ThorSport Racing is no stranger to success when it comes to competing for championships in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The longest tenured team in the Truck Series garage holds six championships, the most of any organization in series history.
The Ohio-based team is also the only organization to win multiple consecutive series titles, with Matt Crafton earning back-to-back championships from 2013-14 and again taking top honor in 2019, Ben Rhodes adding two more titles (2021 and 2023) and Ty Majeski claiming the 2024 crown.
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Enter Jake Garcia, a 20-year-old from Monroe, Georgia, in his second year of competing under the blue oval banner for ThorSport Racing. Garcia is making his first appearance in the Truck Series Playoffs in his young career.
Surrounded by championship banners from his three teammates, there is no question that the No. 13 driver knows all too well that there’s certainly a championship pedigree at ThorSport.
“You know, we’ve got a really strong team,” Garcia said during Truck Series Playoffs media day. “I’m the only full-time driver that hasn’t won a championship, so I think there’s some pressure that comes along with that, too. Entering the playoffs to get a championship, that way you’re not maybe the odd man out anymore.
“I think that I can rely on my teammates, you know, Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes and Ty as well. You know, for some advice on entering this deal, because they’ve been in this situation before, and I haven’t, so I’ll use a little bit of their help. And, you know, some of my guys have been on a championship team as well. So I think that all plays into our advantage entering these playoffs.”
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Taking advice from those who have been in this format before is essential when every race matters in the quest for the title, even better when the advice comes from a championship-winning teammate.
Majeski has made the postseason for three consecutive seasons and is the only other ThorSport driver accompanying Garcia in the seven-race stretch, looking to defend his victory from a season ago.
“I think the biggest thing is just not letting the moment get too big, right?” Majeski said when asked about advice he’d give his teammate. “There’s a reason that the No. 13 group and Jake made the playoffs, and don’t lose sight of how you got to this point. As soon as you kind of let the stage get too big and overthink it, that’s when you make mistakes, and that’s really the only thing that can really disrupt your playoff run, is making a mistake, especially in that first round.”
The other driver Garcia plans to lean on throughout his first experience in the playoffs is longtime series veteran Crafton, who announced that he would step away from full-time competition in the series at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Such advice brings plenty of value as the young Garcia tries to carve his own playoff path, beginning with Saturday’s postseason opener at Darlington Raceway (Noon ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“It’s been great to have Matt as a teammate for these past two seasons at ThorSport,” Garcia said. “His dad, Danny, worked on my quarter midget stuff when I ran quarter midgets when I was a little kid. So I’ve known Danny and Matt forever. Matt used to come to some of the races and hang out with us, so I’ve known him forever, and it’s been really cool to be able to grow up and become his teammate in the Truck Series and be able to work with him.
“He brings a ton of experience every week. If I ever need anything, I can ask him a question, and he usually has an answer for me, because he’s been to that track so many times. So you know, I’m really thankful to have him as a teammate, and I’m looking forward to finishing out the rest of the year with him.”