PREVIEW: Several drivers and teams return from absences to take on Talladega

PHOTO: @BeastUnleashed

by Brock Beard

LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, September 30, 2023 (1:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 21 of 23

Round of 8: Race 2 of 3

Love’s RV Stop 250 at Talladega

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Jordan Anderson

ENTRY LIST

There are 40 drivers entered for 36 spots, meaning four will fail to qualify.

DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage

While the preliminary entry list showed “TBA” for TRICON’s #1 entry, it was later announced that team co-owner David Gilliland would drive for the first time since his 14th-place showing at Charlotte earlier this year. Gilliland takes the place of William Sawalich, who finished 30th in the most recent Truck Series event at Bristol.

MISSING: #7-Spire Motorsports

In a big week that has seen the Spire team acquire Kyle Busch Motorsports for 2024, the team is nevertheless not entered this week following Carson Kvapil’s 12th-place performance in Bristol.

RETURNING: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing

Jennifer Jo Cobb makes her second attempt of the 2023 season, following her 34th-place run in her home track at Kansas. Cobb seeks her 12th series start at Talladega, where she earned a track-best 11th in 2018. Concierge Motorsports is her listed sponsor.

DRIVER CHANGE: #22-AM Racing

Jason M. White – the Canadian, not the series veteran who also ran at Daytona earlier this year – returns to attempt his 11th career Truck Series start and first since he ran 21st in the opener. He takes the place of Stephen Mallozzi, who closed out his 2023 campaign with a 32nd-place finish in his Outback Steak House entry at Bristol.

DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Rackley-W.A.R.

The last month has seen both Matt DiBenedetto’s announcement that he would not drive for Rackley-W.A.R. next season, then the team’s decision to release DiBenedetto before the year is over – putting him out of the race he won just last year. Stepping aboard is upstart Chandler Smith, who will now go double-duty on this off-weekend for the XFINITY Series.

RETURNING: #28-FDNY Racing

Jim Rosenblum’s effort with FDNY Racing is back in action with driver Bryan Dauzat, who seeks his 20th series start. Driver and team came up just short of making the opener in Daytona, and also missed the cut in their most recent attempt in Pocono.

RETURNING: #30-On Point Motorsports

After pulling off a pair of top-ten finishes during a thrilling weekend of NASCAR Euro Series action in Germany for 3 Friends Racing, Ryan Vargas is back stateside with the same Critical Path Security sponsorship, once again with On Point Motorsports. Vargas seeks his seventh Truck Series start of the year, his first since a 30th-place run in Richmond.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

After stepping away from the sport to return to his family in Alaska, Keith McGee is back with the Reaume team once more, taking the place of 33rd-place Bristol finisher Memphis Villarreal. McGee’s last series start at Charlotte resulted in his second last-place finish of the year, just days before his planned exit from the series. He now returns to the flagship #33 entry with More Core as sponsor.

NEW TEAM: #34-Front Row Motorsports

As Zane Smith continues his push toward defending his series championship, Front Row Motorsports has this week entered a second truck, a Fr8Auctions.com Ford which is itself a “throwback” to Brett Moffitt’s part-time Cup Series run for the team in 2015. Moffitt himself will also drive in what would be his first series start since Kansas last year.

MISSING: #44-Niece Motorsports

The Niece team has not entered their part-time entry after Danny Bohn failed to qualify in Bristol.

DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports

So close to victory lane here in 2021, when he a Tate Fogleman tangled as they slid across the finish line, Tyler Hill is back for more in the #56, taking the place of brother Timmy who earned 26th in Bristol. Buffalo Wild Wings joins a returning sponsor in UNITS as the team’s backer for what would be Tyler’s first start since a 29th-place showing in Milwaukee. 

MISSING: #66-ThorSport Racing

The part-time #66 entry from ThorSport is not entered this week following Conner Jones’ 15th-place finish in Bristol.

MISSING: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports

Also not making the trip this week is Justin S. Carroll, who failed to qualify last time out in Bristol.

RETURNING: #95-GK Racing

Back in action for the first time since Gateway, where the team qualified in their first attempt, only to crash out on the opening lap, Clay Greenfield and the GK Racing effort are back in action. This time, they’ve swapped manufacturers from a Toyota to a Chevrolet, though they retain sponsorship from Backyard Blues Pools.

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Young’s Motorsports

With Kaden Honeycutt set to compete in this Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series West race in Roseville following his 25th-place Truck Series effort in Bristol, the Young’s team didn’t originally have a driver listed. That has since changed as Garrett Smithley comes aboard with sponsors Trophy Tractor and Celsius, seeking Smithley’s first series start since a 36th-place finish for Al Niece on May 26, 2020.

RETURNING: #04-Roper Racing

Cory Roper returns to action in his own #04, which most recently finished last in Kansas after the team scrambled to complete repairs following Spencer Davis’ practice crash. Roper, who last ran at Pocono, taking 23rd, has just one previous Truck start at Talladega – but on that day in 2021, he finished 6th.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, October 1, 2023 (2:00 P.M. ET, NBC)

CUP Race 31 of 36

Round of 12: Race 2 of 3

YellaWood 500 at Talladega

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Ty Gibbs

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking still another short field for a 30th-straight event.

RETURNING: #13-Kaulig Racing

Chandler Smith completes a full weekend after running Trucks for Rackley-W.A.R. on Saturday, this time piloting Kaulig Racing’s part-time third entry. Smith most recently ran Cup in Daytona last month, where he finished a series-best 15th.

PAINT SCHEME: #14-Stewart-Haas Racing

PAINT SCHEME: #41-Stewart-Haas Racing

Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece will run the iconic paint schemes of characters Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton, Jr. from the 2006 film “Talladega Nights.”

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #38-Front Row Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #51-Rick Ware Racing

Brennan Poole returns to the Cup Series for the first time since Daytona in August, where he was holding the Lucky Dog spot ahead of both Denny Hamlin and Riley Herbst when the leaders wrecked in front of all three, putting Poole in last place. Poole again pilots the #15 with the same Finance Pro Plus sponsor from that night, taking the place of 32nd-place Texas finisher J.J. Yeley. Yeley will also run this week in the #51, taking the place of Todd Gilliland, 35th in Texas, who returns to his familiar #38 as Zane Smith – 24th in Texas – focuses on his Truck Series effort on Saturday.

RETURNING: #36-Front Row Motorsports

The aforementioned Riley Herbst returns to the Cup garage since that same accident also ended his night in Daytona, and this time runs a special paint scheme for another of Monster Energy’s drinks. As revealed in a fun promotional video earlier this week, Herbst trades the traditional black-and-green for a white-and-black scheme, representing Beast Unleashed White Haze.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

XFINITY Race 29 of 33

Round of 12: Race 3 of 3

Drive for the Cure 250 at Charlotte “Roval”

2022 Last-Place Finisher: Kris Wright

The XFINITY Series takes the week off and returns next week for the infield road course in Charlotte.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 29, 1985): Bobby Allison picked up the 4th last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro when his #22 Miller American Buick lost the engine after 36 laps. This marked the first time Allison finished last in a Cup race since 1977.