ankrum. He then retained the top spot for a few additional laps before the event was red-flagged for over an hour due to persistent rain that halted the event in the early stages. More than an hour after NASCAR attempted to dry the superspeedway venue and send the competitors back under racing conditions, Smith was declared the official winner of the event that was shortened 21 laps shy of its 100-lap scheduled distance.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, newcomer Nick Sanchez claimed his first career pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.899 mph in 49.478 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Majeski, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 180.785 mph in 49.783 seconds.

    Prior to the event, names that included Clay Greenfield, Chase Purdy, Corey LaJoie, Josh Reaume and Canada’s Jason M. White dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective trucks. Newcomer Daniel Dye also dropped to the rear of the field due to a transmission change along with Chris Hacker, who fell back due to an engine change.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Majeski and Sanchez dueled for the lead early followed by Jack Wood and Christian Eckes entering the first turn. With the truck competitors remaining dead even through two tight-packed lanes through the backstretch, Majeski gained the early advantage as he was drafted into the lead followed by Eckes. With the clean air and control of both lanes, Majeski proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Sanchez and Eckes.

    During the following lap, Majeski retained the lead through the first two laps until Eckes was drafted into the lead following a strong push from Matt Crafton on the outside lane, which dropped Majeski back to third place. Not long after, the first caution of the event flew due to sprinkles reported around the superspeedway venue. Under the first caution period, some names like Derek Kraus, Chase Purdy, Daniel Dye and Tyler Ankrum pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.

    Once the track was cleared from precipitation, the race restarted under green on the sixth lap. A few seconds later, however, the caution quickly returned due to reports of more rain around the superspeedway venue. At the moment of caution, Eckes retained the lead ahead of Crafton, Matt DiBenedetto, Majeski and Sanchez. During the caution period, names like Parker Kligerman, Corey LaJoie, Kris Wright, Colby Howard, Tanner Gray and Travis Pastrana pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.

    When the race restarted on Lap 10, Eckes and Crafton dueled for the lead entering Turn 1 until Eckes peeked ahead with drafting help from DiBenedetto. Crafton, however, fought back on the outside lane through the backstretch before Eckes pulled ahead on the inside lane with another push from DiBenedetto as he retained the lead through the frontstretch.

    Two laps later, Crafton received a huge push from teammate Majeski on the outside lane entering Turns 3 and 4 to assume full command of the lead in his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 entering the frontstretch. Though he led the Lap 13 mark, Eckes fought back on the inside lane as he and Crafton continued to engage in repeated swaps for the lead from the outside to inside lanes. By Lap 15, Eckes managed to pull his No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST away from the side-by-side action on the inside lane followed by DiBenedetto while Crafton remained as the lead truck on the outside lane. Crafton, however, fought back by Lap 18 as he received another push from Majeski to pull away on the backstretch.

    Then on the final lap of the first stage, Majeski made his move to the outside of Crafton as he assumed the lead followed by Eckes and DiBenedetto. As Majeski moved back to the inside lane, Eckes charged on the outside lane as he drew himself alongside Majeski through the backstretch. Then in Turns 3 and 4, Majeski got loose towards the apron but managed to keep his truck straight. This, however, allowed Eckes to pull away as he claimed the first stage victory on Lap 20. Crafton settled in second while DiBenedetto, Hailie Deegan, Sanchez, Majeski, Carson Hocevar, Tanner Gray, Jack Wood and Grant Enfinger were scored in the top 10 on the track.

    Under the stage break, some, led by Eckes, pitted while others, led by Ankrum and including Stewart Friesen, Colby Howard, Kligerman, Purdy and Pastrana remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Kris Wright was penalized for speeding on pit road. Corey Heim was also penalized for having a crew member jump over the pit wall too soon.

    The second stage started on Lap 25 as Ankrum and Friesen occupied the front row. At the start, Ankrum pulled away with the lead on the inside lane through Turns 1 and 2 until Friesen gained momentum on the outside lane as he was drafted by Kligerman into the lead. As the field battled through two tight-packed lanes through the frontstretch, Ankrum drew his No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro back even against Friesen’s No. 52 Aim Autism/Halmar Toyota Tundra TRD Pro as they dueled for the lead. Not long after, the field fanned out to three lanes as Eckes tried to march his way back to the front.

    Then on Lap 28, the caution flew as a multi-truck wreck erupted just past the start/finish line and on the frontstretch when Clay Greenfield got loose, slipped sideways and ignited carnage that included Dean Thompson, Deegan, Tanner Gray, DiBenedetto, Bret Holmes, Josh Reaume and Daniel Dye. Soon after, the event entered a red flag period and the competitors parked their trucks on the backstretch due to rain returning on the venue and as the safety workers went to work to clear the wreckage. Eventually, the competitors were ordered by NASCAR to cycle their trucks back to pit road as the event remained under a red flag period due to rain.

    Following a red flag period spanning approximately 12 minutes, the competitors returned to the track at a cautious pace. Once the circuit was cleared, the race restarted under green on Lap 35 as Ankrum and Howard occupied the front row. At the start, Howard briefly peaked ahead until Ankrum retained the lead as he had the draft to his advantage on the inside lane. Howard, however, prevailed during the following lap as he cleared the field with the lead while Friesen and Ankrum dueled for second.

    During the following lap, Ankrum responded right back by assuming the lead through the backstretch. As Ankrum nearly got turned off the front nose of Howard entering the frontstretch, Friesen made a bold three-wide pass on both Howard and Ankrum to take the lead as the field behind also fanned out to three tight-packed lanes.

    Then on the final lap of the first stage, Friesen, who lost the lead to Ankrum through the first two turns, got turned into the outside wall on the backstretch after making contact with Ben Rhodes as Codie Rohrbaugh, Howard, Kligerman and Holmes also wrecked. The incident was enough to conclude the second stage scheduled on Lap 40 under caution as Ankrum claimed the second stage victory. Purdy settled in second followed by Crafton, Sanchez and Eckes while Enfinger, Rhodes, Enfinger, Jack Wood and Hocevar were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the majority of the field led by Ankrum pitted while the rest led by Corey LaJoie remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Majeski was penalized for a second time due to a rear crew member jumping over the pit wall too soon. In addition, Jason A. White, a Richmond, Virginia, native driving for TRICON Garage, was also penalized for removing equipment out of his pit box.

    Amid another brief on-track delay due to precipitation as the competitors remained on the track, the final stage commenced under the green flag with 53 laps remaining as LaJoie and Zane Smith occupied the front row. At the start, LaJoie and Smith briefly dueled for the lead until Smith pulled ahead with the lead followed by DiBenedetto and Ankrum. Exiting the backstretch, however, Ankrum received a draft from Eckes to storm back into the lead as he immediately moved in front of Zane Smith. Eckes, however, remained on the outside lane as he assumed the lead for two turns until LaJoie made a move beneath Eckes to reassume the lead.

    With 50 laps remaining, LaJoie was leading ahead of Ankrum as both competitors engaged in repeated side-by-side battles for the top spot. Heim was in third followed by Zane Smith and DiBenedetto while Eckes, Crafton, Chase Elliott, Enfinger and rookie Rajah Caruth were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Majeski was in 11th followed by Rhodes, Hocevar, Tanner Gray and Jack Wood while Dye, Purdy, Travis Pastrana, Sammy Smith, and Timmy Hill occupied the top 20 amid a tight battle within the front pack.

    Then with 43 laps remaining, the caution flew when rookie Rajah Caruth, who was running towards the top 10, made contact with both Zane Smith and Heim entering Turns 3 and 4, which got his No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST sideways as he spun before he was hit by DiBenedetto and teammate Daniel Dye. Amid the carnage, a majority of competitors running towards the middle of the pack took evasive action to avoid the carnage, including Tanner Gray and Elliott as both dodged the wreck, Majeski also avoided the incident by a hair despite making contact against Dye and having to slam the brakes.

    During the caution period, nearly the entire field except for LaJoie, Timmy Hill, Carson Hocevar and Josh Reaume pitted, though LaJoie’s move in remaining on the track was not as planned due to a miscommunication between himself and his pit crew on when pit road was open for service. Prior to the restart and with the majority of the competitors remaining uncertain on completing the remainder of the race’s scheduled distance on fuel, names like Timmy Hill, Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes, Travis Pastrana, Chase Purdy, Chris Hacker, Jack Wood, Nick Sanchez, Sammy Smith, Kris Wright, Grant Enfinger, Derek Kraus and Jason A White pitted again to top off on fuel.

    With 36 laps remaining, the event restarted under green. At the start, LaJoie jumped ahead with the lead on the inside lane through the first two turns. He then tried to fend off Ankrum on the outside lane, but Ankrum and Zane Smith placed LaJoie in the middle of a three-wide battle entering Turns 3 and 4 as Zane Smith assumed the lead in his No. 38 Love’s Ford F-150 while LaJoie drifted all the way to the back of the lead pack after losing the draft.

    Three laps later, the caution returned due to reports of rain returning to the racing surface. By then, Zane Smith was the leader followed by Tanner Gray, Howard, Eckes and Enfinger while Majeski, Ankrum, Heim, Crafton and Elliott. Another six laps later amid an extensive caution period, the field led by Zane Smith returned to pit road and the race was placed on its second red flag hiatus due to the precipitation.

    An hour later, the red flag lifted and the competitors returned to the track under a cautious pace in spite of the weather remaining misty and the rain transitioning from either raining or not raining. Soon after, the field returned to pit road and under another red flag period with 21 laps remaining. Soon after, NASCAR declared the event official due to the persistent rain and Zane Smith was declared the winner of the event on pit road.

    For Smith, the Daytona victory was his second in a row after winning last year’s season opener, which made him the first competitor to win back-to-back Truck events at Daytona since Todd Bodine made the last accomplishment between 2008 and 2009. It also marked his eighth career victory in the Craftsman Truck Series and his second in a row after winning both the 2022 finale and series championship at Phoenix as he became the first competitor to be guaranteed a spot for the 2023 Truck Series Playoffs. Smith’s Daytona victory also marked the sixth Truck career win for Front Row Motorsports and the eighth time where the Ford nameplate won at Daytona.

    ““I know there’s about a million ways to get [a win] at Daytona, but we’re proving that,” Smith, who is set to make his Daytona 500 debut on Sunday, said on FS1. “Obviously, [I] wanted to go back racing there somewhat, to duke it out with good friends of mine. Hey, we’ll take a win at Daytona any day we can get. [I] Just give a huge shoutout to everyone at Front Row Motorsports. This whole group, man, I’ve said it over and over again, they work their guts out and it proves it. [We’re] Locked in the Playoffs. It’s like a repeat of last year. Just loving life right now.”

    With Zane Smith winning the event, Tanner Gray settled in a career-best second place while Eckes, Colby Howard and Enfinger concluded in the top five. Majeski, Ankrum, Heim, Crafton and Elliott finished in the top 10.

    Notably, Ben Rhodes finished 11th in front of Hocevar, Pastrana settled in 13th in front of newcomer Sammy Smith, Purdy ended up 17th, LaJoie fell back to 23rd and Sanchez finished 26th in his series debut in front of Jack Wood and Friesen.

    There were 20 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 41 laps.

    Following the first event of the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series season, Christian Eckes leads the regular-season standings by five points over Matt Crafton, nine over Ty Majeski, 10 over both Zane Smith and Tyler Ankrum, 12 over Tanner Gray and 14 over Grant Enfinger.

    Results.

    1. Zane Smith, 17 laps led

    2. Tanner Gray

    3. Christian Eckes, 19 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    4. Colby Howard, two laps led

    5. Grant Enfinger

    6. Ty Majeski, two laps led

    7. Tyler Ankrum, 15 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    8. Corey Heim

    9. Matt Crafton, two laps led

    10. Chase Elliott

    11. Ben Rhodes

    12. Carson Hocevar

    13. Travis Pastrana

    14. Sammy Smith

    15. Jason A. White

    16. Timmy Hill

    17. Chase Purdy, one lap led

    18. Derek Kraus

    19. Josh Reaume

    20. Matt DiBenedetto

    21. Jason M. White

    22. Kris Wright

    23. Corey LaJoie, 19 laps led

    24. Mason Massey

    25. Chris Hacker

    26. Nick Sanchez

    27. Jack Wood

    28. Stewart Friesen, five laps down, two laps led

    29. Rajah Caruth – OUT, Accident

    30. Daniel Dye – OUT, Accident

    31. Bret Holmes – OUT, Brakes

    32. Parker Kligerman – OUT, DVP

    33. Codie Rohrbaugh – OUT, Accident

    34. Clay Greenfield – OUT, Accident

    35. Hailie Deegan – OUT, Accident

    36. Dean Thompson – OUT, Accident

    With the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season underway, the series will travel west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the second event of the season. The event is scheduled to occur on March 3 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • TRICON Garage unveils 2023 crew chief & personnel lineup

    TRICON Garage unveils 2023 crew chief & personnel lineup

    With the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season nine days away from commencing, TRICON Garage put the final pieces of its rebranded puzzle together by revealing its crew chief and personnel lineup for its fleet of Toyota Tundra TRD Pros and drivers.

    For starters, Seth Smith will remain at TRICON to serve as a crew chief for the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro that will compete in select events and be piloted by multiple competitors that include Jason White for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway next Friday and newcomer William Sawalich, who will make his debut at Martinsville Speedway in April. The 34-year-old Smith from Troutman, North Carolina, has achieved two Truck career victories to his resume, both of which occurred during the previous season with Todd Gilliland at Knoxville Raceway and with Ryan Preece at Nashville Superspeedway.

    Next, Derek Smith, brother to Seth Smith, will be graduating to the Truck Series to assume the pit box of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro team that will be driven by Dean Thompson, who joins the organization as a full-time competitor after spending the previous season at Niece Motorsports. Smith makes his move to the Truck circuit with 31 ARCA Menards Series events as a crew chief to his resume. As a former crew chief for TRICON in the ARCA regions, he led veteran and TRICON’s owner David Gilliland to his first ARCA West career victory at Phoenix Raceway in 2020.

    New to the organization for this season is Scott Zipadelli, the 2018 Truck Series championship-winning crew chief from Newington, Connecticut. Zipadelli will lead the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro that will be piloted by Corey Heim, the reigning Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year recipient who notched his first two career victories during the previous season and is set to run his first full-time Truck season. Prior to TRICON, Zipadelli spent the previous six seasons at Hattori Racing Enterprises, where he notched 14 of his 15 career victories along with the 2018 title with Brett Moffitt. His other victory occurred at Michigan International Speedway in 2016 with Red Horse Racing and Moffitt. To go along with his success in the Truck circuit, Zipadelli has notched three Xfinity Series victories as a crew chief.

    Coming off his first campaign as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series, Jerame Donley will embark on another new beginning for this season by becoming a full-time Truck Series crew chief for TRICON’s No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro that will be driven by Tanner Gray, who returns for a fourth full-time campaign at TRICON. Donley, a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, spent the majority of this past season as a crew chief for Ty Dillon and Petty GMS Motorsports. Previously, he was a nine-year engineer veteran for Chip Ganassi Racing and a former mechanic for Hendrick Motorsports.

    Lastly, Billy Wilburn will be returning to the Truck Series to serve as a crew chief for TRICON’s No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro team that will be piloted by rookie Taylor Gray in all but the first three scheduled events. The 56-year-old Wilburn from Tempe, Arizona, has called 196 NASCAR national touring series events as a crew chief. His lone victory occurred at Kentucky Speedway in June 2006 with David Gilliland, who notched his first Xfinity career win. With Gray missing the first three events due to age restrictions, Sammy Smith will be making his Truck debut at Daytona. It remains undetermined who will be driving the No. 17 entry for the following two events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March.

    In addition, veteran Matt Puccia will be joining TRICON Garage to assume the role of Competition Director. The 69-year-old Puccia from Watertown, New York, previously worked as a Director of Operations for Roush Fenway Racing and has called 269 Cup Series events as a crew chief for Roush from 2011 to 2018. During the span, he notched three career victories and three Playoff appearances, all with former veteran Greg Biffle, from 2012 to 2014.

    The 2023 season is set to mark a new beginning for TRICON Garage, which was rebranded from David Gilliland Racing and reunited with Toyota following a three-year partnership with Ford.

    With their lineup set, TRICON Garage is set to make its debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, which will commence a new season of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition. The event’s air time is set to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • TRICON Garage adds Sammy Smith for Truck Series opener at Daytona

    TRICON Garage adds Sammy Smith for Truck Series opener at Daytona

    A new season with a new opportunity will produce another first-time opportunity for Sammy Smith as he will be joining TRICON Garage in a one-race deal for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in mid-February.

    The 18-year-old Smith from Johnston, Iowa, will be piloting TRICON’s No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro sponsored by Mobil 1 in place of Taylor Gray, who will not compete in the first three Truck events on this year’s schedule due to NASCAR’s age restriction policy. Gray, who is set to join TRICON and contend for the rookie title, will make his first start of this season at Circuit of the Americas in late March once he turns 18.

    For Smith, the Daytona event will mark his first career start in the NASCAR Truck circuit. He is set to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra on a full-time basis for this upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series season, beginning at Daytona in February, as he will contend for both the rookie and championship titles. During the previous season, Smith made his first nine career starts in the Xfinity circuit with JGR, where he notched three top-10 results and a career-best third-place run at Watkins Glen International in August. He is also a two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion, having won both titles in the last two consecutive seasons, and a six-time ARCA Menards Series winner.

    The 2023 season is set to mark a new beginning for TRICON Garage, which was rebranded from David Gilliland Racing and changed manufacturers with Toyota following a three-year partnership with Ford. In addition to the No. 17 entry, the team will be fielding the Nos. 5, 11 and 15 entries on a full-time basis. Corey Heim, the reigning Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year recipient, will be piloting the No. 11 entry for his first full-time Truck campaign while Dean Thompson and Tanner Gray will be driving the Nos. 5 and 15 entries, respectively. TRICON will also be fielding the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro on a part-time basis for newcomer William Sawalich, who is scheduled to make his Truck debut at Martinsville Speedway in April.

    Additional details regarding TRICON Garage’s driver plans for the No. 17 entry for the following two Truck events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March have yet to be announced.

    Smith’s debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is set to occur at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, which will commence a new season of Truck competition. The event is scheduled to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR reveals 2023 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    NASCAR reveals 2023 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    With the 2023 NASCAR season nearing its commencement, the Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash and the Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge programs will also be returning and featured in the early portions of the upcoming racing schedule.

    For the Xfinity Series, the Dash 4 Cash program will launch its 15th consecutive season by hosting its qualifying event at Circuit of the Americas for a second consecutive season on March 25, where the top-four highest-finishing Xfinity regulars in the final running order will contend for the first round of bonus money. The Dash 4 Cash program will then commence at Richmond Raceway on April 1 before returning for the following three consecutive events at Martinsville Speedway on April 15, Talladega Superspeedway on April 22 and Dover Motor Speedway on April 29. The highest-finishing Xfinity competitor in each event will receive the cash-winning prize, with opportunities for the cash-winning prize to increase should a competitor achieve the bonus more than once.

    This past season, Sam Mayer commenced the Dash 4 Cash program by winning the first bonus round at Richmond. Veteran AJ Allmendinger claimed the following two bonuses at Martinsville and Talladega before Noah Gragson claimed the fourth and final bonus at Dover. While Allmendinger and Gragson have moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series for this upcoming season, Mayer returns to the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports as he will contend for another round of bonus money.

    For the Craftsman Truck Series, which has been renamed from the Camping World Truck Series, the Triple Truck Challenge will occupy three events for a fifth consecutive season and offer Truck regulars three opportunities to earn bonus money for themselves. The program will launch at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26 before returning at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 3 and at Nashville Superspeedway on June 23.

    A year ago, Corey Heim claimed the first Triple Truck Challenge bonus after winning at World Wide Technology Raceway in Gateway. Ryan Preece went on to claim the second bonus after winning at Nashville before Parker Kligerman capped off the program by winning both the race and the bonus at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. While Preece and Kligerman have moved up to the Cup and Xfinity Series respectively, Heim will receive additional opportunities to compete for additional cash as he returns to the Truck Series as a full-time competitor for TRICON Garage.

    Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    For both initiatives, drivers who are competing for championship points in their respective series will only be eligible to compete in their respective cash-winning events (Xfinity for Dash 4 Cash and Truck for Triple Truck Challenge), thus making the Cup Series competitors ineligible for both program events.

    As part of the restriction process that will not allow competitors competing in additional national touring series events in major events, drivers who are not competing for Xfinity Series points will be ineligible to compete in the series’ Playoff events, elimination races and the inaugural Xfinity event at the Chicago Street Race that is scheduled to occur on July 1. In addition, Xfinity regulars will not be allowed to compete in the Truck season finale event at Phoenix Raceway on November 3 while Cup regulars are ineligible to compete in the Truck’s Playoff schedule. Cup regulars, however, are permitted to compete in a maximum of five Xfinity and Truck events that do not involve the major bonus, Playoff or championship events.

    The 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 with the event’s coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is scheduled to occur the following day on February 18 with the event’s coverage to commence at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • McAnally-Hilgemann Racing adds Chase Elliott for Daytona Truck Series race, finalizes driver-crew chief pairing

    McAnally-Hilgemann Racing adds Chase Elliott for Daytona Truck Series race, finalizes driver-crew chief pairing

    McAnally-Hilgemann Racing solidified its driver-crew chief lineup for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season while also unveiling a special name that will be joining the organization to commence a new season of competition.

    For the Truck Series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway that is scheduled to occur on February 17, Chase Elliott will be piloting the No. 35 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet Silverado RST sponsored by Gates Hydraulics and NAPA Auto Care. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion will be driving the entry in place of Jake Garcia, who will not be competing in the event due to age restrictions. Garcia, who was announced as the driver of the No. 35 Chevrolet for this upcoming Truck season on December 6, will make his first start of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, which marks his 18th birthday.

    The 2023 Truck opener will mark Elliott’s first series start at Daytona and 18th overall, with his latest occurring at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course last April, where he finished seventh while driving for Spire Motorsports. Making his Truck debut at Martinsville Speedway in April 2013, Elliott has achieved three career victories in the Truck circuit. His first occurred at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in September 2013 while driving for Hendrick Motorsports and following a last-lap run-in with Ty Dillon. He went on to win at Martinsville Speedway in April 2017 and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2020, both while driving for GMS Racing.

    “This will be the first time I’ve driven a truck at Daytona, let alone a superspeedway,” Elliott, who finished fourth in the 2022 Cup Series final standings, said. “There’s no better team owner than Bill McAnally to do it with, as he’s been involved in racing and been associated with NAPA for a long time.”

    Following the season opener at Daytona, Garcia, who made his first five career starts in the Truck circuit with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing this past season and notched a career-best 16th place at Phoenix Raceway in November, will take over the No. 35 entry and compete for the rookie title. Mark Hillman, who spent the previous season at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing as a crew chief for Colby Howard and the No. 91 entry, will remain with the organization to navigate both Elliott and Garcia throughout the season.

    “I think there’s an incredible amount of potential for our team to make a lot of noise this year, and we have the people to make it happen,” Bill McAnally, owner of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, said. “We’re thrilled to have Chase step in and drive our No. 35 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet at Daytona and everyone involved in our program is excited and glad that he’s able to do so. I think his presence at Daytona will benefit Jake (Garcia) and our entire group.”

    Meanwhile, Charles Denike, who joined McAnally-Hilgemann Racing midway into the 2022 Truck season and served as a crew chief for the team’s No. 19 entry piloted by Derek Kraus, will be remaining with the organization to lead the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST team for a full season. On this occasion, the No. 19 entry will be piloted by Christian Eckes, who joined the organization on December 6. The 22-year-old Eckes from Middletown, New York, spent the previous Truck season competing for ThorSport Racing, where he notched eight top-five results, 15 top-10 results and qualified for the 2022 Truck Playoffs before finishing eighth in the final standings. He also notched his first career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September 2021.

    Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    On the competition side, veteran Chad Norris will be serving as the team’s general manager and will oversee the truck operation at the team’s base in Statesville, North Carolina. Norris, who spent the previous season as Garcia’s crew chief in the Truck competition, joins McAnally Hilgemann Racing with an extensive racing resume that includes four victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and one in the Truck circuit, which occurred at Kansas Speedway in October 2020 with Brett Moffitt. Norris also previously served as a competition director for GMS Racing before filling in as a Cup Series crew chief for Petty GMS Motorsports and driver Ty Dillon midway through this past season.

    “Mark [Hillman] and Charles [Denike] had good seasons last year and are motivated to elevate the performance of both teams,” McAnally added. “Having Chad [Norris] come on board is a good boost for us also. He’s been around the Chevrolet team, has crew chief experience, and worked with Jake last season. I feel like we have a lot of talented people in our team, and we’re looking forward to putting it all together in our 33rd season with NAPA and NAPA Auto Care.”

    With their full roster set, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ryan Vargas inks part-time Truck Series ride with On Point Motorsports for 2023 season

    Ryan Vargas inks part-time Truck Series ride with On Point Motorsports for 2023 season

    Ryan Vargas has a new team and new series to call home for this upcoming season after it was announced that he will be campaigning on a part-time basis for On Point Motorsports for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The 22-year-old Vargas from La Mirada, California, will make his inaugural presence in the Truck circuit at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18, where he will be piloting the No. 30 On Point Motorsports Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. He will then compete at Darlington Raceway (May 12), Nashville Superspeedway (June 23), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 8), Richmond Raceway (July 29), Talladega Superspeedway (September 30) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (October 21). 

    The news comes as Vargas is coming off his fourth part-time campaign in the Xfinity Series, where he notched a career-best sixth-place result at Daytona International Speedway in August. Competing in 26 of 33-scheduled Xfinity events, he notched an average-finishing result of 25.4 before settling in 26th place in the final driver’s standings.

    In 67 career starts in the Xfinity Series, Vargas has accumulated a total of two top-10 results, four laps led and an average-finishing result of 25.7. Prior to the Xfinity Series, he competed in the 2018 ARCA Menards Series East season with Rev Racing, where he notched six top-10 results before finishing in sixth place in the final standings. The Californian is also a two-time recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.

    “I’m beyond thrilled to join On-Point Motorsports for the 2023 Season,” Vargas said. “I told myself heading into this offseason that it was time for a change. I knew that I was ready to take on a new challenge. Having never made a truck series start, I really felt that this year was the perfect time for me to make the move into a competitive Truck Series entry. There’s no denying what Bones and his team have done are nothing short of impressive. With a bunch of top-10 finishes and opportunities to make it to victory lane, I knew I had found myself a fantastic new home.”

    In addition, Vargas will be receiving sponsorship support from Critical Path Security, Léargas Security, Swann Security, and Williamsburg Contracting throughout this season.

    “Although I won’t be running the full schedule, I’m excited to engrain myself within the organization and work hands on with the development of my teammates and the truck’s on-track performance,” Vargas added, “Thank you to all my fans and followers for continuing to believe in me. I’m truly blessed and I really look forward to competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023!”

    For this upcoming season, Vargas will become the 13th different competitor to compete for On Point Motorsports. The team’s No. 30 entry finished in 24th place in the 2022 Truck owner’s standings while being piloted by sixth different competitors. Their best result during the previous season included a 12th-place run at Las Vegas with Tate Fogleman followed by a 13th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway with Kaden Honeycutt.

    Vargas’ first Truck Series career start of the season is set to occur at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18. The event’s coverage is scheduled to occur at 2 p.m. ET on FS1. 

  • Hattori Racing Enterprises retains Tyler Ankrum for 2023 Truck season

    Hattori Racing Enterprises retains Tyler Ankrum for 2023 Truck season

    Tyler Ankrum will be returning for a second full-time stint in the No. 16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Hattori Racing Enterprises for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

    The news comes as the 21-year-old Ankrum from San Bernardino, California, is coming off his first campaign with the organization. Throughout the 23-race schedule this past season, he finished in the top-10 eight times, led four laps and recorded an average-finishing result of 14.6 before settling in 12th place in the final driver’s standings.

    LiUNA! (Laborers’ International Union of North America) will be returning to sponsor Ankrum’s truck in 21 of 23-scheduled races for this upcoming season. In addition, veteran crew chief Doug Randolph will work atop the No. 16 pit box to guide the Californian. Randolph spent the previous three seasons in the Xfinity Series with Brandonbilt Motorsports.

    “It’s an honor to return to [Hattori Racing Enterprises] and the Toyota family in 2023,” Ankrum said. “There was already a solid foundation in place at HRE, and with the addition of Doug [Randolph] to the organization, I know we can achieve our goals as a team – get back to victory lane and be a strong playoff contender. LIUNA has grown to be more than just a partner over the last three seasons. They have come to be more like family. It is an honor to carry their colors for the fourth consecutive season and represent the more than 500,000 members for their 120th birthday celebration in 2023.”

    Ankrum made his inaugural presence in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in October 2018 after winning the ARCA Menards Series East championship, where he piloted the No. 54 DGR-Crosley Toyota Tundra to an 18th-place result. After finishing sixth in his second series start at Phoenix Raceway in November, he was announced as a full-time competitor for DGR-Crosley for the 2019 season. Despite being absent for the first three events on the schedule due to age restrictions and losing his ride with the team midway into the season due to sponsorship issues, he managed to secure his first career victory at Kentucky Speedway in July and grab a spot for the 2019 Truck Playoffs, where he proceeded to finish a career-best eighth in the final standings.

    Prior to joining Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2022, Ankrum spent the previous two seasons at GMS Racing, where he accumulated a total of six top-five results and 15 top-10 results. He qualified for the 2020 Truck Playoffs and finished ninth in the final standings, but missed the Playoffs in 2021 and settled in 15th place in the final standings.

    Through 90 previous starts in the Truck circuit, Ankrum has achieved one victory, one pole, nine top-five results, 32 top-10 results, 129 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.6.

    “I’m looking forward to seeing Tyler back for his second season with our team and continuing the partnership with Toyota Racing,” Shige Hattori, Owner of Hattori Racing Enterprises, added. “Tyler has been through the playoffs and has a lot of Trucks Series experience. With Doug [Randolph)]coming on board for the 2023 season, we look to build great chemistry with Tyler and the team. We want to get him back to victory lane and be a strong playoff contender.”

    With his plans for the 2023 season set, Ankrum is scheduled to commence his second Truck Series stint with Hattori Racing Enterprises at Daytona International Speedway. The series’ opener is scheduled to occur on February 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Hailie Deegan joins ThorSport Racing for 2023 Truck Series season

    Hailie Deegan joins ThorSport Racing for 2023 Truck Series season

    Hailie Deegan silenced the rumors of her future plans by announcing that she will be driving the No. 13 truck for ThorSport Racing for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The news comes as ThorSport Racing will also be changing manufacturers by returning to Ford following a two-year run with Toyota.

    The 28-year-old Deegan from Temecula, California, is coming off her second full-time campaign in the Truck Series, where she recorded a career-high two top-10 results, including a career-best sixth-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October while driving for David Gilliland Racing. With an average-finishing result of 22.1 throughout the 23-race schedule, she concluded the season in 21st place in the driver’s standings and was named the 2022 Truck Series Most Popular Driver, which marked the second consecutive season where she claimed the accolade.

    Deegan, who joined Ford Performance as part of its driver development program entering the 2020 season, moves to ThorSport and remains a Ford competitor following two full-time seasons with David Gilliland Racing, which is set to be rebranded to TRICON Garage and change manufacturers from Ford to Toyota.

    Through 46 career starts in the Truck Series, Deegan has achieved three top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.4. Her best result in a Truck Series standings is 17th place, which occurred during her rookie season in 2021. Prior to the Truck Series, Deegan finished in third place in the 2020 ARCA Menards Series standings after finishing in the top 10 in all but three of the 20-race schedule. She is also a three-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series West

    Deegan’s move to ThorSport Racing completes the team’s driver lineup for the upcoming Truck season as three-time Truck champion Matt Crafton, two-time Truck winner Ty Majeski and the 2021 Truck champion Ben Rhodes will be remaining with the organization. While all three competitors made the 2022 Truck Series Playoffs, Majeski and Rhodes both recorded victories and transferred all the way to the Championship 4 round, where they finished second and fourth, respectively, in the final standings. Christian Eckes, who drove for ThorSport this past season and recorded his first series victory with the team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September 2021, will not be remaining with the organization as he will be moving to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

    With her plans for the 2023 season set, Deegan’s first campaign with ThorSport Racing is set to occur at Daytona International Speedway on February 17. The event’s coverage is slated to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing expanding to NASCAR Truck Series competition in 2023

    Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing expanding to NASCAR Truck Series competition in 2023

    Rev Racing will be making its inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in 2023 by fielding a full-time Craftsman Truck Series entry with reigning ARCA Menards Series champion Nick Sanchez named as the full-time driver for the organization.

    As part of the announcement made at Phoenix Raceway ahead of championship weekend for NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Sanchez will be piloting the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado RST with sponsorship support from Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company, as he and Rev Racing will attempt to make their official Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023.

    The move comes as a pivotal moment for Rev Racing, which was founded in 2010 by Max Siegel, a former President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., and fields development entries in the ARCA Menards Series and Advance Auto Parts Touring Series while remaining actively involved with the Drive for Diversity program to increase minority and female involvement in motorsports competition. Notable names in NASCAR’s premier series, the Cup Series, whom commenced their stock car career with Rev Racing include Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez.

    “This is a pivotal moment for our organization,” Max Siegel said. “With our unwavering focus on a commitment to diversify the sport while putting a model in place to train and prepare drivers for the next level of competition, and because of our strategic partnership with Gainbridge announced earlier this year, we have never been more prepared for this next stage of advancement. Working with our technical partners at KBM and Chevrolet, we know Rev Racing and Nick are positioned for competitive excellence.”

    Sanchez, a 21-year-old native from Miami, Florida, first joined Rev Racing’s Youth Development Program in 2017 and 2018, where he piloted a Legend car in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 2019, he made his ARCA Menards Series East debut with the organization during a South Boston Speedway Twin double feature weekend, where he earned his first career pole during the second feature event. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Sanchez was named the recipient of the 2019 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. After competing the entire 2020 ARCA Menards Series East season with Rev Racing, he moved up to the ARCA Menards Series with Rev in 2021. Following a consistent season, he scored his first career victory in the season-finale event at Kansas Speedway in October. 

    Remaining as a full-time ARCA competitor for Rev Racing this season, Sanchez accumulated victories at Talladega Superspeedway in April, Kansas in May and at Michigan International Speedway in August en route to this year’s championship, which marked the first for Rev Racing in the ARCA Menards Series and second title overall after winning the 2012 ARCA East championship with Kyle Larson. He also achieved a total of nine top-five results and 16 top-10 results throughout the 20-race schedule as he claimed the title over GMS Racing’s Daniel Dye by 14 points.

    While the 2023 season will mark Sanchez’s first stint in the Truck Series, he joins the series with previous experience competing in NASCAR’s top three national touring series as he has competed in seven Xfinity Series events this season between BJ McLeod Motorsports and Big Machine Racing Team. Coming off a career-best result of seventh place at Martinsville Speedway, Sanchez is set to pilot Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 entry for this weekend’s Xfinity finale at Phoenix.

    “I’m very excited to continue driving for Max and Rev Racing in the Truck Series in 2023,” said Nick Sanchez.” To be able to join forces with our technical partner, KBM, is a great opportunity for me to learn how to win on a regular basis. Continuing my relationship with Chevrolet and Gainbridge is something that I value greatly and this is seemingly another step in our long-term plan/goal.”

    Another person who was present for Rev Racing’s announcement was two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch as his Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, will be forging a technical alliance with the organization. Like for Rev Racing, the 2023 season is set to mark a new beginning for Busch as KBM will be fielding Chevrolet Silverados for the first time following a 13-year partnership with Toyota in the Truck circuit. KBM earlier revealed that Chase Purdy will be joining the organization as a full-time competitor along with Jack Wood, who will be serving as an anchor competitor with the rest of the team’s driver lineup to be determined.

    “Unofficially, we’ve been a part of helping former Rev Racing drivers take the next step in their NASCAR careers in the Truck Series, with Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suárez both getting victories in a [Kyle Busch Motorsports] truck, so we’re looking forward to aligning with Max, Jennifer [Siegal] and everyone at Rev Racing to now officially be a part of the pipeline for young drivers in their diversity program to continue to advance into the National Series of NASCAR,” Busch said. “Nick is an impressive young driver, winning the ARCA title this year and has had some solid runs in the Xfinity Series as well, so we’re looking forward to having him be the trendsetter of what we’re confident will be a successful program for many years to come.”

    Both Sanchez and Rev Racing are set to make their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023, which will also commence a new season of Truck competition.