Ryan Preece was looking to move back home before RFK deal came together
RFK Racing and Ryan Preece have turned heads already with several strong showings this year. Sitting inside the playoffs on points at the moment, this team didn’t even exist last year and hadn’t named a crew chief to head its efforts until January of this year. And yet, Preece and the No. 60 RFK Ford […]
RFK Racing and Ryan Preece have turned heads already with several strong showings this year. Sitting inside the playoffs on points at the moment, this team didn’t even exist last year and hadn’t named a crew chief to head its efforts until January of this year. And yet, Preece and the No. 60 RFK Ford are sitting 14th in the regular season standings, right behind teammate Chris Buescher.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, the Celsius-backed Preece revealed how it all came together and how — at one point — he was preparing himself to face 2025 without a job in NASCAR.
“I think there’s always doubt, or a moment of uncertainty,” explained Preece. “I remember in August, September, I was looking at properties in Connecticut to go and possibly move back there and do that, so it was just…I didn’t really know. I’m thankful that it all did come together because it does take a lot of things. And really, I feel like it made me a better person, being here. A better driver, a better teammate. It’s been a lot of great life lessons I’ve learned in a short period of time.”
Taking risks and never settling
Preece, a champion in NASCAR’s Modified division, said it was a call from Brad Keselowski that first gave him hope, but he still wasn’t entirely sure he would be on the grid this year. And despite how long it took for RFK to officially announce an expansion to three cars, leasing a charter from Rick Ware Racing — Preece never thought to settle for something else just to ensure employment for the season.
“There was an opportunity to kind of go and solidify that I had a job and I’d be out there, but I’m not okay as a race car driver or as a person just being out there,” revealed Preece. “That’s settling. I could have done that a long time ago and I probably wouldn’t have had the career that I have. I’m a big risk taker. I’m going to bet on myself and hope people bet on me as well. It all worked out.”
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Preece has three top tens and a best finish of third so far this year, as well a stage win. As for how well things are going at the moment, the majority of people watching may be surprised, but Preece, who is always ready to bet on himself, is not.
“I’m not surprised,” said Preece. “And I’m not surprised because as a race car driver and the things that I’ve done in my past – for anybody that has really known me, I’m extremely competitive and pretty much everything I’ve raced, I’ve won in. I think in the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s extremely competitive, but you also need a lot of pieces of the puzzle to make it all work. You can only do so much. It’s been really nice. What I will say that I’m more than happy about is how quickly the #60 team has gelled and come together.
“Going into the season, a lot of our team really didn’t get hired or put into the positions that they were in until January. When you think about that, you got The Clash at the beginning of February and then that leads into the 500. So that’s not a lot of time and then there’s three or four core veterans in our group and the rest of them are all new. They’ve either been doing this for two years and for some of them, it’s their first time in the Cup Series, doing this. It’s been a nice change, certainly for me. I’ve been working really hard to get this type of opportunity and I feel like RFK has been a breath of fresh air and something that has kind of opened my eyes in a different perspective – working with somebody like Brad [Keselowski], as well as being teammates with Chris [Buescher] again. It’s been nice.
Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Photo by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Reaching Victory Lane
The one thing Preece doesn’t have yet, is a Cup Series win. It’s a glaring goose egg on his stat page, which features wins in the Xfinity and Truck Series, and over two dozen victories as a Whelen Modified driver. But after nearly 200 starts at the Cup level without a win, can he finally knock on the door of Victory Lane with this No. 60 team?
“I think there’s always work to be done, but what I like is that there’s a solid foundation,” commented Preece. “There’s been a lot of prep for Talladega and a lot of us – whether you’re a fan, a crew member or a driver – you know going to superspeedways is kind of like you almost look at it like you need a lot of luck. But there’s a lot of prep, there’s a lot of things you can do as a team or a driver to help your chances or odds.
“I feel really good about this weekend, as well as the stretch we’re going into. I know I get labelled as the guy who’s more about the short track style of racing. You know, your Martinsvilles and your Bristols, New Hampshires. But I’ve really grown to like superspeedways. I’ve grown to really like road courses, as well as mile-and-a-halfs. So, I feel like these next few months are going to suit our team. So, we feel like we’re getting there. We have a really fast pit crew. Derrick [Finley, crew chief] has been doing a really good job with the team and making great calls. We just gotta put it all together.”
Ryan Preece, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Getty Images
As for where that win would come, Preece notes how he tries to live his life “one week at a time,” but he’s certainly excited about the next stretch of races coming up. Rattling off track names such as Talladega, Texas, Kansas, North Wilkesboro (exhibition race), Charlotte and Nashville, he said: “Those are all places I really like. My Cup career, if you kind of look at it statistically, they’re kind of all over the place. But I really feel going into this that we’re going to have a really good month of building and momentum, and hopefully, opportunities to capitalize.”
As Preece already indicated, he is among those who are eager to get to ‘Dega, while others are likely dreading it. That may confound some people as Preece has an unfortunate history of big hits and unplanned flights at superspeedways, but still, he sees the opportunity to win and that’s all the motivation he needs.
“Yeah. For me, and I know there’s a lot of memes about all four tires going off the ground and flipping, but I look at it as a great opportunity to lock yourself in (for the playoffs),” explained Preece. “It would be nice to do that. Right now, we’re solidly 13th in points. We’re about 40 (points) out of seventh when I last looked. And there’s a great opportunity to at least chase after pointing your way in but let’s be honest, I think it’s going to take winning so that’s the goal. At the same time, we’re going to try and run our races and have great points days when those are available, but at the same time, we need to go win.”
Determined to succeed
Unlike several drivers on the grid, Preece never had huge backing behind him and needed to claw for every chance he’s gotten behind the wheel. There are other drivers out there like him who have turned heads by showcasing their talent in flashes of greatness, helping to propel themselves forward into the Cup Series. Preece has had those moments as well, like when he dominated a NASCAR Xfinity race at Iowa, or when he won at Nashville in back-to-back years in the Truck Series.
But Preece won’t allow himself to feel content in his place on the grid, always fighting to go the extra mile on the track and off.
“The reality of it is that this sport rewards – hopefully – hard work,” said Preece. “There’s a lot of guys that you can think about how established they were and then one year they’re gone and you don’t even think about them. So, that’s just kind of the nature of the beast. I would say there were key moments that helped to keep me in this sport, like when I won Iowa. That got me another opportunity. And when I won Bristol, that got me my opportunity with JTG and kind of started some conversations and when that charter was going away and I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen next – when I won that race at Nashville – that helped create conversations.
“So those are key moments and then relationships and just trying to be the best racer, the best person I can be. The best person for my sponsors…all those things add up. There are so many different roles you play as a race car driver and I feel like I’ve worn a lot of different hats. When I didn’t really know what I was going to be doing, I was maintaining, crew chiefing, doing all that with the Modified stuff. So, I got my hands dirty. I worked really hard to be where I am. And I’m not going to be satisfied until I go out and accomplish those goals I have as a person.”
Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
For those trying to follow Preece on the track this year, it’s been a colorful adventure and not just because of the impressive finishes and airborne excursions. His paint schemes change constantly and this weekend, he will carry Celsius branding on his No. 60 Ford.
Speaking more about sponsor relationships and how he integrates it into his ever day life, Preece said of the Celsius deal: “What’s nice about this is there’s times when you represent different sponsors and then you start using them in your everyday life or having them. Like I had United Rentals so I started renting their equipment, but for me, when I’m in the shop, caffeine is kind of that thing that helps me focus or organize thoughts. I like to go into my shop and dig through those late hours.
“I’m typically a guy who gets up at 5 in the morning and I get a lot of stuff done and then I’m into bed by 8. I also do a lot of my best work in my shop from 7 (am) to 10-11 (am), so it’s nice to have that little pick-me-up and get out there and not necessarily thrash, but feel I’m being productive. I feel like I’m more productive when I drink my favorite flavors, which has been watermelon here. We’ve had it in the hauler and I’ve liked it a lot.”
Ryan Preece, Celsius paint scheme for Talladega
All the pieces are fitting together for Preece to have a real run at the playoffs. The No. 60 are meshing together well, the sponsors are happy, and Preece is working well with teammates Buescher and Keselowski. He wanted to wait for the right opportunity for him and it seems like he has finallyfound that with RFK Racing.
“Chris and I just have very similar interests,” said Preece. “They’re very similar, but they’re very different at the same time. He likes off-roading and lifted trucks and things of that nature while I like lowered, fast, street cars. Anything with a motor. I’m an adrenaline guy. I think we both kind of have our own ways of getting our fix – other than racing in NASCAR. So, that’s been nice just to be around him and be lighthearted and joke around.
“You know, as well as Brad. He’s our team owner (and) he’s our teammate. He’s got a lot of different hats. What I’ve liked about being teammates with him is the perspective and knowledge and the experience that he has. I feel like when I was teammates with Chris and he spent three years with Brad, you can just see the experience and knowledge that he’s taken from Brad as well. So that’s been really nice to be a part of and really how open Brad has been. As a race car driver, we’re all teammates but it’s easy to say you’re gonna be a good teammate but theres other times as a race car driver you need to be selfish. Brad is not selfish. He’s been super and it’s been great to be a part of this team and working with him and all those things. He’s helped me be a better teammate within my team, be a better teammate to each of them, and those things translate to decisions we make on the race track.”
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NASCAR ‘likely’ won’t take pre-season Clash international in 2026
As part of a teleconference announcing Homestead-Miami Speedway as the 2026 season finale, NASCAR has also given an update on ‘The Clash’ and its immediate future. After spending decades as an exhibition race for pole-sitters, taking place at Daytona International Speedway in the lead-up to the 500, the event has changed drastically in recent years. […]
As part of a teleconference announcing Homestead-Miami Speedway as the 2026 season finale, NASCAR has also given an update on ‘The Clash’ and its immediate future.
After spending decades as an exhibition race for pole-sitters, taking place at Daytona International Speedway in the lead-up to the 500, the event has changed drastically in recent years. After moving it from the Daytona oval to the Daytona road course in 2021, the event took on a whole new identify with a temporary race track constructed inside the LA Memorial Coliseum. After three years of that with all chartered teams invited, everything changed again. In 2025. NASCAR left the lucrative LA market and returned to its roots at Bowman Gray Stadium.
6#, Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6#, Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletSean Gardner / Getty Images
Sean Gardner / Getty Images
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However, many saw it as a one-off as talks continued behind the scenes with hopes of bringing the event to an international audience. The city of São Paulo, Brazil, expressed interest in hosting the event at Interlagos. But it seems like those plans are on hold … for the moment.
“I think as far as next year goes, more than likely it will stay domestic here in the United States,” revealed NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer, Ben Kennedy. “I wouldn’t ever rule out international in the future, though. We have thoughts about a lot of it being prior to the season, in the off-season, an exhibition race. It’s a great opportunity for us to bring NASCAR racing to other parts of the world.
“I think it’s going to be something that we’ll continue to consider, but at least for now we’ll more than likely keep it domestic.”
Bowman Gray has not yet been confirmed as the event’s host for 2026, so NASCAR could still be looking at other locations within the USA. However, this appears unlikely based on discussions from earlier in the year, indicating that Bowman Gray is the leading candidate. NASCAR also invested a lot in Bowman Gray, making several upgrades over the past year to ensure it was Cup-ready.
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NASCAR rules out superspeedways and road courses for season finale
NASCAR to rotate championship finale, will return to Homestead in 2026
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Ernie Humes swept the No Box class at Farmington to lead the DragChamp Top 10 List, presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance 5/7/25 – We’ve accumulated the best performers from the past week for the Top 10 List presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. Read below to see how they ranked. Racecar insurance is more affordable than you […]
Ernie Humes swept the No Box class at Farmington to lead the DragChamp Top 10 List, presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance
5/7/25 – We’ve accumulated the best performers from the past week for the Top 10 List presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. Read below to see how they ranked.
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Want to check out previous Top 10 Lists, click here.
DragChamp Top 10 List
1 – Ernie Humes
Ernie Humes’ great start to the 2025 racing season got even better last weekend at the K&J Promotions 1st Annual Marty Williams’s Memorial at Farmington. EH3 swept the No Box class winning all three days! After moving into the Top Bulb class, Humes made a couple of late round finishes to cap off a great weekend.
2 – Jeff Serra
A week after winning $15,000 at the Spring Fling Galot, Jeff Serra picked up a $25,000 victory at the Farm. Jeff’s enjoyed a great start to the season and proved his versatility by driving different cars in each of his multiple final rounds this year.
3 – Donnie Durenberger
Donnie Durenberger earned a rare double-up at the NHRA D3 LODRS race in St. Louis when he won both the Super Street title and the Sportsman Motorcycle class.
4 – Nathan Prose
Nathan Prose has been on fire lately winning four times in the last three races. Prose kicked off his win streak with wins in Super Gas and Super Comp at the Spring Classic in Indianapolis. A week later he won Super Gas at the D3 LODRS in INDY and followed with another SG victory this past weekend at the D3 LODRS race in St. Louis. That’s four wins in two classes in three races!
5 – Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams continues to impress after reaching four final rounds in the last two weeks. A week ago Brandon drove his Firebird to a No Box runner-up in Montgomery. This past weekend he added two runner-ups at the Farm and a win in Gainesville to increase his season total to 17 final round appearances!
6 – Gary Williams
G-dub parked Fancy 2.0 in the winners circle at the Farm taking home $25,000 in the process! He also added a Gambler’s runner-up to earn the #6 spot this week.
7 – Chris Crawford
Chris Crawford cashed for $25,000 at the Farm to land in the lucky #7 spot this week.
7 – Bill Angel
Bill Angel also cashed a big check at Farmington after winning the $20,000 High Roller Shootout.
8 – Andrew Goss
Andrew Goss doubled up at Mo-Kan winning Footbrake on Saturday and Box on Sunday to make another Top 10 appearance.
8 – Andy Innes
Andy Innes swept the No Box class with his Super Stock Cavalier winning Saturday and Sunday at the Mid Michigan season opener.
9 – Grant Zimmerman
Grant Zimmerman earned a Top 10 showing after racing to a win and a runner-up at Cordova’s season opener.
9 – Jeromy Hefler
Former IHRA World Champ Jeromy Hefler drove his Subaru Brat to a win and a runner-up at the Windmill Nationals in Ardmore.
10 – David Saunders
David Saunders closes out the Top 10 List this week after making four final round appearances over the last few weeks at Summerduck Motorsports Park. Saunders earned two wins in four final round appearances at the Duck.
Let us know what you think about the DragChamp Top 10 List. We want to hear from you. Check us out on Facebook and share it with your friends.
And remember, look for our DragChamp Top 10 List nominations Facebook post every Monday evening. You can nominate your favorites in the comments of the post for consideration on the list.
DragChamp is your online source for sportsman drag race results, news, and updates.
Local historic motorsports complex sold – WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio
GREENE COUNTY — Kil-Kare Raceway will soon have a new owner. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The historic raceway was sold to the International Hot Rod Association. TRENDING STORIES: Kil-Kare was first built by the Marshall Brothers and first opened up as a 1/5-mile dirt track in 1951. The quarter-mile […]
GREENE COUNTY — Kil-Kare Raceway will soon have a new owner.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The historic raceway was sold to the International Hot Rod Association.
TRENDING STORIES:
Kil-Kare was first built by the Marshall Brothers and first opened up as a 1/5-mile dirt track in 1951.
The quarter-mile dragway opened in 1959, which made Kil-Kare a premier facility for both stock car and drag racing.
Recent improvements to the drag strip include an all-concrete racing surface with concrete walls, an Accutime timing system, bigger staging lanes, restroom facilities, and concession stands featuring the popular brick oven pizza.
NASCAR championship weekend goes to Homestead in 2026, starting a rotating formula
How that’ll work in 2027 and beyond remains unclear. But in 2026, Homestead is the spot. “I like that we move it around,” said reigning NASCAR champion Joey Logano, who won the crown last fall at Phoenix — this year’s title-deciding spot as well — and the first of his three titles at Homestead-Miami in […]
How that’ll work in 2027 and beyond remains unclear. But in 2026, Homestead is the spot.
“I like that we move it around,” said reigning NASCAR champion Joey Logano, who won the crown last fall at Phoenix — this year’s title-deciding spot as well — and the first of his three titles at Homestead-Miami in 2018. “That was one of the things that I always thought would be a great idea if we were able to pull it off, right? The Super Bowl doesn’t stay in the same place every year. Why should our Super Bowl, our championship race, stay in same place every year?”
NASCAR made the announcement Tuesday, and it was not exactly a stunner. (“I’m sure everyone was surprised to see this coming,” Logano said, smiling.) Its three series — the truck series, the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series — will see their seasons come to a close at Homestead from Nov. 6-8, 2026.
It isn’t a permanent return, though: NASCAR said that championship weekends are going to be on a rotation “to ensure that the season’s exciting conclusion is shared amongst NASCAR’s marquee venues and key markets.” Phoenix will be part of that rotation, somehow, but NASCAR isn’t ready to say which other tracks may be involved and when all that will be announced.
“We have a lot of confidence, when we go to Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s going to deliver from a racing product perspective,” NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy said. “It’s also going to create a good amount of unpredictability for many of our fans that come to that race or tune in on TV just going to a different championship venue and having it on the line. We’re excited to see all that.”
Part of NASCAR’s commitment to Homestead-Miami, Kennedy said, includes a capital investment to “make sure it is a championship-caliber facility when we show up next year.”
NASCAR routinely makes tweaks to schedules and now will tinker again with where seasons end, but one non-negotiable appears to be the start of the season: Daytona will remain the first points race for the foreseeable future, Kennedy said.
“We ran a survey a couple years ago, and it was over 95% of our fan base wants to see their first points race be the Daytona 500,” Kennedy said. “That was a statistic that was strong enough for us to say we’re not even going to explore that for now.”
Homestead-Miami was the championship weekend site from 2002 through 2019. There are three active drivers who were crowned NASCAR champions at Homestead — Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019, Brad Keselowski in 2012 and Logano in 2018. Logano has also won the title at Phoenix in two of the last three seasons, including last year.
And all seven of Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR titles came at Homestead, which has renamed a tunnel in his honor to commemorate those championships.
“If you’re asking drivers, it’s about the track, right? The environment obviously is really cool. It’s different being in Miami. That’s a neat thing,” Logano said. “But the drivers, what we care about is the racing, right? Can we move around the racetrack, can we do different things, are the tires falling off, is that fun. To us, yeah, that’s fun.”
NASCAR decided after the 2001 season to move its truck and Cup series races to one track, in order to create a season-ending championship celebration. Homestead-Miami was the original site after that decision, and then things moved to Phoenix starting in 2020.
Kennedy said racing in early November isn’t exactly possible at all of the tracks on the NASCAR schedule, meaning that the series would prefer a warm-weather climate for its finish — something that Phoenix and Homestead-Miami provide. And Homestead-Miami’s history isn’t lost on NASCAR, either.
“Homestead has put on some of the most phenomenal finishes, especially when we had the championship there,” Kennedy said. “But even since then, and we’ve crowned so many legends and Hall of Famers over the past 15 years when we did have the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. So, competition is a part of it, variability, and I think diversity in where you’re crowning the champion was another consideration.”
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
NASCAR championship weekend goes to Homestead in 2026, starting a rotating formula | National News
MIAMI (AP) — NASCAR asked its fans where they would prefer seeing championship weekend held, and the majority of those who responded picked Homestead-Miami Speedway. And NASCAR listened. The 2026 NASCAR season will end in South Florida, with stock car racing’s championship weekend returning to Homestead-Miami next year. It’ll be the first time since 2019 […]
MIAMI (AP) — NASCAR asked its fans where they would prefer seeing championship weekend held, and the majority of those who responded picked Homestead-Miami Speedway.
And NASCAR listened.
The 2026 NASCAR season will end in South Florida, with stock car racing’s championship weekend returning to Homestead-Miami next year. It’ll be the first time since 2019 that the title-winners will be crowned there and will start a rotation where NASCAR will move its final weekend around various tracks.
How that’ll work in 2027 and beyond remains unclear. But in 2026, Homestead is the spot.
“I like that we move it around,” said reigning NASCAR champion Joey Logano, who won the crown last fall at Phoenix — this year’s title-deciding spot as well — and the first of his three titles at Homestead-Miami in 2018. “That was one of the things that I always thought would be a great idea if we were able to pull it off, right? The Super Bowl doesn’t stay in the same place every year. Why should our Super Bowl, our championship race, stay in same place every year?”
NASCAR made the announcement Tuesday, and it was not exactly a stunner. (“I’m sure everyone was surprised to see this coming,” Logano said, smiling.) Its three series — the truck series, the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series — will see their seasons come to a close at Homestead from Nov. 6-8, 2026.
It isn’t a permanent return, though: NASCAR said that championship weekends are going to be on a rotation “to ensure that the season’s exciting conclusion is shared amongst NASCAR’s marquee venues and key markets.” Phoenix will be part of that rotation, somehow, but NASCAR isn’t ready to say which other tracks may be involved and when all that will be announced.
“We have a lot of confidence, when we go to Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s going to deliver from a racing product perspective,” NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy said. “It’s also going to create a good amount of unpredictability for many of our fans that come to that race or tune in on TV just going to a different championship venue and having it on the line. We’re excited to see all that.”
Part of NASCAR’s commitment to Homestead-Miami, Kennedy said, includes a capital investment to “make sure it is a championship-caliber facility when we show up next year.”
NASCAR routinely makes tweaks to schedules and now will tinker again with where seasons end, but one non-negotiable appears to be the start of the season: Daytona will remain the first points race for the foreseeable future, Kennedy said.
“We ran a survey a couple years ago, and it was over 95% of our fan base wants to see their first points race be the Daytona 500,” Kennedy said. “That was a statistic that was strong enough for us to say we’re not even going to explore that for now.”
Homestead-Miami was the championship weekend site from 2002 through 2019. There are three active drivers who were crowned NASCAR champions at Homestead — Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019, Brad Keselowski in 2012 and Logano in 2018. Logano has also won the title at Phoenix in two of the last three seasons, including last year.
And all seven of Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR titles came at Homestead, which has renamed a tunnel in his honor to commemorate those championships.
“If you’re asking drivers, it’s about the track, right? The environment obviously is really cool. It’s different being in Miami. That’s a neat thing,” Logano said. “But the drivers, what we care about is the racing, right? Can we move around the racetrack, can we do different things, are the tires falling off, is that fun. To us, yeah, that’s fun.”
NASCAR decided after the 2001 season to move its truck and Cup series races to one track, in order to create a season-ending championship celebration. Homestead-Miami was the original site after that decision, and then things moved to Phoenix starting in 2020.
Kennedy said racing in early November isn’t exactly possible at all of the tracks on the NASCAR schedule, meaning that the series would prefer a warm-weather climate for its finish — something that Phoenix and Homestead-Miami provide. And Homestead-Miami’s history isn’t lost on NASCAR, either.
“Homestead has put on some of the most phenomenal finishes, especially when we had the championship there,” Kennedy said. “But even since then, and we’ve crowned so many legends and Hall of Famers over the past 15 years when we did have the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. So, competition is a part of it, variability, and I think diversity in where you’re crowning the champion was another consideration.”
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Spire Motorsports Heart of Health Care 200 Race Advance – Speedway Digest
In six NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Spire Motorsports has earned two top-10 and three top-15 finishes. Rajah Caruth, driver of the team’s No. 71 HendrickCars.com Silverado, earned a team-best seventh-place finish last September. The Mooresville, N.C., organization fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the […]
In six NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Spire Motorsports has earned two top-10 and three top-15 finishes. Rajah Caruth, driver of the team's No. 71 HendrickCars.com Silverado, earned a team-best seventh-place finish last September. The Mooresville, N.C., organization fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Nos. 07 and 7 entries will see a rotating roster of all-star caliber drivers throughout the season, while Caruth and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the Nos. 71 and 77, respectively, for the full slate of races.
The Heart of Health Care 200 will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, May 10 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The ninth of 25 races on the 2025 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar will be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
William Byron – Driver, No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
William Byron will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 07 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series regular will pull double duty this weekend and also pilot Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday's AdventHealth 400.
Byron's only previous CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at the Kansas City oval saw him drive into Victory Lane in May 2016 for his first-career victory in only his fifth start. The then-18-year-old driver took the lead on the final lap after the leaders tangled in Turn 3 and cruised to the finish line to lead his 34th lap of the night.
The Charlotte, N.C., native led Spire Motorsports to its inaugural CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April 2022. He was forced to start from the 32nd position after qualifying was cancelled due to inclement weather. He meticulously worked his way through the field, taking the lead on Lap 105 during pit stops prior to the Final Stage. The No. 7 Silverado swapped the lead with Chandler Smith over the next several circuits, but Byron went on to lead a race-high 94 laps en route to his first grandfather clock trophy. The win came in Spire Motorsports’ second start in the series.
HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop more than 30,000 new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
The 2016 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Rookie of the Year owns 30 starts in the series, where he’s collected three poles, eight wins, 14 top fives, 19 top 10s and compiled a 10.4 average finish.
The 27-year-old is quite familiar with Spire Motorsports’ 77,000 square-foot facility located on Mazeppa Road in Mooresville, N.C., the former home of Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM). In 2016, Byron registered seven victories in his rookie CRAFTSMAN Truck Series campaign with KBM. He also won the 2016 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway from the pole position, closing the year fifth in the division’s driver championship point standings while securing KBM’s fourth consecutive and fifth overall owner’s championship.
In NASCAR Cup Series competition, Byron has tallied three top-five and eight top-10 finishes at Kansas, including a runner-up finish last September.
The 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion has one appearance at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval in NASCAR’s junior circuit, earning a fourth-place result in October 2017 during his time at JR Motorsports.
William Byron Quote What are your thoughts about returning to the site of your first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win? “I’m excited to get back in a truck this weekend especially at Kansas (Speedway). This is a track where I’ve run well at during my career, but extra laps are always helpful no matter where it is. I appreciate Spire giving me the chance to run a truck again this year and hopefully we can have a good showing for them and HendrickCars.com.” Atop the No. 07 Box – Crew Chief Allen Hart
Allen Hart calls the shots for the No. 07 team, an entry that will see a rotating roster of drivers throughout the 2025 campaign.
Last time out at Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 07 team and driver Nick Sanchez spent most of the evening racing inside the top 10. The Gainbridge Silverado hit pit road under green-flag conditions for the team's final scheduled service of the night, however, the driver slid through the pit box and received a penalty for driving through too many stalls. After serving a drive-through penalty, the two-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series winner returned to the track two laps down. A Lap 152 caution allowed the 23-year-old to receive a lap back via the wave around, and three laps later, received the free pass to return to the lead lap. Sanchez capitalized on a slew of late-race incidents to come home 13th.
The Midland, Mich., native earned his first career win in a crew chief role in March's Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After a spin midway through the Final Stage, Kyle Larson made an impressive run through the field over the event's final 40 circuits, chasing down the leaders with two laps remaining to make the winning move.
Through eight races, No. 07 team sit sixth in the division's owner's championship point standings on the strength of one win, two top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Carson Hocevar will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Delaware Life Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.
Hocevar will pull double duty this weekend and also drive Spire Motorsports No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday's AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race.
The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year made his return to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series last week at Texas Motor Speedway. He fell out of contention for a top-five finish when he lost voltage under green-flag conditions and was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. The team ultimately finished 17th.
The 22-year-old has made five CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Kansas Speedway where he's collected one top five and two top 10s. His five appearances are highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2022 where he claimed the lead via fuel strategy and paced the field for 28 circuits. He was passed on the final lap when his Silverado stumbled on low fuel.
The Portage, Mich., native is a veteran of 78 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, earning four wins, 21 top fives and 33 top 10s while leading 600 laps. He made the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in all three full-time seasons, and reached the Championship 4 in 2023.
Prior to climbing in the No. 7 Delaware Life Chevrolet Silverado on Saturday, Hocevar will return to the FS1 broadcast booth for Friday night’s ARCA Menards Series race. He owns seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts in the series.
The four-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner will return to the No. 7 Silverado next month at Michigan International Speedway (June 7). He will round out his four-race slate at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (June 20).
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Carson Hocevar Quote What are your expectations after showing speed but had mechanical issues. What are your expectations for this weekend? “I think we’ll have another good weekend. I felt like running the truck race at Texas was a big help as far as getting laps on track and getting into the racing mindset early in the weekend, so I’m excited to do that again at Kansas and try to make up for how last weekend ended. I’ve enjoyed working with Brian (Pattie) and the No. 7 team and want to get them a great result for their hard work.” Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Brian Pattie
Brian Pattie stands atop of the No. 7 pit box, an entry that will see a plethora of all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2025 season.
The Zephyrhills, Fla., native has called two CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Kansas Speedway, highlighted by a seventh-place result with Kyle Busch in May 2023.
The 50-year-old earned a pair of top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway in NASCAR's premier division, claiming a fourth-place finish with Juan Pablo Montoya (2009) and a fifth-place result with Clint Bowyer (April 2013).
The 24-year veteran spent 14 seasons in NASCAR's premier division. As a crew chief, he has earned six wins in Cup Series competition and 11 in the Xfinity Series. He stands as one of 11 crew chiefs to win races across all three of NASCAR's national touring series.
Earlier this season, the No. 7 team defended its 2024 victory in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Kyle Busch behind the wheel. The Las Vegas driver spent all 135 laps in the top 15 while leading a race-high 80 laps and recording a field-leading average running position (3.2) and driver rating (124.6).
Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday evening's Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.
The 22-year-old has made four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, claiming his first top 10 at the venue with a seventh-place finish last September. Last season's finish secured a birth into the Round of 8 of the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs for Caruth and the No. 71 team.
The recent Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University graduate has three ARCA Menards Series starts at Kansas, claiming one top five and two top 10s. He secured a runner-up finish to teammate Nick Sanchez in May 2022, and was positioned comfortably within the top three in Fall 2022 until a tire failure ended his race eight laps early.
Last time out at Texas Motor Speedway, a lightning-fast pit stop by the HendrickCars.com crew on the final trip to pit road cycled the No. 71 Chevrolet to the eighth position, one lap behind the leaders. A Lap 148 caution allowed Caruth to take the wave around and gain his lap back, restarting eighth with 16 laps remaining. A multi-truck incident propelled him to the third position for a trio of late-race restarts. In NASCAR Overtime, the driver's second-career win was in sight, but he ultimately had to settle for a third-place finish.
After starting the season with back-to-back finishes outside the top 25, Caruth has rebounded with five top-10 finishes in the last six events. He is one of three drivers to accomplish the feat over the same number of races.
Through the first eight events on the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar, Caruth has tallied two top fives and five top 10s, while pacing the field for 115 circuits - doubling his total of 56 from the 2024 campaign.
HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop more than 30,000 new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
The 2024 season marked a career year for Caruth where he tallied one win, a pair of Cometic Gasket Pole Awards and five top-five finishes, all of which were the first of his young career. The 12 top-10 finishes on the season tripled Caruth’s total of four in 2023, while his average starting position of 10.7 was four positions higher than 2023 and his 11.6 average finish was an impressive seven positions higher.
With his first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win last season, Caruth became the third African-American driver to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
Caruth and the No. 71 team qualified for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in 2024, the first such appearance for the former Washington, D.C., resident. Despite reaching the Round of 8, mechanical issues stalled his championship bid in the season’s penultimate event at Martinsville Speedway.
Rajah Caruth Quotes Kansas is the track you’ve made the most starts in all series combined. How do you feel about the venue? “I love Kansas. That was the first mile-and-a-half I ran in ARCA. I led some laps and probably should have won a race or two there. I think I’ve been competitive each time I’ve ran there in a truck. I took myself out the first time we went there, but hopefully we can be as fast as we were that race this weekend. To be fast, you have to run the wall, which I believe fits my strong suit. I’ve definitely got a bit of a pep in my step coming off of a good weekend at Texas.”
How does putting together good runs at Kansas in the past help your confidence level heading into the weekend? “I think the positive direction is what helps the most. You see the results coming in as a result of your hard work, and that is a huge determining factor. When you work so hard and things aren’t going well, it can make it all seem like its for nothing. We have been on a nice little top 10 streak recently, and we are heading to a track I’ve put together a few nice runs the last couple trips. I definitely feel good going into the weekend.” Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion
Veteran crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion has stood atop the box for 10 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Kansas Speedway, tallying five top 10s and eight top 15s.
The Boylston, Mass., native called Kyle Busch to a May 2017 victory in America's heartland, leading a race-high 94 laps en route to the driver's 47th win in the series.
Manion, a 31-year veteran of the sport, founded Spire Motorsports' CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program alongside industry veteran Mike Greci in 2022. The team claimed their first victory in their second outing with William Byron behind the wheel at Martinsville Speedway.
The 53-year-old has racked up six Cup Series victories - including the 2010 Daytona 500 - 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series triumphs and 11 CRAFTSMAN Truck series wins. Manion is also one of 11 crew chiefs to have called wins across all three of NASCAR's national touring series.
In 2023, Manion became one of few to call a race in all three of NASCAR's national series in a single season, all of which came under the Spire Motorsports banner. He led the part-time effort on the No. 7 Silverado in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, helped in limited starts for Carson Hocevar in the Xfinity Series and took the reigns during the second half of the Cup Series season for Ty Dillon and the No. 77 team.
Andres Perez de Lara – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the No. 77 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the Heart of Health Care 200 at Kansas Speedway.
In the division's most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway, Perez de Lara made contact with a competitor causing a significant impact with the outside retaining wall, dealing race-ending damage.
The 20-year-old will make his fifth start at the Kansas oval on Saturday and his first in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In his four starts in ARCA Menards Series competition, the 2024 series champion has tallied two top 10s , with his best run coming in the spring of 2023 with a sixth-place finish, which was his first career 1.5-mile-oval start.
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The Mexico City native has made 10 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts, nine of which were behind the wheel of a Spire Motorsports Chevy Silverado. He earned his first-career top 10 in his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut last June at World Wide Technology Raceway via a ninth-place result. His career-best seventh-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in March marked his second top 10 in the series.
Perez de Lara is in pursuit of Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2025 and sits second in the standings for the award, 39 points behind leader Gio Ruggiero.
The 2024 ARCA Menards Series champion juggled his duties while also competing full time in the NASCAR Mexico Series. In 2023, he earned the Rookie of the Year award while finishing fourth in the division’s championship point standings and reaching the series’ version of the NASCAR playoffs. His lone win in the series came at Ovalo Aguascalientes, a 0.875-mile oval.
Andres Perez de Lara Quotes You made your first career 1.5-mile oval start at Kansas in the ARCA Menards Series. How do you feel about returning to the track in a truck this weekend? “I am excited to get back to Kansas this weekend. Out of all of the tracks we have been to this year, I think I’ve run the most laps at Kansas. The race will play out completely different in a truck. We have worked hard in the simulator and at the shop to make sure the truck will be prepared to run multiple lines on track. I will have to take full advantage of practice on Saturday to get comfortable running the top, and find all the ways I can make speed. Hopefully, we can execute all day and get a solid result.”
Kansas is well-known as a multi-groove race track. How do you think that will progress throughout the race? “Kansas is one of the most technical tracks that we go to all year. Everyone will progress to the top of the track. We will have to make the top work. That’s where the fastest lap times are when tires begin to fall off.” Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Chad Walter
Crew chief Chad Walter has called eight CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events at Kansas Speedway, earning two top-10 finishes, highlighted by a seventh-place result last September with Rajah Caruth.
In eight appearances atop the box in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Walter has amassed two top fives and six top 10s.
Between NASCAR's Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, the Albion, N.Y. native has racked up six wins, 52 top fives and 131 top 10s.
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