PREVIEW: Trey Hutchens, some XFINITY drivers, and Hill Motorsports’ second entry among those returning to action at Kansas

IMAGE: @J23app

Saturday, May 14, 2022 (8:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 8 of 23

Heart of America 200 at Kansas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Ryan Reed

ENTRY LIST

Saturday’s Truck Series race will see just 35 drivers entered for the 36-truck field, the first short field of the 2022 season, and the first prior to the pandemic’s cancellation of qualifying since August 25, 2019 at Mosport, when 29 took the green in a field open to 32. As of this writing, no team has arrived to fill the field.

RETURNING: #5-Hill Motorsports

For only the second time in the team’s history, Hill Motorsports will enter their new second entry, the #5, and this time Tyler Hill is assured to start following a DNQ in COTA. No sponsor is yet listed for Tyler’s Toyota as he joins brother Timmy in the #56 Capillus / Hair Club Toyota.

RETURNING: #14-Trey Hutchens Racing

Welcome back Trey Hutchens, who along with his underfunded effort have not started a Truck Series race since last summer at Nashville, where he finished 33rd. Two races prior, Hutchens was involved in a violent accident at Charlotte where NASCAR failed to throw a caution for his slowing truck, leading to Johnny Sauter colliding with him. Hutchens returns to where he failed to qualify last year with Quality Roof Seamers again backing his Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-David Gilliland Racing

An off-weekend for the XFINITY Series sees a couple of that division’s regulars take a turn in the Trucks. First of these is Riley Herbst, who like Ryan Preece before him at Darlington takes advantage of the partnership between David Gilliland’s Truck team and Stewart-Haas Racing. Herbst brings his Monster Energy sponsorship to the #17 for his first Truck start since this year’s Daytona opener, where he ran 12th.

DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Young's Motorsports

Also among the XFINITY regulars is Matt Mills, who for the third time this year and first time since Atlanta brings his J.F. Electric sponsorship to Randy Young’s #20 team. This time, Mills takes the place of Danny Bohn, who finished 22nd in Darlington. Mills made his Cup debut at this same Kansas track last spring, driving the #55 for his XFINITY team owner B.J. McLeod.

MISSING: #41-Niece Motorsports

Ross Chastain is not entered in Al Niece’s part-time fifth team after leading 46 laps in Darlington before slipping to 26th at the finish.

DRIVER CHANGE: #43-Reaume Brothers Racing

With Matt Crafton’s disqualification at Darlington undone earlier today, Akinori Ogata inherited his first last-place finish. Ogata will not run the #43 this week as still another XFINITY driver in Jesse Iwuji returns with his Equity Prime Mortgage sponsorship. This will be Iwuji’s first Truck Series start of the year – his most recent came last fall at Martinsville, when he ran 33rd for Josh Reaume in the flagship #33. Reaume is expected to run the #33 this weekend as Iwuji’s teammate.

DRIVER CHANGE: #46-G2G Racing

The preliminary entry list had no driver listed to run the #46 G2G Staff Toyota, which struggled with electrical gremlins during Brennan Poole’s run last week in Darlington. By Thursday, that has switched to Ryan Huff, who returns to the series for his third career start and first since a two-race effort in 2020. His debut came at this same Kansas track, where he ran a career-best 19th in Josh Reaume’s #00.

MISSING: #62-Halmar Racing

Todd Bodine is not entered following a strong 10th-place finish in Darlington and will return next week at Texas during the support race for All-Star weekend.

MISSING: #75-Henderson Racing

Parker Kligerman is not entered following another strong 6th-place finish under the lights at Darlington.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, May 15, 2022 (3:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

CUP Race 13 of 36

Advent Health 400 at Kansas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Bilicki

ENTRY LIST

Kansas marks the 12th short field in 13 races this season, and the third in a row with only the 36 Chartered entries.

NEW SPONSOR: #6-RFK Racing

Brad Keselowski welcomes new sponsorship from Kings Hawaiian bread, specifically promoting the brand's Pretzel Slider Buns.

DRIVER CHANGE: #16-Kaulig Racing

Another XFINITY regular joining the action in Kansas is Noah Gragson, who will make his fifth Cup start of the season and third for Matthew Kaulig, with whom he most recently ran 27th in the dirt race at Bristol. Gragson takes the place of Daniel Hemric, whose sick engine left him 31st in Darlington.

PAINT SCHEME: #45-23XI Racing

Kurt Busch runs a car with the iconic "Black Cement" elephant print with the Michael Jordan brand on his Toyota.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

The only other driver change on the entry list is the return of Josh Bilicki for his 7th start of the season and first since Dover, where he struggled in a 32nd-place finish. Taking the place of Landon Cassill, who ran 22nd in Darlington, Bilicki carries a new paint scheme representing the Ukranian American Coordinating Council (UACC).

Saturday, May 21, 2022

XFINITY Race 12 of 33

SRS Distribution 250 at Texas

2021 Last-Place Finisher: Bayley Currey

The XFINITY Series takes the week off and returns the week after as part of the All-Star weekend in Texas.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 12, 2001): Larry Gunselman picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career when his #63 Waterloo Tool Storage Chevrolet overheated after 11 laps of the Darlington 200 at Darlington.