• Thursday, May 16th, 2024
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race will feature a varied field

After a hiatus of 26 years, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway for last year’s points race, won by Kyle Larson.

Larson, however, won’t be around to defend his victory in Saturday’s Wright Brand 250 (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

That doesn’t mean there won’t be interlopers. CARS Tour late model stock car star Brenden “Butterbean” Queen will make his series debut in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota.

Aric Almirola will attempt to qualify for his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race since 2012 in the No. 16 Hattori Enterprises Toyota.

NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Sammy Smith will make his second start of the season in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.

Dawson Sutton, 18, the Pro Late Model rookie of the year, will attempt to make the field for his series debut in the No. 26 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet.

Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain will pilot the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, hoping to improve on last year’s ninth-place finish at North Wilkesboro.

The drivers enumerated above will be competing against Truck Series regulars, among them Ty Majeski, the 2023 runner-up, and Corey Heim, who led 75 laps in last year’s race (second to Larson’s 138) in finishing fifth.

Las Vegas winner Rajah Caruth will make his second start at North Wilkesboro, hoping to improve on last Friday’s 30th-place result at Darlington.

“Honestly, it’s really special to go to North Wilkesboro, because I know the history and I am a nerd about NASCAR as a whole,” Caruth said. “It’s been really cool to be part NASCAR’s return to a track with such a deep history.”

• North Wilkesboro Speedway
• Wright Brand 250
• Pole Winner: Christian Eckes
• Age: 23
• Team: No. 19 - Instacoat Premium Products Chevrolet
• Owner: McAnally Hilgemann Racing
• Crew Chief: Charles Denike
• Start positions set by NASCAR's Performance Metrics Qualifying (PMQ).
• Christian Eckes won the Pole Award for the Wright Brand 250 by having the highest total PMQ.
• PMQ is a total number calculated on four performance metrics from the previous race:
• 15% of the driver's fastest lap time position
• 25% of the driver's final race finish position.
• 25% of the owner's final race position.
• 35% of the Owner Points position.

• Drivers Entered: 38 (2 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 250
• Margin of Victory: 02.474 Seconds
• Time of Race: 1 Hours 53 Minutes 2 Seconds
• Average Speed: 82.940
• Cautions: 7 for 58 laps
• Lead Changes: 7
• Green Flag Passes: 1,648 (8.6 passes per green flag lap)

• Wright Brand 250
• Race Winner: Corey Heim
• Age: 21
• Team : No 11 - Safelite Toyota
• Owner: Johnny Gray
• Crew Chief: Scott Zipadelli
• Corey Heim won the Wright Brand 250, his eighth victory in 51 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races
• This is his third victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2024
• This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in two races at North Wilkesboro Speedway
• Grant Enfinger (second) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at North Wilkesboro Speedway It is his third top-10 finish in 2024
• Layne Riggs (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at North Wilkesboro Speedway
• Layne Riggs (third) was the highest finishing rookie
• Christian Eckes leads the point standings by 4 points over Corey Heim