PREVIEW: Plenty to get loud about this weekend at Charlotte
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Spire Motorsports, @SpireMotorsport
Friday, May 23, 2025 (Green Flag 8:52 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 11 of 25
North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Corey Heim
ENTRY LIST
There are 34 drivers entered for 36 spots in Friday’s race, marking the tenth consecutive short field since 36 took the green in the Daytona opener.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Brandon Jones returns for his 55th series start as he pulls double-duty with Saturday’s XFINITY Series race. This will be Jones’ sixth Truck Series race in 2025, his first since a season-best 6th in Kansas, and the most he’s run in the division since 2015. He takes the place of Brent Crews, who qualified 10th for his debut in North Wilkesboro and finished 22nd.
DRIVER CHANGE: #2-Reaume Brothers Racing
Cody Dennison also returns to the series for the first time since Kansas, where he finished 22nd. He again drives the Reaume team’s #2, this time in place of Derek White, whose series return saw him struggle with pace and finish a distant 33rd.
MISSING: #6-Norm Benning Racing
Norm Benning is not among this week’s entrants after a litany of issues left him last in North Wilkesboro. His next race is still to be announced.
DRIVER SWAP: #7-Spire Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #07-Spire Motorsports
The most exciting storyline among Friday’s starting lineup is that of longtime owner-driver B.J. McLeod, who with returning Talladega sponsor Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster has secured a start in perhaps the best ride of his NASCAR career – Spire Motorsports’ #07, the team with which Kyle Busch finished 9th last Saturday. This will be the 42nd Truck Series start for McLeod and his first sine May 7, 2021 at Darlington, where he ran 32nd for Josh Reaume. In his previous 359 starts across NASCAR’s top three series dating back to 2010, McLeod has never finished better than 15th in the Truck Series, 11th in XFINITY, and has a pair of top-ten finishes on superspeedways in the Cup Series. Busch will also be in the race driving the #7 in place of 10th-place Wilkesboro finisher Sammy Smith.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Reaume Brothers Racing
Mason Maggio carries sponsorship from Control Alt Protect on the Reaume team’s #22 as he takes the place of Tyler Tomassi, who finished 31st last Saturday after multiple incidents. This will be Maggio’s first Truck Series start since he finished 15th in this year’s Daytona opener driving the Hettinger Racing #4.
DRIVER CHANGE: #44-Niece Motorsports
Another Cup Series regular in the field is Ross Chastain, who again reunites with Al Niece in his second Truck Series start of the year, his first since a 6th-place run in this same #44 entry at Homestead. Chastain takes the place of Conner Jones, whose series return at North Wilkesboro yielded a 13th-place finish.
RETURNING: #56-Hill Motorsports
Tonight marks Timmy Hill’s 500th career NASCAR start across the top three national series. To celebrate, the team makes its first start since a 21st-place run at Rockingham, and carries a particularly vibrant patriotic paint scheme for Memorial Day weekend. Hill has seven previous Truck Series starts at Charlotte with a best finish of 16th in 2019. He ran 22nd last year.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-ThorSport Racing
It’s another “Luke Swap” at the ThorSport team as Luke Fenhaus returns to make his 10th series start, his first since a 27th-place showing in Texas, taking the place of Luke Baldwin, who took 13th in North Wilkesboro.
MISSING: #67-Freedom Racing Enterprises
Not among this week’s entrants is the second FRE entry with which Ryan Roulette finished 32nd in North Wilkesboro.
DRIVER CHANGE: #75-Henderson Motorsports
With 1:24 scale diecast prototypes of his Daytona winning truck (prior to post-race inspection) unveiled this week, Parker Kligerman rejoins Charlie Henderson’s team for the first time since Rockingham, where he finished 25th. He takes the place of NASCAR Modified Series star Patrick Emerling, who left North Wilkesboro with a 19th-place finish.
RETURNING: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports
After his team withdrew from North Wilkesboro, Justin S. Carroll returns to Charlotte, a track where he finished 34th in his only start there in 2023. This will be Carroll’s 15th series start.
DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Young’s Motorsports
Stefan Parsons has made just two Truck Series starts in 2025, but has turned in respectable finishes of 18th in Homestead and a season-best 12th in Texas. After driving Randy Young’s part-time #20 entry in both races, he this week moves to the flagship #02, this time in place of 30th-place North Wilkesboro finisher Jayson Alexander. Longtime sponsor Springrates rejoins as backer for what will be his third series start at Charlotte. He finished 25th here last year.
CUP INVADERS: #7-Kyle Busch, #44-Ross Chastain
Saturday, May 24, 2025 (Green Flag 4:40 P.M. ET, CW)
XFINITY Race 13 of 33
BetMGM 300 at Charlotte
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Riley Herbst
ENTRY LIST
As the XFINITY Series returns from a two-week break, there are 40 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning two will fail to qualify.
RETURNING: #3-Richard Childress Racing
The first of no less than three full-time Cup Series drivers in Saturday’s race is Austin Dillon, who with sponsor Boot Barn brings RCR’s #3 back into the XFINITY Series for the first time since July 22, 2023, when brother Ty Dillon took home 14th in Pocono. This would also be the 155th XFINITY Series start for Austin, who last took the green for Kaulig Racing at Loudon in 2023, taking 16th.
DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Hendrick Motorsports
Next among the Cup invaders is two-time and defending Daytona 500 champion William Byron, who finished 2nd in his previous XFINITY Series start at COTA this past spring. Byron will again drive Hendrick Motorsports’ #17 Chevrolet, this time in place of 16th-place Texas finisher Corey Day.
DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing
The other Cup Series driver is Chase Briscoe, who hasn’t started a XFINITY Series race since July 30, 2022, when he finished 5th for SS-Green Light Racing on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit. Briscoe will drive both of JGR’s #19 Toyotas this weekend, taking the place of fellow Cup regular Riley Herbst, who finished 3rd in the most recent race at Texas.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
After welcoming sponsorship from Costa Oil for Rick Ware Racing’s late model effort, the sponsor joins Carson for his return to the XFINITY Series, this time at the invitation of Joey Gase. Ware takes the place of Gase himself after a 25th-place showing in Texas and will make his 15th career XFINITY start, his first since a 30th-place run in Martinsville earlier this year.
TEAM UPDATE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing
Brennan Poole will make his 250th career NASCAR start across the top three series.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
Brad Perez makes a rare oval track start for his 15th career XFINITY Series race, his third of the year and first since a season-best 23rd in Martinsville. Perez takes the place of Mason Massey, who took home 21st in Texas. This would be Perez’ first series start at Charlotte, though he has made two starts on the Charlotte “Roval” with a best finish of 23rd in 2022. KeenParts.com, previously a sponsor of teammate Parker Retzlaff in the #4, joins as sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
While the preliminary entry list had no driver mentioned, the second Gase entry has since gone to J.J. Yeley. Recall that Yeley last piloted this car at Rockingham, where he qualified it into the show before Katherine Legge, who DNQ’d, took over on race day. Yeley partners with AstraZeneca for an initiative regarding the prevention of prostate cancer.
DRIVER CHANGE: #88-JR Motorsports
Connor Zilisch has healed from his back injury suffered in a final-lap crash last month in Talladega, and after Kyle Larson won in his car in Texas, seeks a victory of his own in Charlotte. Zilisch will also pull double-duty as he makes his second career Cup start in the Coca-Cola 600 (see below).
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
MISSING: #92-DGM Racing x JIM
Mario Gosselin’s team has not entered the #92 with which C.J. McLaughlin failed to qualify in Texas. McLaughlin will race, however, as he takes the place of 28th-place finisher Josh Bilicki in the team’s #91. Shopmonkey is the listed sponsor.
CUP INVADERS: #3-Austin Dillon, #17-William Byron, #19-Chase Briscoe
Sunday, May 18, 2025 (Green Flag 6:27 P.M. ET, PRIME)
CUP Race 13 of 36
Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
2024 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley
ENTRY LIST
For the first time since the season-opening Daytona 500, which had 41 starters, there will be a full field of 40 drivers on the grid for a Cup Series race.
TEAM UPDATE: #5-Hendrick Motorsports
This year – weather permitting – Kyle Larson hopes to complete “The Double” between the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Justin Allgaier practiced Larson’s car last week in North Wilkesboro, where Larson started the race in the back and ultimately finished in the Bottom Five after a late hit to the outside wall on old tires.
MISSING: #15-Rick Ware Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #51-Rick Ware Racing
After Harrison Burton’s All-Star one-off in the team’s #51, putting Rick Ware Racing into its first running of the main event, Cody Ware returns to the flagship #51 entry. Burton finished 20th of 23 starters in that race. RWR has not entered their “open” #15 with which Ware finished 16th out of 18 starters in last week’s All-Star Open.
RETURNING: #44-NY Racing Team
While J.J. Yeley has been the frequent choice for the NY Racing Team – and have even announced a new sponsor from Fanatics Sportsbook for the upcoming races at Nashville and Phoenix – the driver column showed “TBA” earlier in the week. That driver will be Derek Kraus, who last year made his first six Cup Series starts by sharing the “all-star” #16 entry, earning a season-best 25th in his most recent race at Phoenix. This will be Kraus’ first Cup start at Charlotte.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Garage 66
After Chad Finchum finished last – though on the lead lap – in last Sunday’s All-Star Open, Josh Bilicki returns to the Cup garage for his second Cup start of the season, his first since a last-place run in Bristol. Then as now, he drives for Carl Long in the Garage 66 entry, site of Long’s first successful Cup qualifying attempt in 2000, and his subsequent Sprint Showdown penalty in 2009.
RETURNING: #84-Legacy Motor Club
Alongside two other equally patriotic paint schemes for the Legacy Motor Club, Jimmie Johnson returns to make his 700th career Cup start at a track where he’s had so much success, particularly in the 600, which he’s won four times. This is Johnson’s first Cup start since he took 3rd in this year’s Daytona 500.
RETURNING: #87-Trackhouse Racing
Connor Zilisch returns to the Cup garage for the first time since COTA, where he showed impressive speed before a collision with teammate Daniel Suarez left him in last place. Zilisch again runs sponsorship from Red Bull on his #87
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 23, 1992): Scott Herberg, a Goody’s Dash Series graduate from Brick, New Jersey, picked up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in the Champion 300 at Charlotte when his #09 Luck’s Foods Pontiac crashed after 10 laps. Herberg, who also started last in the 42-car field that day, made what was his second and ultimately final series start following a 36th-place run in that year’s Daytona opener. Nevertheless, his car was commemorated in 1:64 scale diecast by Racing Champions.
