Derek Kraus to race for Spire at Phoenix
Derek Kraus will round out the 2023 season with another start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Spire Motorsports.
Kraus will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire at Phoenix Raceway. Western States Flooring will sponsor Kraus.
Andrew Overstreet and Mike Hoffman will serve as crew chief and truck chief, respectively, for Kraus.
Spire officials said Kraus has been “nothing short of impressive.” At the Milwaukee Mile, he started 25th and drove to eighth in the first 56 laps.
Kraus maintained a top-10 spot and finished eighth, leading to his opportunity at Phoenix.
“Phoenix Raceway is one of my favorite races on the schedule, just because of how competitive the track is. I’m thankful to have Western States Flooring on board and looking forward to putting on a good show for that group. We had a good day at Milwaukee earlier this season so hopefully we can pull some notes from that weekend and put them to good use in Phoenix,” Kraus said.
Kraus lost his ride at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing at the end of 2022. 2023 was slow to start but he picked up four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in the first 10 races. Then, he has raced three more times in the last six races.
Kraus started strong, finishing 10th and eighth in his first two starts, at Richmond and Martinsville, respectively.
Recently, he finished eighth at Kansas, 12th at Bristol and 11th at Homestead-Miami after scoring a stage win there.
Kraus’s 2024 plans are yet TBA.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com