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  • Dean Thompson joins Sam Hunt Racing for first full-time Xfinity campaign in 2025

    Dean Thompson joins Sam Hunt Racing for first full-time Xfinity campaign in 2025

    Dean Thompson will team up with Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) and pilot the No. 26 Toyota Supra entry for a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign in 2025.

    The news comes as the 23-year-old Thompson from Anaheim, California, is coming off his third full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division and his second at TRICON Garage, where he finished in 16th place in the 2024 driver’s standings on the strengths of six top-10 results, four laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.9.

    “I’m very excited to join the Sam Hunt Racing group and continue to pursue my dreams in NASCAR,” Thompson said. “The team made me feel at home after the two races we shared last year. Everything clicked with us, and we are both in a spot where we could fulfill each other’s needs to help our growth as a race team and driver. I’m lucky to have this opportunity to take the next step, which most can only dream of reaching, and I’m grateful to share it with such an awesome group of people.”

    Thompson, who grew up competing in quarter midgets and late models, claimed both the Irwindale Late Model Track Championship and the California State Title honors in 2020. the Californian also claimed the rookie-of-the-Year title in the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series, and competed for High Point Racing in the ARCA Menards Series West division in 2021. From 2021 to 2024, Thompson would record his first career pole at Pocono Raceway in 2023, two career-best runner-up results, five top-five results and 11 top-10 results through 12 ARCA Menards Series career starts.

    In 2021, Thompson made his NASCAR Truck Series debut during the finale at Phoenix Raceway for Niece Motorsports, where he finished 21st. The following season, he campaigned with Niece on a full-time basis, where he recorded an average finishing result of 25.2 and finished in 23rd place in the final standings before he spent his next two seasons competing with TRICON Garage.

    During the 2024 season, Thompson made his Xfinity Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Sam Hunt Racing in May, where he finished 34th. Five months later, he made his second series start at Talladega Superspeedway, where he notched a season-best 20th-place result.

    Thompson’s promotion to the Xfinity circuit makes him SHR’s second full-time competitor since Kaz Grala in 2023. Since debuting during the 2019 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, SHR has featured a total of 24 competitors, including both Thompson and Grala, campaigning in at least one event with the organization. Through a combined 179 Xfinity starts, SHR has notched 11 top-five results, 26 top-10 results and 26 laps led as the organization strives to gain more consistency and be competitive on the track for the 2025 season.

    “We’re all excited to bring Dean into the SHR family to develop in the Xfinity Series full-time in 2025,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, said. “He is extremely tough, has a great personality, and works hard behind the scenes to make the most of his opportunities.

    Dean understands the challenges that await any rookie and is completely committed to becoming a well-rounded, mature race car driver who can put himself in a position to succeed every single week.

    “Our goals are aligned, and we are ready to get to work.”

    With his plans for the 2025 season set, Dean Thompson’s first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • Ed Jones inks three-race Xfinity deal with Sam Hunt Racing in 2024

    Ed Jones inks three-race Xfinity deal with Sam Hunt Racing in 2024

    Ed Jones will be joining Sam Hunt Racing to compete in his first three career starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series throughout the 2024 season.

    The 29-year-old Jones from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, who has competed under both Emirati and British licenses, will make his first Xfinity start of the season and of his career at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on March 23, where he will pilot a Toyota GR Supra entry for Sam Hunt Racing. He will then return for back-to-back series’ starts at Portland International Raceway and at Sonoma Raceway in early June.

    The news comes as Jones spent this past season competing for High Class Racing in the Le Mans Prototype 2 class in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where he ended up in sixth place in the final standings after finishing in the top 10 in all seven class starts. He also made his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career start with Young’s Motorsports at Circuit of the Americas last March, where he ended up in 36th place.

    “I’m really excited to be joining Sam Hunt Racing and Toyota Racing Development for my Xfinity Series debut and to compete in multiple races this season,” Jones said. “After spending time with Sam’s crew and the Toyota team, I have a lot of confidence in the program. I feel confident that we will be able to achieve some strong results.”

    Jones, who grew up competing in karting and achieved the 2005 United Arab Emirates karting title before advancing to InterSteps and Formula Renault, achieved the European F3 Open title in 2013. Three years later, he claimed the Indy Lights championship on the strength of two victories and eight podiums throughout the 18-race schedule while driving for Carlin.

    Beginning in 2017, Jones graduated to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, where he first competed with Dale Coyne Racing and achieved his maiden podium result by finishing third during the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A year later, he joined Chip Ganassi Racing, where he recorded two third-place results and eight top-10 results before ending up in a career-best 13th place in the final standings. He would then join Ed Carpenter Racing for the following season, where he competed on all streets and road course events along with making his third career start in the Indianapolis 500. In 13 starts, he recorded a season-best sixth-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in May.

    Jones, who was initially set to compete in the DTM series for the 2020 season before the COVID-19 pandemic restricted his traveling plans, returned to IndyCar competition in 2021, where he joined forces with Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan. After recording three top-10 results and ending up in 19th place in the final standings, he then spent the 2022 season competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship region and in the 24 Hours of Daytona for G-Drive Racing by APR in the Le Mans Prototype 2 class. He also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he achieved a podium result in the form of third place in the Le Mans Prototype 2 class with Jota Sport.

    “I’m looking forward to implementing Ed into our program at [Sam Hunt Racing], beginning at [Circuit of the Americas],” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, added. “He’s a super smart, mature guy who is hungry to build a career in NASCAR over the next couple of years, and to build it the right way. He’s professional and has raced at very high levels in INDYCAR and Sports cars. We’re excited to tackle the learning curve of competing in stock cars with him, and we know he will only get stronger and stronger with experience.”

    Jones is set to become the fourth competitor to compete for Sam Hunt Racing throughout the 2024 Xfinity Series season, a list that includes Jeffrey Earnhardt, Corey Heim and Sage Karam. The remainder of Sam Hunt Racing’s driver lineup throughout this season remains to be determined.

    Ed Jones’ first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to occur at Circuit of the Americas for the Focused Health 250. The event is scheduled to occur on March 23 and air at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to Sam Hunt Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign in 2024

    Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to Sam Hunt Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign in 2024

    Jeffrey Earnhardt will be reuniting with Sam Hunt Racing in a multi-race deal for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season that will commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway in late February.

    The news comes as the fourth-generation racer from Mooresville, North Carolina, is coming off a part-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit, where he competed in the Nos. 44 and 45 Chevrolet entries for Alpha Prime Racing. Competing in 24 of the 33-race schedule, Earnhardt recorded a total of six top-20 results and a season-best 11th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in August.

    “I’m really excited to be returning to Sam Hunt Racing and the [Toyota Racing Development] family,” Earnhardt said. “We had strong races in 2022 and I feel like we have some unfinished business. Sam’s program continues to impress, and Toyota makes me feel so welcome. I know this is the right move and can’t wait to get back in the ForeverLawn GR Supra with Sam & team.”

    Earnhardt, the son of former NASCAR competitor, Kerry Earnhardt, and the grandson of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Earnhardt, made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity circuit at Watkins Glen International in August 2009. Since then, he has amassed a total of 168 starts with 13 organizations in the Xfinity circuit. Within the 168 starts, he has recorded a single pole, two top-five results, five top-10 results, 47 laps led and an average finishing result of 24.3. His best on-track result is a runner-up finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2022, the same weekend where he notched his first career pole while piloting his grandfather’s iconic No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and with championship-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds calling the shots.

    In 2022, Earnhardt made nine of his 13 Xfinity starts with Sam Hunt Racing, where he recorded six top-20 results and his highest result being a seventh-place run at Nashville Superspeedway in June.

    For the 2024 season, Earnhardt’s Xfinity starts with Sam Hunt Racing will occur in the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra entry with ForeverLawn returning to sponsor him. The North Carolina native also becomes the second competitor confirmed to make select starts for Sam Hunt Racing alongside Corey Heim, who will make his first of select starts with the team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March.

    “Jeffrey is a great guy that everyone enjoys being around and working with,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, added. “We’ve had some great conversations over the past couple months and know he is committed to the program, as well as to the TRD family. His experience and full perspective view on the sport is always refreshing, and feel we had great speed together in 2022. I’m excited to build on that momentum and pick up where we left off and look forward to welcoming the ForeverLawn family back to the Sam Hunt Racing camp.”

    Sam Hunt Racing’s full driver lineup along with Earnhardt’s part-time schedule for the 2024 Xfinity Series season remains to be determined.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt’s 2024 part-time campaign in the Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing is set to commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the RAPTOR King of Tough 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 24 and air at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Corey Heim returns for partial Xfinity campaign with Sam Hunt Racing in 2024

    Corey Heim returns for partial Xfinity campaign with Sam Hunt Racing in 2024

    Corey Heim will run a partial NASCAR Xfinity Series stint with Sam Hunt Racing for the second time in his career for the 2024 season.

    The news comes as the 21-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, is coming off his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with TRICON Garage, where he achieved three victories, clinched the 2023 Truck Series regular-season championship, made the Championship 4 round and finished in third place in the 2023 driver’s standings. He also made his first four career starts in the Xfinity circuit with Sam Hunt Racing throughout the 2023 campaign, where he recorded two top-15 results.

    “I can’t wait to join Sam Hunt Racing again in 2024,” Heim said. “I saw improvement throughout every start I made with [Sam Hunt Racing] in 2023 from top to bottom, including in myself as a driver. That’s really what I’m looking for in a partnership — the constant push to be better, and I know SHR will continue to make that their goal in 2024. It really excites me as a driver to be part of a group like this. I’m looking forward to building this year together and contending for wins.”

    Heim, a former Rookie-of-the-Year recipient in both the CARS Super Late Model and Late Model Stock Car Tour regions along with being a nine-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in 2021 when he competed in three Truck Series events for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The following season, he scored his first career victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track, and would achieve another victory at World Wide Technology Raceway. Despite competing in 16 of the 23-race schedule in 2022, Heim achieved the Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    This past season, Heim became a full-time competitor in the Truck Series for the first time in his career as he joined forces with the newly rebranded TRICON Garage while remaining as a Toyota Racing Development competitor. Despite being absent at World Wide Technology Raceway in June due to an illness, Heim generated his strongest season to date with three victories, four poles, 12 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, 611 laps led and an average-finishing result of 6.8 in 22 starts, all en route to making the Playoffs and settling in third place in the final standings. He is set to return for a second full-time Truck Series campaign and championship bid with TRICON Garage this upcoming season.

    During the previous season, Heim’s first Xfinity Series career start with Sam Hunt Racing occurred at Dover Motor Speedway in April. He would then achieve his first top-10 career result in the series at Darlington Raceway in May by finishing 10th before returning for Pocono Raceway in July and at Darlington in September, where he finished 15th in the latter event.

    Heim’s first Xfinity start of the 2024 season will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March as he will pilot Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 26 Toyota GR Supra. The remainder of his part-time Xfinity schedule along with Sam Hunt Racing’s full driver lineup for the 2024 season remains to be determined.

    “Everyone at Sam Hunt Racing is excited to have Corey back with us at an expanded capacity in 2024,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, added. “Corey is a young man that I’ve been a vocal believer in for years now, and I know he will be a driver that can grow into a staple of our Xfinity Series program. He embraces and believes in our group, and he is willing to put the work in to grow with us and compete at the highest level possible.”

    Corey Heim’s first Xfinity Series start of the season with Sam Hunt Racing is set to occur at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2. The event’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • John Hunter Nemechek to make 100th Xfinity career start at Phoenix

    John Hunter Nemechek to make 100th Xfinity career start at Phoenix

    The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is set to mark John Hunter Nemechek’s first official opportunity to contend for his first Xfinity Series championship during this weekend’s Xfinity Series season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway. The finale is also set for the second-generation racer to achieve a significant milestone start. By competing in the finale, the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra will make career start No. 100 in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Mooresville, North Carolina, Nemechek made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series in 2018 when he was signed by Chip Ganassi Racing to pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis. By then, he had won both the Snowball Derby and the All American 400 in 2014 and was a three-time winner of the SpeedFest 125. He had also campaigned in two Truck Series seasons, where he had accumulated five victories and made the Playoffs in 2016 and 2017.

    Making his Xfinity Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, Nemechek rallied from being involved in an early incident with Cole Custer and Elliott Sadler to finish an impressive fourth place. He went on to post six additional top-10 results during his next 13 scheduled starts. Then at Kansas Speedway in October, Nemechek rallied from sliding through his pit stall to lead 64 of 200 laps and beat Daniel Hemric by more than five seconds to claim his first Xfinity career victory and become the fourth first-time winner of the 2018 season.

    By recording the sixth victory of the season for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 entry and winning the first Round of 8 event in the Xfinity Playoffs, Nemechek secured a spot for the No. 42 team to compete for the owner’s championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. He went on to finish no lower than ninth during the final three Xfinity events on the schedule, including a third-place run during the season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as the No. 42 team ended up in second place in the owner’s standings.

    In 2019, Nemechek was signed by GMS Racing to drive the No. 23 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis. He commenced the season by finishing eighth at Daytona International Speedway in February before finishing second behind Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway a month later. With a total of four top-five results and 12 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Nemechek clinched a spot in the 2019 Xfinity Playoffs. Despite finishing no lower than 15th during the Round of 12, he was one of four competitors to not transfer to the Round of 8. Nonetheless, he concluded the season with four consecutive top-eight results and in seventh place in the final standings.

    While he did not record a victory throughout the season, he captured a total of six top-five results, 19 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 12.5. A month later, Nemechek moved up to the Cup Series to drive for Front Row Motorsports for the 2020 season.

    Upon returning to the Truck Series to drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports and compete for the series championship in 2021, Nemechek also made five starts in the Xfinity circuit between Sam Hunt Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. Nemechek’s first start of the season occurred at Dover Motor Speedway with SHR in May, where he finished 32nd after being involved in an early incident. He then posted a strong third-place run at Richmond Raceway in September with SHR before finishing 22nd at Talladega Superspeedway in October while driving for JGR.

    Then at Texas Motor Speedway in mid-October, Nemechek rallied from serving a late pit road speeding penalty to lead a race-high 92 of 200 laps and beat teammate Hemric to claim his second career victory in the Xfinity circuit and the 10th victory of the season for JGR’s No. 54 Toyota team. He made his final start of the season in the finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he finished in sixth place after leading 39 laps and placed JGR’s No. 54 entry in the runner-up spot in the final owner’s standings.

    Nemechek remained a full-time Truck competitor for KBM in 2022 while also increasing his part-time Xfinity schedule from five to 11 between Sam Hunt Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. In 11 scheduled starts, he recorded three top-five results and four top-10 results. His best result driving for JGR was second at Richmond Raceway in April after being overtaken by Ty Gibbs on the final lap while his best result with SHR was fourth at Darlington Raceway in May.

    Following a two-year campaign with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, Nemechek joined Joe Gibbs Racing as a full-time competitor of the No. 20 Toyota Supra for the 2023 Xfinity season, which marks his first full-time campaign in the series since 2019. After commencing the season with a close runner-up result at Daytona, he claimed his first victory of the season in the series’ final event at Auto Club Speedway in February. Six races later, he scored his second victory of the season at Martinsville Speedway after leading a race-high 198 of 250 laps.

    Nemechek would proceed to claim regular-season victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July before winning at Michigan International Speedway in August, where he recorded the 200th Xfinity career victory for Joe Gibbs Racing. Nemechek then capped off the regular-season stretch by winning the regular-season finale at Kansas in September. Despite falling short of winning the regular-season title to Austin Hill, Nemechek capped off the regular-season stretch with six victories, 13 top-five results and 19 top-10 results through 26 events.

    Qualifying for this year’s Playoffs, Nemechek commenced the Playoffs by finishing third at Bristol Motor Speedway before winning at Texas in late September and transferring from the Round of 12 to 8. After finishing eighth during the Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Nemechek proceeded to finish second, third and 18th, respectively, during the Round of 8’s three events, which was enough for him to transfer into this year’s Championship 4 round by points. As a result, Nemechek will square off against Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer and Sam Mayer for this year’s Xfinity Series driver’s championship in this year’s finale at Phoenix.

    In addition to competing for this year’s title, Nemechek will attempt to become the seventh competitor to win in Xfinity career start No. 100 alongside Ronnie Silver, Jeff Green, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Cole Custer and Austin Cindric, who also won the 2020 Xfinity title during his centennial start. This season is also set to be Nemechek’s last as a full-time Xfinity competitor as he will be returning to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive the No. 42 Toyota TRD Camry for Legacy Motor Club for the 2024 season.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Nemechek has achieved nine victories, three poles, 34 top-five results, 61 top-10 results, 1,587 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.4.

    Nemechek is scheduled to make his 100th Xfinity Series career start in the Xfinity Series Championship event at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 4, with the event’s broadcast time slated to occur at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • 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.

  • Sam Hunt Racing adds Grala, Mosack to driver lineup for 2023 Xfinity season

    Sam Hunt Racing adds Grala, Mosack to driver lineup for 2023 Xfinity season

    Sam Hunt Racing will be fielding two full-time entries while also introducing Kaz Grala and Connor Mosack as the team’s key competitors for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

    The 23-year-old Grala from Boston, Massachusetts, will be piloting the team’s No. 26 Toyota Supra on a full-time basis while the 23-year-old Mosack from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be driving the No. 24 Toyota Supra in 20 Xfinity events for the upcoming season.

    The news comes as Sam Hunt Racing based in Mooresville, North Carolina, prepares to enter its fifth season with at least one start in the Xfinity circuit. The team, which debuted as DRIVE Technology in 2013 and originally competed in the ARCA Menards Series East, made its inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series during the 2019 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Colin Garrett piloting the team’s first entry. The team returned on a part-time basis in 2020 before fielding the No. 26 entry on a full-time basis in 2021 piloted by multiple competitors.

    This past season, Sam Hunt Racing fielded the No. 26 entry on a full-time basis for a second consecutive season as the car was piloted by multiple competitors. The team also introduced a second entry, the No. 24 Toyota, for select events. Throughout the 2022 season, the No. 26 team finished in the top 10 five times with their best runs being fourth at Darlington Raceway in May and fifth at Phoenix Raceway in March. The No. 24 team made a single start at Daytona International Speedway in February, where Jeffrey Earnhardt piloted the entry to a 15th-place result.

    Through a combined 78 career starts in the Xfinity Series made between 17 different competitors, Sam Hunt Racing has achieved three top-five results and seven top-10 results. Their best on-track result to date remains a third-place run at Richmond Raceway in September 2021 made by John Hunter Nemechek. The 2023 season will mark the team’s first opportunity to contend for the driver’s title with Grala.

    “Timing and patience have been pivotal components of our growth process at SHR. Expanding to two full-time teams in 2023 brings an excitement level only matched by the responsibility and expectation to compete at a high level every week,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, said. “It goes without saying that having a full-time driver in the No. 26 for the first time is a blessing to our organization and an important component of our growth. Kaz is a highly talented and experienced driver and has strived for an opportunity like this for a long time. Having Connor anchor the No. 24 team is something we are also really looking forward to. He is a very talented young man and has every trait and characteristic I look for in a young driver. We’re heading into 2023 with confidence in both teams and drivers, and I’m excited to continue to build this program with each of them.”

    For Grala, the 2023 season will mark his first opportunity competing in the Xfinity circuit on a full-time basis. It will also mark his second full-time campaign overall within NASCAR’s top three national touring series after competing in the Craftsman Truck Series on a full-time basis in 2017 with GMS Racing. During the season, Grala notched his lone career victory at Daytona and became the youngest NASCAR winner at Daytona at age 18 years, one month and 26 days. He went on to make the 2017 Truck Playoffs before finishing in seventh place in the final standings.

    This past season, Grala competed in a combined 25 starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, 10 of which occurred in the Xfinity Series. His best run occurred at Watkins Glen International in August, where he finished fifth while driving for Big Machine Racing. He made his first start with Sam Hunt Racing during the 2022 Xfinity Series finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he finished 23rd.

    Through 44 career starts in the Xfinity Series, Grala has achieved five top-five results, 10 top-10 results, 18 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.6. His highest result in the series are a pair of fourth-place finishes at Daytona in 2018 and at Road America in 2020.

    “I’ve scratched and clawed for each opportunity over the past several seasons, and while it hasn’t been easy, it’s made me appreciate this sport and its difficulty more than I ever could have if things had been easy,” Grala said. “I feel like everything has finally come together at the perfect time in my life with the right team around me to start that next chapter in my career. I couldn’t be more proud and hopeful heading into 2023 with Sam Hunt Racing with a chance to compete for a championship. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this point, and I intend to make the absolute most of it next year and beyond.”

    Mosack, the 2020 CARS Tour Rookie of the Year and a Trans Am TA2 class competitor, made his NASCAR national touring series debut in June 2022 at Portland International Raceway, where he piloted Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra to a 28th-place finish. He returned at Watkins Glen with Sam Hunt Racing, where he finished a season-best 15th. He also made two starts in the Truck Series and eight starts in the ARCA Menards Series, both with Bret Holmes Racing.

    Mosack’s first Xfinity start in 2023 will occur at Phoenix Raceway in March with the rest of his schedule yet to be determined.

    “Being able to run 20 races in the Xfinity Series next year is a really big deal to me,” Mosack said. “Two years ago, I didn’t really know where I was going or how I was going to get there. Racing in this series is a big step toward where I want to go, and I’m excited it is with a team like Sam Hunt Racing. With SHR being a growing team, I know I can develop relationships with everyone involved and continue to learn from them. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Sam and trust that his team and values will help to develop me as a driver.”

    In addition to the new driver lineup, Sam Hunt Racing welcomes Kris Bowen, formally from Our Motorsports, as the crew chief of the No. 24 entry. Allen Hart is expected to remain as Grala’s crew chief for the 2023 season.

    The rest of the team’s driver lineup for the No. 24 “all-star” entry, including one for the season-opening event at Daytona in February, will be announced at a later date.

    With their plans for the upcoming season announced, Sam Hunt Racing’s 2023 season is set to commence at Daytona on February 18. The event is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Chandler Smith joins Sam Hunt Racing for three-race Xfinity Series deal in 2022

    Chandler Smith joins Sam Hunt Racing for three-race Xfinity Series deal in 2022

    Sam Hunt Racing announced that Chandler Smith will be piloting the team’s No. 26 Toyota Supra in three NASCAR Xfinity Series events throughout the 2022 season, which will mark his inaugural appearances in the series.

    The 19-year-old Smith from Talking Rock, Georgia, will making his Xfinity debut at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 followed by Dover Motor Speedway on April 30. He will cap off his Xfinity schedule by competing at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 22 during the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs.

    Smith currently competes on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Through 43 career starts, he has achieved three victories, including one this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. He has also achieved a pole, 17 top-five results, 22 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.0. Smith also captured the 2021 Truck Rookie-of-the-Year title on the strength of two victories and making the 2021 Truck Playoffs, where he finished in eighth place in the final standings.

    To go along with his achievements in the Truck Series, Smith has also achieved nine victories, 10 poles, 22 top-five results and 29 top-10 results in 34 career starts in the ARCA Menards Series.

    “It’s definitely going to be exciting,” said Smith. “The experience just being able to come up and do a longer race and have more pit stops with a different car instead of a truck is going to be all in all a lot different than what I’m accustomed to. I’m really looking forward to the challenge. It’s big for me to join Sam’s team. SHR is still kind of a smaller team. They are still learning a lot and in their baby years, and I feel like I may have a little bit to bring to the table myself to help them excel and to bring a new aspect to the team. Hopefully I can be an asset and help a little bit with their development and growth. I can’t wait to be a small part of this team’s huge success as it continues to grow.”

    Smith’s three-race schedule with Sam Hunt Racing means that he will become the sixth different competitor to drive for the organization based in Mooresville, North Carolina, throughout the 2022 Xfinity Series season. Other competitors who have competed for the team this season include Parker Chase, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Derek Griffith, John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Truex. The team’s current best result through the first seven scheduled Xfinity events is a fifth-place run at Phoenix Raceway in March with Nemechek.

    Sam Hunt Racing is currently in its second full-time season in the Xfinity circuit. The team made its debut during the 2019 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and campaigned on a part-time basis throughout the 2020 season before fielding the No. 26 Toyota Supra as a full-time entry that was piloted by eight different competitors. This past September, John Hunter Nemechek recorded the team’s current best ever result of third place at Richmond Raceway. Since 2021, the team started to field a second part-time entry, the No. 24 Toyota Supra, that has thus competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August 2021 with Sage Karam and at Daytona International Speedway in February 2022 with Jeffrey Earnhardt.

    “Our entire organization is excited to add Chandler to our roster,” Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, added. “His ability speaks for itself and it will be fun to begin his transition from the truck series into the Xfinity series here at SHR. These races will serve as a great opportunity for him to learn these cars, how they drive, and how the races flow at this level. Seeing his success in the truck series, there’s no reason he can’t be competitive out of the gate with us. Our spotter, Chris Lambert, works with Chandler at KBM, making this transition even simpler. We’re also proud to partner with the ChargeMe brand for these races, and cannot thank Bill and his entire team for coming on board. It’s going to be a fun couple of races and a great next step for Chandler’s climb in NASCAR.”

    Also joining Sam Hunt Racing is Charge Me, a company that provides off-grid charging solutions powered by natural gas and propane with a focus to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also placing electric vehicles at the forefront towards a greener future. Charge Me, which will sponsor Smith in five Truck events this season, will sponsor Smith’s three-race Xfinity effort.

    “Charge Me is excited to be sponsoring Chandler Smith as he continues to show real heart and grit out there on the race track,” Bill Marr, Executive Vice President of Charge Me, added. “Chandler embodies a lot of the ideals we strive for at Charge Me, and we’re proud to support him. At Charge Me, we want to help build electric vehicle infrastructure across America. But we recognize the need for off-grid solutions in the form of clean fuels like propane and natural gas. We want to electrify America the way Chandler electrifies race tracks – burning fuel responsibly.”

    Smith is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 with the event’s coverage to occur at 4 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Nemechek joins Sam Hunt Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign

    Nemechek joins Sam Hunt Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign

    Sam Hunt Racing announced that John Hunter Nemechek will be competing in select NASCAR Xfinity Series races for the organization this season, beginning at Dover International Speedway in May.

    The 23-year-old native from Mooresville, North Carolina, is currently competing on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He is coming off a seventh-place result in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.

    Nemechek, the son of NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek, will be making his first start in the Xfinity Series since 2019, where he competed as a full-time competitor for GMS Racing. Through 51 career starts in the Xfinity Series, he has recorded one victory, which occurred at Kansas Speedway in October 2018 while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He has also recorded a pole, 12 top-five results and 30 top-10 results. He made the Xfinity Playoffs in 2019 and went on to finish in seventh place in the final standings.

    “I’m so excited for the opportunity to be able to run some races for [team owner] Sam Hunt,” Nemechek said. “It’s awesome to see what he’s done in such a short time, being such a young team owner in the sport. I think my experience and this team can accomplish a lot and I’m excited to see what happens! I can’t thank Sam, Toyota, and all of our partners enough for this opportunity and helping us put this together.”

    Sam Hunt Racing, which started as DRIVE Technology and competed in several seasons in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, made its first appearance in the Xfinity Series in the 2019 season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Colin Garrett behind the wheel of the team’s No. 26 Toyota and Brian Keselowski serving as crew chief. Starting 15th, Garrett went on to finish 21st of the 38-car field.

    In 2020, SHR moved up to the Xfinity Series on a part-time basis, fielding the No. 26 Toyota Supra. Garrett returned and competed in five Xfinity races for the team, Brandon Gdovic competed in two and Mason Diaz campaigned in the final two races of the season. The team’s best results were 12th place with Gdovic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and 14th with Garrett at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the series’ doubleheader feature in Miami.

    This season, SHR is coming off its first top-10 career result in the Xfinity Series, which was an eighth-place result in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway accomplished by Gdovic.

    Nemechek is set to join names like Gdovic, Kris Wright and Santino Ferrucci as competitors slated to drive for SHR throughout this year’s Xfinity Series season.

    “I’m excited to have John Hunter come back to his roots and drive for our young team in 2021,” Hunt added. “He’s always been a mutual friend of mine, always been extremely friendly, and has always shown that he can maximize his equipment and represent his sponsors. Working with so many rookies this year, his experience and feedback will be invaluable to our program’s growth. I know he can help us just as much as we can help him, and I think it’s cool to see a guy like him so excited about joining our small team with intentions to improve it as a whole. The entire shop is extremely excited about it and I know he’ll be able to help us improve our cars throughout the year.”

    With Nemechek’s return to the series three months away, Sam Hunt Racing is set to compete in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course with Kris Wright. The event will occur on Saturday, February 20, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ferrucci to transition to NASCAR with Sam Hunt Racing after IndyCar campaign

    Ferrucci to transition to NASCAR with Sam Hunt Racing after IndyCar campaign

    After two seasons in the NTT IndyCar Series with Dale Coyne Racing, Santino Ferrucci will be making his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut at Homestead-Miami on February 27. Ferrucci will be piloting the No. 26 Toyota Supra on a part-time basis during the 2021 season in a schedule primarily focused on speedways and short tracks.

    Prior to his two seasons in the IndyCar Series Ferrucci raced overseas working up the Formula ladder, his final season coming in 2018 in what was a controversial campaign in Formula 2. Ferrucci was banned from four events after deliberate contact with his teammate Arjun Maini; further controversy arose when he was caught driving between the Formula 1 and 2 paddocks while texting on a cell phone. Ferrucci was fined €6,000 ($7,334.99 USD).

    Repeated controversy has given Ferrucci something of a negative reputation in the racing world, however his performance behind the wheel has yielded some strong, consistent results. In 2019 Ferrucci’s seventh-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 earned him the Rookie of the Race award, and a year later in the 500 Ferrucci would tie his career-best finish of fourth. In both of his IndyCar seasons his best points finish was 13th.

    Ferrucci has no previous stock car experience aside from a Super Late Model test at Caraway Speedway in North Carolina, although in 2021 he will be making his second Chili Bowl Midget Nationals start against some of NASCAR’s top stars. Ferrucci and Hunt both hope that their alliance with Toyota Racing Development could give him the backing he needs to post strong results.

    Team owner Sam Hunt has made it clear that this will be a learning curve for Ferrucci, but otherwise he’s confident in Ferrucci’s ability behind the wheel.

    “Santino’s passion and drive was apparent the first time we sat down together,” Hunt said. “I had heard about him, seen some stories from open wheel, but waited to form my opinion until we spent some time together one on one. He’s a great kid. He’s passionate, and he’s ready to learn the race craft of NASCAR.

    “He’s situationally aware and works hard for every sponsor and investor he has. I have no doubts that he will be a strong competitor for us once he learns how these heavy cars drive, and how these races run. We are all excited to get to work with him.”

    Sam Hunt Racing was formed as DRIVE Technology in 2013, fielding NASCAR K&N Pro Series entries for Hunt in a pair of part-time campaigns. The organization’s first season in the XFINITY Series was in 2020, with Colin Garrett, Brandon Gdovic, and Mason Diaz making starts for the team.