Driver re-signs with Billy Boat Motorsports and partner 811
Billy Boat Motorsports announced Monday that Mason Mingus will return to the team's No. 15 Chevrolet for the 2015 season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The team also announced that Mingus will work with veteran crew chief Dennis Connor, who helped Jack Sprague clinch three Truck championships in a five-year span from 1997-2001. The team said it would continue a partnership with associate sponsor 811, a phone hotline designed to prevent underground damage by excavation projects.
Mingus, 20, finished 11th in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings in his rookie season last year. He started 2014 with the Kevin Cywinski-owned Win-Tron Racing No. 35 team before shifting over to Boat's organization for the final six races of the season. His best finish was 10th place, coming at Kansas Speedway in the year's third event.
"Running the last six races of the season with Billy Boat Motorsports last year was a good opportunity," Mingus said in a release provided by the team. "Billy Boat is a successful racer and a great businessman. I definitely saw a lot of potential within those six races, and even improvement in that short amount of time. I think they've got a lot of great guys on board, and I think our trucks are going to be solid equipment.
"I'm also excited to work with Dennis Connor. I worked with him for a couple races last year, and I felt like we got along and communicated well. He has a lot of success in the Truck Series and throughout his entire career. I think having his notebook and his experience in the series will help me with my learning curve."
Boat, a one-time winner in the IndyCar Series, is planning to take on his first full-time campaign in a NASCAR national series. In addition to last year's half-dozen races with Mingus, the 48-year-old Boat also fielded the No. 84 Chevrolet for his son, Chad Boat, in 13 races last season in what is now called the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
"Our goal as a team is to compete at a high level in the NCWTS," the elder Boat said. "I know Mason has the talent to run at the front in the series, and we are working hard to build new trucks and build our team in order to give him that opportunity."