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.”
Source: Reid Spencer | NASACR Wire Service
