PREVIEW: XFINITY Series upstarts look to earn their stripes in Cup at Kansas
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
The new look for Zane Smiths #71 in the Cup Series. (IMAGE: Trackhouse Racing, @TeamTrackhouse)
LASTCAR TRACKSIDE COVERAGE
For the first time in 2024, I will be working trackside at a NASCAR weekend, covering the ARCA, Truck Series, and Cup Series action at Kansas. Be sure to follow me on Twitter / X at @LASTCARonBROCK for updates through the weekend!
Saturday, May 4, 2024 (8:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 8 of 23
Heart of America 200 at Kansas
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Tim Veins
ENTRY LIST
The Truck Series returns to action for the first time since Texas with 33 drivers entered for 36 spots, so all will qualify. This marks the sixth short field in 2024 and fourth in a row, and will be the shortest Truck Series field since Las Vegas in March, which saw a season-low 32 entries.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Brett Moffitt returns to the Truck Series for the first time since his stunning victory at Talladega last fall, when he drove a second Ford for Front Row Motorsports. This week, he makes only his fourth series start since 2022, and his third of those four with Concrete Supply as sponsorship. This time, he drives the “all star” #1 entry at TRICON, taking the place of 30th-place Texas finisher Kris Wright. Moffitt won this race in 2020, when he drove for GMS Racing.
DRIVER CHANGE: #7-Spire Motorsports
Taking the place of Texas winner Kyle Busch is Connor Mosack, who returns to the series for the first time since his career-best 19th-place finish for Niece Motorsports at Las Vegas earlier this year. This time, he drives Spire Motorsports’ flagship #7 with the Pinnacle Racing Group as sponsor.
RETURNING: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing
Back in action at her home track is series veteran Jennifer Jo Cobb, her first attempt since she failed to qualify for this year’s Daytona opener. Cobb made her most recent series start in this race last year, where she finished 34th of 36 starters, still under power but nine laps down. This will be her 18th Truck Series start in Kansas.
MISSING: #20-Young’s Motorsports
Not among this week’s entrants is the second part-time entry from Randy Young’s team, which was collected in Thad Moffitt’s bizarre Lap 2 accident in Texas with Memphis Villarreal driving. This completed a difficult three-race stint for the #20 team where the truck failed to finish all three times, never finishing better than 33rd.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Reaume Brothers Racing
After a two-race stint with start-up team Floridian Motorsports, Mason Maggio teams up with the Reaume Brothers in the #22, carrying sponsorship from Professional AG Services, Inc. Maggio takes the place of Keith McGee, the 28th-place finisher in Texas, in what will be his 13th series start. Maggio finished 35th and 32nd in the last two Truck Series races at Kansas.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports
After a strong performance in only his second career XFINITY Series start last Saturday in Dover, Kaden Honeycutt returns to the Truck Series for a fourth time in 2024 and the 24th time in his career. Unlike the struggling #20 team, Honeycutt has finished no worse than 12th in his three starts this year, capped by his 6th in Atlanta. As in the other three, Honeycutt drives Al Niece’s #45 entry, this time taking the place of 17th-place Texas finisher Johnny Sauter.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-ThorSport Racing
Cam Waters was enthusiastic over his series debut at Martinsville, even after a late-race tangle with ThorSport teammate Jake Garcia left him with a ruptured radiator. Waters does indeed follow through with his once-rumored second start in Kansas, taking the place of 18th-place Texas finisher Conner Jones.
MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports
Stefan Parsons is not among this week’s entrants in the Charlie Henderson team that claimed 9th in Texas – already Parsons’ second top-ten finish in just four starts this year.
CUP INVADERS: #91-Zane Smith
Sunday, May 5, 2024 (3:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Race 12 of 36
Advent Health 400 at Kansas
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Christopher Bell
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots for this week’s Cup Series race, marking the eleventh straight short field in 2024.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing
After a difficult weekend in Dover where a hard crash sent him to a backup car, 29th-place finisher Kaz Grala is again out of the #15 this week, though he will return next week in Darlington. In his place comes Riley Herbst, who returns to the Cup garage for the first time since his 24th-place finish in this year’s Daytona 500. His #15 will again be sponsored by Monster Energy, but this time the brand’s Zero Sugar variety.
DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing
Taking the place of 13th-place Dover finisher A.J. Allmendinger is a returning Derek Kraus, who we last saw finish next-to-last at Phoenix after a late-race crash. This time, Kraus is sponsored by projectwyoming.com - a business park development ironically built in Wisconsin - promoted by Front Row Motorsports sponsor Ruedebusch Development & Construction.
RETURNING: #33-Richard Childress Racing
With the XFINITY Series off for the week, series standout Austin Hill is back in Cup for the first time since his disappointing last-place finish in Texas. Similar to Zane Smith’s #71 at Spire Motorsports, his #33 this time carries added orange accents. This will be Hill’s first Cup start at Kansas, though he has finished no worse than 12th in three XFINITY starts here with a best of two 5th-place showings.
TEAM UPDATE: #43-Legacy Motor Club
Corey Heim will again drive in place of Erik Jones, but Jones has just announced his intention to return to the driver’s seat next Sunday in Darlington, where he’s won two Southern 500s.
Saturday, May 11, 2024
XFINITY Race 11 of 33
Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Riley Herbst
The XFINITY Series now takes the week off and returns to action during “throwback weekend” at Darlington.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 3, 1997): Rick McCray picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career when his #02 McCray Racing Chevrolet lost the engine after 29 laps of the Craftsman 200 at the Portland Speedway. It was McCray’s first start of the season and the third of his 26 career starts.
