Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Carson Hocevar will return to Niece Motorsports in 2023, piloting the No. 42 WWEX Racing Chevrolet Silverado for his third full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS).

Hocevar, who has made the NCTS playoffs the past two seasons, will race with full-season support from the WWEX Racing program, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz.

RELATED: Craftsman Truck schedule | Buy Tickets

“Niece Motorsports feels like home, so I’m excited to come back and compete for a championship in 2023,” said Hocevar. “I’m so thankful to Worldwide Express and their WWEX Racing program for stepping up to sponsor us for the whole season. I’ve enjoyed the partnership and really look forward to growing it next season. Our goal remains to bring Niece Motorsports, Al Niece and WWEX Racing wins and a championship in 2023.

“I’ve dreamed of racing in NASCAR since I was a little kid. To be preparing for my third full-time season in the Truck Series is surreal. Thanks to Al Niece and everyone at Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet, the Worldwide Express family of brands, Premier Security Solutions, GM Parts Now, and Scott’s Coins, Jewelry & Sports for getting me here. Their support means the world.”

After a strong rookie campaign in 2021, Hocevar continued to turn heads in his sophomore season. In 23 races this season, Hocevar tallied seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. In addition, the Michigan native has earned two stage wins and led 282 laps. Hocevar put the series on notice in June, earning the pole at Sonoma Raceway, a mere seven days after sustaining a broken ankle at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Hocevar’s abilities are not relegated to one type of track. The 19-year-old driver found the front of the field on dirt tracks, road courses, intermediate tracks and short tracks.

While competitors have taken notice of Hocevar’s talent on the track, fans have taken notice of his fun and light-hearted personality off the track. Before climbing aboard his No. 42 Chevrolet on race weekends, Hocevar can often be spotted wearing unique hats.

“We are thrilled to have Carson return to Niece Motorsports next season and excited to expand our partnership with Worldwide Express,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw.

“Carson has proven time and time again what a tremendous talent he is, and we are glad that he’ll be back behind the wheel of our Chevrolets again next year. We couldn’t do this without great partners, so we are incredibly thankful to have full season support from Worldwide Express. We look forward to making them proud on and off the track.”

Logsitics leaders Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz provide access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions and managed transportation services. Together, the three brands are the Official Logistics Partner of Niece Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing and NASCAR.

“Carson has quickly become one of the most-recognizable figures in the Truck Series — not only for his unique fashion choices, but for his on-track performance,” said Mike Grayson, Executive Vice President of the Worldwide Express family of brands.

“Our company is built on the concept that hard work breeds success. It’s why we couldn’t have picked a better partner than Niece Motorsports, who share the same driving philosophy. We’re excited to be back on the 42 this year as Carson and the Niece team set their sights on the championship.”

Posted on by John Crane

Editor’s note: This continues the series of season reviews for select 2022 NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

See more: Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Car: No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry TRD
Crew chief: James Small
Final 2022 ranking: 17th
Key stats: 4 top fives, 15 top 10s, 1 pole, 572 laps led

How 2022 ended: Some seasons end with a metaphorical (and perhaps literal) roar of success. Others, meanwhile, end with a whimper. Truex Jr.’s 2022 campaign illustrated more of the latter concept. The 42-year-old finished 20th or worse in five of the postseason’s 10 races. Even a respectable eighth-place finish in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 28 – despite getting caught up in a Lap 102 crash – couldn’t squeak the No. 19 into the playoff field. From no playoff bid to zero wins (a first for Truex Jr. in a season since 2014), 2022 marked itself as a subpar season for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Best race: New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 17. Starting on the pole and leading 172 of the 301 total laps at Loudon — approximately 30% of the total laps he’d lead in 2022 – put Truex Jr. in a respectable position that inevitably netted the No. 19 driver a fourth-place finish. And while he didn’t end up with the win – despite winning Stage 1 and 2 and leading the first 95 laps to begin the race – Truex Jr. still cemented his New England consistency, even without a win at the track in his Cup career. Truex Jr. has finished inside the top 10 in eight of his last 10 races at New Hampshire and inside the top five in five of those 10 contests.

RELATED: Martin Truex. Jr. comes up short at NH again: ‘Just the Loudon curse for me’

Other season highlights: Bouncing off Truex Jr.’s success at New Hampshire came what looked to be a potential breakthrough for the No. 19 Toyota when looking at the total results from July and August. Five top-10 finishes over the nine-race span – and only two finishes outside the top 20 to boot – looked to be the remedy to inconsistency that seemingly plagued Truex Jr. throughout the opening half of the season. His eighth-place finish at Daytona to close out the stretch was his second-best finish at the track in his last eight races there. (He finished fourth at the track on Aug. 29, 2020.)

Stat to know: 14.9 average finish in 2022. Naturally, a down year in 2022 will lead to dips in several categories, and Truex Jr.’s average finish was not immune. Truex Jr.’s average finish mark of 14.9 was his lowest in eight years since his 20.2 average finish in 2014. From 2015-2021, Truex Jr. held an average finish mark of 11.3. Rewinding the clocks to those levels of production will surely be on the 2023 docket.

Quotable: “The same. You just go out and fight, man. You go give it all you got. There’s no magic triggers. Just go trying to figure it out and work hard and race hard and see what we can come up with.” – Truex Jr. after his seventh-place finish on Aug. 14 at Richmond Raceway.

RELATED: Martin Truex Jr. salvages seventh at Richmond, slips in playoff picture vs. Blaney

Looking ahead: Continuing to fight will be the mantra Truex Jr. rolls with heading into 2023. Another year with James Small as crew chief, not to mention more experience with the Next Gen car, should help serve Truex Jr. well. After all, he won multiple races in four of his previous five seasons heading into 2022. The 2023 season might be the start of another such streak.

Posted on by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing made another key addition to its Xfinity Series driver roster Thursday, bringing back Ryan Truex for a partial schedule in 2023.

Truex is scheduled for six races as the driver of the No. 19 Toyota. Veteran Jason Ratcliff returns to the organization as the team’s crew chief. The organization indicated that the rest of the No. 19’s driver list, plus the specific races on Truex’s schedule next year, would both be announced at a later date.

RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule | Buy Tickets

Truex is the latest piece added to the driver lineup at JGR, which announced full-time entries for John Hunter Nemechek and Sammy Smith earlier this week. All three are scheduled to be part of a Toyota presentation outlining its Xfinity Series efforts later Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Truex returned to the Xfinity Series in a five-race slate for Joe Gibbs Racing last year, notching a best result of third place in the No. 18 Supra in July at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also added a one-off start last season for Sam Hunt Racing, a Toyota affiliate on the Xfinity tour.

The 30-year-old younger brother to current Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. is a veteran of 183 starts across all three NASCAR national series. His last full-time ride was with Niece Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2021.

Ratcliff has an expansive, successful record dating back to his start with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. He has been the crew chief for 15 Cup Series wins and 54 victories in the Xfinity Series. Ratcliff also teamed with Kyle Busch in an Xfinity championship campaign in 2009.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing supplemented its driver lineup for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Thursday, moving John Hunter Nemechek into a full-time role in 2023.

Nemechek is set to drive the No. 20 Toyota next season, with Ben Beshore serving as the team’s crew chief. He joins new teammate Sammy Smith, who was named Tuesday as the driver of JGR’s No. 18 GR Supra.

JGR brings the No. 20 back to the Xfinity Series after one year out of its car number rotation. The number was last campaigned by Burton in 2021.

RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule | Buy Tickets

The addition of Nemechek was announced ahead of a formal introduction later Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Toyota’s other affiliated Xfinity Series team – Sam Hunt Racing – also unveiled its plans for 2023.

Nemechek, who raced part-time for both JGR and Sam Hunt Racing in 2021 and 2022, competed for championships in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over the past two seasons, piloting the No. 4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The move was an admitted gamble by the now 25-year-old, who chose to head to trucks after competing full-time in the premier NASCAR Cup Series in 2020 with Front Row Motorsports.

Standing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nemechek reflected on the bet he made on himself that leads him to the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra – the team that enters the 2023 Xfinity Series season as defending champions as the No. 54 team previously headed by driver Ty Gibbs and crew chief Chris Gayle now renumbers.

“I think I’ve grown a lot, that I’m OK with taking risks at times to try and better myself,” Nemechek told NASCAR.com. “But I think the biggest thing is to continue to learn every single day and try and be better every single day. You want to push yourself as hard as you can to learn and continue learning every day to set yourself up for a better spot in the future and try to make yourself a better person off the race track as well as on the race track and just overall a better race car driver.

“I think that there’s a lot to be said about taking a gamble at times but believing in yourself as well.”

Nemechek competed in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota in three Xfinity races last season and drove for Sam Hunt Racing in eight other events. In the Truck Series, he scored two wins, seven pole positions and placed fifth in the final standings for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

The initial move back to the Truck Series puzzled some, but Nemechek saw an opportunity to regularly compete for wins and championships, hoping a possible path to the Cup Series could someday present itself. Nemechek, now a husband to wife Taylor and father to daughter Aspen, is conscious of his future but centering on the tasks at hand first.

“I don’t know where my future lies,” said Nemechek, who made one Cup start for 23XI Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2022. “I’m excited about this opportunity, focusing on 2023. I feel like being able to go and win races and prove myself will help set me up for a future, but I don’t know what that future may be. So all in all, it’s focusing on the present, focusing on the opportunity at hand to try and go win a lot of races for Toyota, TRD, all of our great partners, as well as everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

JGR also announced that Mobil 1 would be the primary sponsor of the No. 20 Toyota. Nemechek’s entry will also be backed by partners Berry’s Bullets, Pye Barker Fire and Safety and Romco Equipment.

Nemechek has won twice in the Xfinity Series, and his most recent victory came with Joe Gibbs Racing at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021. He is a 13-time winner in the Truck Series, with seven of those wins arriving under the KBM banner in the last two seasons.

His only full-time season in the Xfinity Series came in 2019 when he scored six top fives and 19 top 10s en route to a playoff berth and seventh-place finish in points. Running one-third of the schedule in 2022 helped keep Nemechek fresh, but he admitted room for improvement heading into a new campaign.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but I feel like I need to do better at figuring out this playoff format,” Nemechek said. “I didn’t execute very well over the past couple years in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the opportunity that I had at hand to win two championships, so there’s definitely some focus on that for me.

“Just trying to get myself better to go out and win a championship. That’s one thing that I haven’t done yet. So just focusing on trying to win races, trying to better on and off the race track, putting in different processes, but overall just trusting in the process and pushing as hard as I can.”

Despite entering the year with the title-defending team, the only pressure Nemechek concerns himself with is self-applied, noting he’s his own worst critic.

“I put the most pressure on myself from anyone that’s around me,” Nemechek said. “I know in situations where I may mess up, or I may make a mistake, and I’m hard on myself for that. But at the same time, that’s how I learn. So for me, it’s all about pushing to be better every single time that you hit the race track and learning every single time that you’re on the race track and off the race track. Just excited.”

Beshore returns to JGR’s Xfinity Series effort after working the last two seasons in the Cup Series as crew chief to Kyle Busch on the No. 18 Toyota. Beshore scored three Cup victories together with Busch and is an eight-time winner in Xfinity competition – notching four wins each with Busch and Harrison Burton.

Both of JGR’s full-time drivers from last season will be racing in different surroundings next year. Ty Gibbs, who claimed the Xfinity Series championship on Nov. 5, will race for his grandfather’s team in the Cup Series in 2023. Brandon Jones will be back for his eighth full season in Xfinity but will shift to the JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet next year.

Joe Gibbs Racing went back-to-back in the drivers’ championship hunt the last two Xfinity Series seasons, winning with Daniel Hemric in 2021 and Ty Gibbs this year.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – The NASCAR community gathered at Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the life of Coy Gibbs.

Gibbs, the 49-year-old vice chairman and chief operating officer of his father’s company, died Nov. 6 just hours after his son, Ty Gibbs, claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.

JGR, owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, hosted the celebration of life for Coy Gibbs at the family’s race shop. Established across the sports world, Gibbs was highly revered through multiple avenues, whether through NASCAR, motocross, football or business.

Among the several hundreds in attendance for Wednesday’s service were current JGR drivers Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin as well as former drivers Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Carl Edwards and Daniel Hemric. Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, owner and vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports respectively, also attended to offer condolences.

In his opening remarks, Joe Gibbs shared stories about his son that drew both laughs and tears from the crowd. Tales from Coy Gibbs’ family members and childhood friends centered on his merciless sarcasm, tough exterior but tenderhearted and generous nature.

At the 2022 NASCAR Awards held Dec. 1 in Nashville, Tennessee, Ty Gibbs was honored with a standing ovation ahead of his championship speech. Gibbs, who will move to the Cup Series full-time in 2023, shared a video on Dec. 5 of him celebrating his title with his father in a candid moment on pit road at Phoenix.

“I love you Dad,” Gibbs wrote in the Instagram caption. “God blessed me with you in my life. I am thankful for every second I got to spend with you. Thank you for always loving me and having my back through every situation. I am so excited to see you again!”

Hamlin, a Joe Gibbs Racing driver in NASCAR’s national series since 2004, has had close ties to the Gibbs family for years. His No. 11 stems from J.D. Gibbs, Joe Gibbs’ eldest son who died in 2019 at age 49 after battling a degenerative neurological disease and with whom Hamlin was particularly close.

Hamlin, now a co-owner of 23XI Racing, noted Joe Gibbs is back to work but that the family is still hurting.

“Joe is just, he’s a workaholic. And it’s hard to get him to just stop and publicly be vulnerable and emotional because he is just a workhorse,” Hamlin said in Nashville. “And so, I think he took some time to grieve and then he went back to work, and that’s just kind of his M.O., and it’s kind of the way that he did with J.D. as well.

“So I think, it’s a tough time for the family, no doubt about it. I mean, I couldn’t imagine me having two kids, and just … I can’t imagine what they go through. But I’ve certainly felt like I’ve tried to lend as much help as I can. I know that they’re working on some reorganizational stuff there that I’ll be a part of. It’s just, it’s a tough time, but they’ll get through it like they always have.”

Logano, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion and now a two-time title winner, started his NASCAR career with JGR and remains close with people inside the race shop. He reassured Ty Gibbs that help is nearby if wanted or needed.

“I spoke with Ty after the race, and then I got to spend some time with him last night at the champions dinner,” Logano said in Nashville. “Yeah, you don’t know how much to bring it up or not, right, because you don’t want to dwell on it or take away from his championship, either. So you just kind of put your arm around him and say, ‘Hey, we’re here for you. You need something, reach out.’”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be made to:

National Christian Foundation, attn: Contributions
11625 Rainwater Drive, Suite 500
Alpharetta, GA 30009
Memo line: Coy Gibbs Memorial Fund #4446234

Posted on by Jerry Bonkowski

Editor’s note: This continues the series of season reviews for select 2022 NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

See more: Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe

Driver: Erik Jones
Car: No. 43 Petty GMS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Crew chief: Dave Elenz
Final 2022 ranking: 18th
Key stats: 1 win, 3 top fives, 13 top 10s, 0 poles, 147 laps led

How 2022 ended: Even though he fell short of qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Jones kicked off the postseason in a big way, besting the 16 playoff qualifiers by winning at Darlington Raceway. It was his third career Cup win and first since 2019. Jones wound up with five finishes in the top 11 during the 10-race playoffs, including back-to-back sixth-place finishes at Texas and Talladega.

Best race: Without question, his win in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington was his best showing of 2022. While he flirted with the top five throughout the race, Jones finally got the lead with 23 laps left and held on the rest of the way.

RELATED: Erik Jones pulls off Southern 500 stunner in upset win at Darlington

Other season highlights: Jones bounced back strongly in 2022 with one win, three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. That was in stark contrast to his struggles in his first season with what was then Richard Petty Motorsports in 2021, when he had zero wins, zero top-fives and just six top-10 finishes, ending with a career-worst season showing of 24th place. His 23 lead-lap finishes this past season were the most he’s had in one season since 23 in 2019. Jones took to the Next Generation car quite well. He finished fourth in the car’s debut in the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum exhibition race and then finished third in the second race of the regular season at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Although he didn’t win either time, Jones additionally put together two outstanding races at Talladega this past season, finishing sixth in each of the two races there. There’s something about NASCAR’s biggest track that brings out the best in Jones. In his last nine starts (of 12 overall) at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, he has managed six top-10 finishes: one runner-up (fall 2020), one fifth-place finish (spring 2020), two sixth-place showings (spring and fall 2022), an eighth-place finish (fall 2018) and ninth-place showing (fall 2021).

Stat to know: In six full-time seasons, Jones has managed to reach the playoffs just twice but made quick exits after the first round: 2018 (finished 15th) and 2019 (finished 16th).

Quotable: Nicknamed the “Byron Bandit” (he grew up in tiny Byron, Michigan), Jones had this to say on Twitter after winning at Darlington: “Still feels like a dream. So proud of this No. 43 team and all we’ve been able to accomplish. We did it.”

RELATED: Jones through the years

Looking ahead: If Jones can build upon the strong season finish he had during the playoffs in 2022, he should be a potential playoff qualifier in 2023 (for the first time since 2019). His team really came together in 2022 and — barring any major changes — should help Jones potentially to at least 1-2 wins. He could be one of the most underrated drivers coming into 2023.

Posted on by Team Release

Joe Gibbs Racing made a key addition to its driver lineup for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Tuesday, moving Sammy Smith into a full-time role in 2023.

Smith is set to drive the No. 18 Toyota in all 33 Xfinity races next season, with veteran Jeff Meendering serving as the team’s crew chief. Pilot Flying J will return as primary sponsor, joining partners Allstate Peterbilt, Renda Group, Sinclair Tractor, and Mobil 1 in backing Smith’s efforts.

RELATED: 2023 Xfinity Series schedule

The news comes two days ahead of a press conference scheduled Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Toyota is scheduled to announce the full driver lineup for its two Xfinity Series organizations – Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing.

Smith enters the national-series ranks full-time after netting back-to-back championships in the ARCA Menards Series East. He won six times last year in the overall ARCA Menards Series, joining that circuit after his 18th birthday on June 4. Smith also made his Xfinity Series debut last summer, competing in a nine-race slate and recording a best finish of third place at Watkins Glen.

“Sammy is a fantastic addition to our 2023 Xfinity lineup. He proved to have the passion and the talent necessary to compete for wins in the races he ran for us in 2022,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Driver Development, in a news release provided by the team. “We are excited to get him in the No. 18 full-time and know he will be competitive from the jump.”

Meendering returns for his fifth season with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series operation. He has worked the last four years with Brandon Jones and the No. 19 Toyota team, collecting five of his seven career wins during that span. Meendering also won twice with Cole Custer during their time together at Stewart-Haas Racing.

Posted on by John Crane

CONCORD, N.C. — An overcast Tuesday afternoon didn’t dissuade 17-year-old Jake Garcia from grinning ear-to-ear. Nor did it prevent Christian Eckes from showing equivalent enthusiasm as each unveiled their new trucks outside the Team Chevy Performance Technical Center. Even though both drivers first met not even an hour prior – 20 minutes, in fact – both looked to establish the right footing as newfound teammates immediately from the get-go.

The fresh duo will be paired at McAnally Hilgemann Racing in 2023, competing full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Team owner Bill McAnally was just as optimistic for the future as his new drivers.

Eckes, who joins MHR to drive the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado, has two full-time seasons under his belt in the Craftsman Truck Series and qualified for the playoffs in both campaigns. Garcia, a native of Monroe, Georgia, is stepping up to compete full-time for Rookie of the Year honors in the No. 35 Adaptive One Chevrolet Silverado RST.

MHR and NAPA will also celebrate their 33rd season together after additionally announcing a multi-year extension that begins in 2023. The NAPA Auto Care brand will adorn Eckes’ No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST in 2023. The longstanding relationship with NAPA has helped forge additional partnerships like Adaptive One for multiple events on Garcia’s No. 35 Chevrolet Silverado RST.

“I’m ecstatic to get the season started,” McAnally said. “We have a lot to be optimistic about with bringing Christian into our program and Jake having his first full-time opportunity. We’ve enjoyed a tremendous relationship with NAPA and NAPA Auto Care and going into our 33rd year together is incredibly special. I’m excited about Christian’s experience and the potential Jake has to elevate our program and our partners.”

RELATED: More Silly Season news | Check out 2023 schedule

Eckes takes the reins of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST after finishing eighth in the championship standings in 2022 with ThorSport Racing and brings impactful playoff experience to MHR. The aligned goal toward winning on a consistent basis only made the match that much more attractive.

“In 2019, I was a part of the owners’ championship and had to race in Homestead for it,” Eckes said. “2020, I was in the drivers’ championship. 2021, I was in the owners’ championship. Last year, I was in the drivers’ championship, 10 points away from the final four. So, I bring that experience that these guys haven’t had for the entirety of the Truck Series, so I feel like that’s pretty crucial.

“I can’t stress it enough. Our goals kind of align. I want to win on a consistent basis, not just every once a year, and they want to win, not only period but on a consistent basis as well. That’s what Bill is used to, that is what NAPA is used to, and that is what we want to get to, so I feel like our goals align, and I bring that playoff experience, so we’ll see. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. It always does.”

Garcia, 17, is a former track champion at Five Flags Speedway and became the youngest Southern Super Series champion in the tour’s history. The Georgia native made five Craftsman Truck Series starts in 2022, with his best finish coming during the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway (16th).

Through his five truck races in 2022, Garcia helped establish a feel for not only how the heavy vehicles run on bigger race tracks but also how the racing field operates.

“Well, the Truck Series drivers are a little bit rough, to be honest with you,” Garcia said. “So, a little bit of learning who to race around and how to race people, but also just how to drive the trucks and what my guys expect out of me at the race track and learning how to work with them and everyone at McAnally Hilgemann Racing. You know, just really important to have that good team chemistry.”

For Eckes, the opportunity to provide a mentorship role for Garcia also helped reel the 22-year-old toward MHR. Understanding Garcia’s position as a rookie, to Eckes, gave the latter an avenue toward becoming what Kyle Busch was for the latter while at Kyle Busch Motorsports from 2018-20.

“I mean, obviously he has a lot of raw talent,” Eckes said. “That’s never been a question. Trucks are hard, man. I’ve been a part of it, I’ve been in his shoes.

“That’s why I’m looking forward to this mentorship role because I felt like I made a lot of mistakes over the past few years, and to be able to kind of guide somebody on those mistakes and say, ‘Hey, I screwed up with this. You might want to try something different.’ or have somebody just in general, which I didn’t really use it as well as I needed to, but I always had Kyle to lean off of, so I definitely should’ve used that resource probably a little bit more, but to be that resource for Jake is a pretty big deal to me. And like I said, that went into my decision-making as well.”

“I got to know him,” Garcia said. “He’s a good guy. You know, it’s going to be good to work with him. He’ll be able to help me out, and he’s got some experience that I don’t have, and hopefully, anything he needs help with for me, I’d like to lend a helping hand to him as well, and hopefully, we can just make each other better, you know, and just escalate the whole program that Bill McAnally and the Hilgemanns have going.”

Garcia will make his first start of 2023 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, the day of his 18th birthday. Due to NASCAR’s age restriction at tracks larger than 1.25 miles, Garcia is ineligible to compete in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. MHR will announce a driver for the No. 35 entry for DIS and crew chiefs for both teams at a later date.

As a full-time driver, Garcia will nevertheless look to grow his relationship with Eckes and MHR. And while he might have to wait a tad bit longer than other drivers, Garcia is ready to grow as a teammate with Eckes and the organization.

A wide grin was the telltale sign of such enthusiasm.

“Well, I’m just excited to get going,” Garcia said. “Time to get to work and get this truck in position to win races throughout the season.”

Posted on by John Crane

CONCORD, N.C. — Although the announcement was t-minus 24 hours away, Rajah Caruth couldn’t ease up on the throttle with other priorities, both literally and figuratively. After all, the 20-year-old Winston-Salem State University student was hunkered down with a college paper due at 11:59 p.m. ET Monday evening.

“It was for my facility management class,” Caruth said. “It was about picking a facility and doing a case study on it. I did Charlotte Motor Speedway, so it was pretty easy.”

But even late-semester papers and projects couldn’t hold up the anticipation for what came the following day as GMS Racing announced Tuesday that Rajah Caruth will officially join the team to drive the No. 24 Chevrolet in the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The Wendell Scott Foundation – inspired by NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott Sr. – will serve as Caruth’s primary partner in 2023. The Foundation aims to provide resources to underprivileged African-American youth communities near Scott’s hometown of Danville, Virginia. The Truck Series will begin its 2023 campaign on Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Caruth adapts to racing in the limelight

“We are truly excited to welcome Rajah to our team next year,” said Mike Beam, GMS Racing team president. “I’ve studied up on him ever since I saw him racing in ARCA, but I know that he’s been on the radar for many people in the industry for quite some time now. It was fun to watch him and Daniel (Dye) fight for the championship last year, and I think having both of them make the jump up to the Truck Series will be a benefit because they will both be able to learn together.

“Rajah’s a sharp kid. I’ve seen his work ethic and attention to detail he brings to the race track, and I can tell that he’s hungry. He just started driving a few years ago, so to see how far he’s been able to grow in such a short amount of time has been pretty remarkable. He’s built himself a good name in the garage area and is someone that people like to be around, so he’ll be able to soak up some mentorship lessons from experienced drivers, which should go a long way. I’m excited for him.”

From walking down the facility steps on-site at the Team Chevy Performance Technical Center to announcing in front of a crowd numbering more than 50, Caruth certainly felt at least one wrench ease off a back with already enough stress on it anyway.

“But honestly, the last couple of weeks have been stressful based on this, but also, like, finals for school and everything,” Caruth said. “So, finally glad to get it off my chest, and now I can really start working.”

The announcement solidifies GMS Racing’s full-time lineup in 2023, with Caruth joining Dye and Grant Enfinger for the upcoming season. Chad Walters will be crew chief atop the box for Caruth with Jeff Hensley remaining with Enfinger and Travis Sharpe pairing with Dye.

Similarly to navigating through the weekly college class schedule, Caruth wishes to learn the ins and outs of working through the week-in and week-out grind that comes from racing full-time in a national series. To Caruth, the opportunity to learn such a regimen will be available on and off the race track with his GMS teammates.

“Really preparation, and kind of what their weeks look like from them being at the race shop and what they do on a weekly basis to their approach at the race track and their communication with their crew chiefs, and just things that I can do to get better on my own and be more prepared for when we go to the race track,” Caruth said in regard to potential teammate lessons.

Caruth comes off a productive 2022 in the ARCA Menards Series, where he compiled eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Caruth not only raced for the championship but additionally finished right behind GMS teammate Dye in the points standings (third).

Dating back to his childhood in Washington D.C., Caruth found a passion for racing. Starting with sim racing on the iRacing platform, Caruth eventually worked his way into the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, which invited the 16-year-old to compete in their annual combine. Such an impressive showing eventually garnered Caruth a selection to drive for Rev Racing in US Legends Cars, Late Models, ARCA Menards Series East and the ARCA Menards Series national tour. Select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Truck Series have helped round out Caruth’s experience, especially at tracks where he will be behind the wheel this season.

With his full-time driving role at GMS in a national series, Caruth additionally joins an extensive list of NASCAR Drive for Diversity alumni, including NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Daniel Suárez.

To Caruth, coming off an iRacing background similar to William Byron only further cements his gratitude to individuals that helped him land where he is at today. Adding to the legacy of the Drive for Diversity Combine on top of it all only further heightened Caruth’s opinion of the program becoming that much bigger of a door for eager drivers wanting to follow a similar path as he did.

“It’s huge,” Caruth said. “I think it not only helps the legitimacy of the Drive for Diversity program, but also Rev Racing and iRacing, honestly, man, because I was the first off of iRacing since besides William to get into real life and get a gig just based off talent.

“So, now, having been scouted through iRacing, through the Drive for Diversity program and developed by the individuals there to be in a position to get a truck ride helps the legitimacy of everything.”

RELATED: 2023 Truck Series schedule

As college classes conclude for the semester, the winter days linger and, perhaps more importantly, the offseason continues. And while Caruth understands the importance of an offseason – not to mention resting up for his first full-time national series campaign – the Tuesday announcement only increases the level of the giddiness.

“Excited,” Caruth said. “I mean, I can’t wait for it. I know it’s offseason for a reason, and the rest is necessary, taking time off is necessary, but I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

Even still, the 2023 truck role will have to wait just a bit longer. In the meantime, though, the student Caruth will remain busy. Final semester assignments and projects will certainly do that.

In other words, easing up on the throttle before 2023 will have to wait a touch longer.

“I got one due tomorrow, I have a final tomorrow,” Caruth said. “… Honestly, I have a lot of stuff due, but it’s the end of the semester, so I got to get it done. I’ll get it done.”

Rajah Caruth No. 24 truck

Posted on by @nascarcasm

Season’s greetings, iRacers and paint-scheme aficionados!

The holidays are here. That means a few things – goodwill towards all, generosity, and ugly Christmas sweaters.

Having become a big fan of eSports over the past few years, I decided to kinda sorta combine all of those things.

Therefore, it is time to announce the return of the @nascarcasm Ugly Paint Scheme Contest! This contest was last held in 2019 with great success. I can still remember the cornea-scorching submissions to this day. They haunt me like Vecna. Here is the previous winner. Warning: sensitive content.

2022 December Iracingugly 1

But now it’s back, and if you win, you’re gonna win big.

The good folks at iRacing have donated some extremely generous prize packages for this glorious event.

1st PLACE – 250 iRacing credits

2nd PLACE – 200 iRacing credits

3rd PLACE – 100 iRacing credits

So how do you win? The rules are as follows.

  • Flex your creative muscle and design the most hideous, revolting, nausea-inducing paint scheme you can. As ugly as you can muster. No profanity or crude imagery please – this is a family website.
  • Post your creation to Twitter using the hashtag #CasmUglySchemeContest so we can find them. If you wish to keep your submission under wraps, you may also direct-message them to me on Twitter – DMs are open. The deadline is Dec. 21, 2022.
  • How will the winner be judged? Myself and an esteemed panel of others that I’ll beg for help will subjectively judge each submission to determine which one has hit the high-water mark for hideousness. We’ll notify the winners, who will provide their info to receive their prizes.

And that’s all. Time to get your creative juices flowing. BE OFF AND CREATE YOUR ABOMINATIONS.

— @nascarcasm