The NASCAR Truck Series is set for major landscape changes involving its teams and drivers for the 2023 season. It certainly could not have been predicted before the year started at Daytona International Speedway.
What are these changes and which drivers could be joining the series?
Kyle Busch Motorsports, David Gilliland Racing changing manufacturers
Kyle Busch moving to Richard Childress Racing starting next season has created a domino effect that will change the manufacturers of two specific NASCAR Truck Series organizations.
Busch’s Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, will be moving to Chevrolet as Richard Childress Racing is backed by the manufacturer. This will be the first time that Kyle Busch Motorsports will not be backed by Toyota.
The organization’s current drivers will not be returning next season. Chandler Smith will be moving to the No. 16 for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as A.J. Allmenindger moves back to the NASCAR Cup Series.
John Hunter Nemechek is a Toyota Racing driver which means he will be drying for a Toyota-backed team. However, there are plenty of options open for Nemechek. Corey Heim is in the same boat as Nemechek.
Due to Toyota losing a major organization, David Gilliland Racing is expected to return to the manufacturer in an announcement on Thursday, October 27. In fact, RACER.com’s Kelly Crandall reported that Heim will compete with the team.
This creates a situation where Front Row Motorsports is the only Ford-backed team in the Truck Series with Zane Smith in the No. 38 truck. The driver movement within the series is going to be rapidly evolving over time.
However, that does not even include the young drivers that could and will move to the Truck Series on a full-time basis starting in 2023.
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Young drivers possibly moving to the NASCAR Truck Series
There will be an influx of young talent joining the NASCAR Truck Series next season as seats open and drivers in the ARCA Menards Series develop to the level needed to move up the ranks.
Daniel Dye is one example of a driver in the ARCA Menards Series who will be moving up. It was announced on Tuesday, October 25 that Dye would drive the No. 43 truck for GMS Racing in the Truck Series next year.
The 18-year-old driver has one victory in 26 starts but almost won the championship in 2022 due to Sammy Smith, the most dominant driver, not having enough points due to the age restrictions in the series.
Dye will join Grant Enfinger and possibly another driver as the lineup for GMS Racing is not completely figured out as of now. However, he will not be the only driver moving up.
Crandall reported that Taylor Gray will be one of the drivers for David Gilliland Racing next season. The only issue is that Gray will not turn 18 years old until the end of March 2023.
The 17-year-old driver might need someone to fill in for him during the races in which he is not eligible to compete. Todd Gilliland needed to do this when he was breaking into the series with Kyle Busch Motorsports a while back.
Nick Sanchez, the 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion, is rumored to join a Chevrolet-backed organization in the Truck Series despite not running a single event in the series this season, per Catchfence.com’s Chris Knight.
Sanchez would likely take one of the open Kyle Busch Motorsports seats as it makes the most sense. The team needs drivers and it will focus on developing young talent for Chevrolet.
Another driver who could be full-time in the series is Rajah Caruth. The young driver was Sanchez’s teammate and has been running in numerous events in the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series during the 2022 season.
Caruth appears closer to announcing his plans and this could go in many directions. The 20-year-old has enough talent to jump to the Xfinity Series but there are many open seats in the Truck Series, such as Kyle Busch Motorsports and Spire Motorsports.
It might be a perfect fit for the Rev Racing duo to jump to Kyle Busch Motorsports. Meanwhile, Sammy Smith seems pretty set to join Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series next year.
The ARCA Menards Series is also poised to see massive changes as its top 4 points earners are set to move up in NASCAR. The future of these rides in ARCA are publicly unknown at this point.
However, the future of the Truck Series is bright as many young faces are set to join the scene. It might be the same series but come next year, it will see massive changes.