PREVIEW: Promising young stars look to gain experience in Cup race at Kansas
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
IMAGE: Robinhood, @RobinhoodApp
Saturday, May 10, 2025 (Green Flag 7:52 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 9 of 25
Heart of America 200 at Kansas
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Ty Majeski
ENTRY LIST
There are just 31 trucks entered for 36 spots, marking the eighth straight short field since the Daytona opener, and tied with Las Vegas for the fewest starters in a Truck Series race all season.
MISSING: #20-Young’s Motorsports
Following a strong 12th-place finish on a tough night in Texas, Stefan Parsons is not entered this week, nor is the #20 entry from Randy Young.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Reaume Brothers Racing
Last fall saw ARCA part-timer Morgen Baird make his first XFINITY Series start at Atlanta, where he finished 33rd for the Joey Gase Motorsports team. This week, Baird makes his Truck Series debut in the Reaume #22, taking the place of 18th-place Texas finisher Josh Reaume.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-ThorSport Racing
Luke Baldwin returns to the Truck Series for the first time since his 22nd-place series debut in Martinsville, where he twice contended for a finish in the Top Ten. Baldwin once again takes the place of Luke Fenhaus, who finished 27th in Texas.
DRIVER CHANGE: #07-Spire Motorsports
William Byron returns to the Truck Series for the first tie since his 2nd-place finish in COTA to join Spire teammate Carson Hocevar (again in the #7) as the Cup Series invaders for Saturday’s race. Byron takes the place of Nick Sanchez, who finished 13th in last week’s Truck Series race.
CUP INVADERS: #7-Carson Hocevar, #07-William Byron
Sunday, May 11, 2025 (Green Flag 3:13 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Race 12 of 36
AdventHealth 400 at Kansas
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Jimmie Johnson
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 11th straight short field since 41 took the green in the Daytona 500.
RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #33-Richard Childress Racing
MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports
Jesse Love’s second Cup start ended with a wreck down the backstretch at Texas which left him in 31st, matching his Bristol debut. This week, Love returns to the Richard Childress Racing team to make his third start, bringing his C4 Energy sponsorship to the part-time #33 Chevrolet on an off-week for the XFINITY Series. Love will also drive this car at Richmond in August.
MISSING: #66-Garage 66
Carl Long’s team will not make the trip to Texas after Chad Finchum was swept up in a massive pileup in Turn 3, leaving him 37th in the field of 38.
RETURNING: #67-23XI Racing
Last year, Corey Heim made his second Cup Series start at Kansas as a relief driver for an injured Erik Jones, who was recuperating from a hard wreck at Talladega. This week, Heim pulls double-duty with the Truck Series in a part-time fourth 23XI Racing entry, his first since a 29th-place finish at Nashville last summer, his most recent Cup start. This time, Robinhood is the sponsor of the #67, kicking off a two-race deal that concludes in Chicago in two months, and extends to Bubba Wallace’s #23 in Bristol and Las Vegas in the fall.
Saturday, May 24, 2025
XFINITY Race 13 of 33
BetMGM 300 at Charlotte
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Riley Herbst
The XFINITY Series returns in two weeks for Memorial Day Weekend in Charlotte.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 9, 1998): Doug George picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career in the NAPACARD 200 at the Evergreen (Washington) Speedway when his #26 Auto Trim Design Network Ford, fielded by the late Mike Mittler, lost the engine after 84 laps. George’s best finish in 56 series starts was a 5th at Sears Point on October 5, 1996.
