NASCAR Craftsman Trucks at Circuit of the Americas preview: Info, storylines
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is in action back-to-back weeks for the first time in 2023.
However, some crew members won’t be in action at Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
REAUME BROS. CREW MEMBERS SUSPENDED
NASCAR suspended three crew members from Reaume Bros. Racing’s No. 33 team for three races:
- Crew chief and fueler Greg Rayl
- Mechanic Matt Crossman
- Tire technician Travis Armstrong
Early in last Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta, Mason Massey’s No. 33 Ford lost a ballast. Polesitter Zane Smith said over the radio he hit it, which caused damage.
Smith finished 20th and Massey finished 29th. Massey will be in the No. 33 at COTA.
ROPER REINSTATED
Meanwhile, NASCAR reinstated owner-driver Cory Roper after he violated the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy after Daytona. Roper’s suspension lasted less than a month.
Roper’s driver, Kaden Honeycutt, is entered to drive their No. 04 Ford this weekend.
XPEL 225 PREVIEW
Zane Smith is the defending winner of the XPEL 225. Last year, Smith took the lead in overtime after John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman locked themselves into a three-wide logjam for the lead.
Bowman will race the same No. 7 HendrickCars.com Spire Motorsports Chevrolet he raced last year. Busch will race the same KBM No. 51 but as a Chevrolet and with Zariz Transport as a sponsor.
Ross Chastain is the other NASCAR Cup Series driver in the Truck field. He’ll drive the No. 41 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.
NEMCO Motorsports’ No. 8 Chevrolet returns this weekend for the first time since the Daytona road course in February 2021. Samuel Lecomte is their driver.
INDYCAR driver Ed Jones will drive the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet with sponsorship from Little Caesars.
Taylor Gray will also make his first start in the No. 17 TRICON Garage Toyota as he also turns 18 years old and begins his full-time Truck effort in 2023.
OTHER NOTABLE ENTRIES
- Kaz Grala in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota (was Layne Riggs at Atlanta)
- Logan Bearden in the No. 22 AM Racing Ford (was Josh Reaume at Atlanta)
- Colin Garrett in the No. 30 OnPoint Motorsports Toyota (was Ryan Vargas at Atlanta)
- Mason Filippi in the No. 34 Reaume Bros. Racing Ford (was Keith McGee at Atlanta)
- Parker Kligerman, No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet returns for the first time since Daytona
The XPEL 225 goes green at Circuit of the Americas around 1:30 p.m. ET, March 25 (TV: FS1; Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90).
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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
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