by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Saturday, February 22, 2025 (Green Flag 1:52 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 2 of 25

FR8 208 at Atlanta

2024 Last-Place Finisher: Layne Riggs

ENTRY LIST

There are 32 drivers entered for 36 spots, so all will qualify. This marks the first field of just 32 entries since June 1, 2024 at Gateway, and the first short field in the Truck Series since November 8, 2024 at Phoenix.

DRIVER CHANGE: #2-Reaume Brothers Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #22-Reaume Brothers Racing

Keith McGee was scheduled to make his first Truck Series start of the year in Josh Reaume’s #22, but will instead move to Reaume’s #2 in place of Josh, 18th last week, who will instead take the place of 8th-place Daytona finisher Jason M. White in the #22.

MISSING: #4-Hettinger Racing

The significant decrease in the number of entries sees no fewer than six teams entered in Daytona not making the trip to Atlanta. First among these is the Hettinger team with which Mason Maggio finished 15th last week. Maggio is still competing this weekend in the XFINITY race for Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen (see below).

MISSING: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Also not making the trip is Norm Benning, who despite a 15th-place finish after making up a lap from a pit road penalty was disappointed that he didn’t contend for the win. Benning’s current plans are to return to action next month in Martinsville.

DRIVER CHANGE: #7-Spire Motorsports

Kyle Busch begins his five-race stint of laughably outmatching the rest of the Truck Series field in Atlanta, returning to the race he won for a seventh time in his career and, on the Cup side the following day, came closer than he did all season to winning a Cup Series race. He takes the place of fellow Cup Series regular Justin Haley, who finished 5th last Friday.

MISSING: #28-FDNY Racing

Bryan Dauzat is not entered after mechanical issues in qualifying prevented the #28 from attempting to make last Friday’s field.

MISSING: #56-Hill Motorsports

In a surprising update, Timmy Hill’s #56 team is not entered following an 11th-place finish in the Daytona opener. This marks the first race missed by the Hill Motorsports team since last fall at Talladega, where Timmy failed to qualify, and the first the team has skipped outright since April 1, 2023 at Texas. However, this same week revealed Hill Motorsports will enter Timmy in eight ARCA East races, starting with next month’s race at Five Flags.

WITHDREW: #63-Akinori Performance

This week was supposed to mark the debut of Akinori Ogata’s own team, campaigning the #63 with sponsorship from Kyowa Industrial and YKK AP. However, Ogata has since withdrawn the entry to further prepare the truck. The site of their next attempt is still to be announced.

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-ThorSport Racing

Welcome back Luke Fenhaus, who finished a career-best 7th in his third and most recent start series start at IRP last summer. He again drives ThorSport’s #66 on a part-time effort this season, this time taking the place of 17th-place finisher Johnny Sauter.

MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

Parker Kligerman made sure to keep the checkered flag from Daytona, where his dramatic victory was stripped from him in post-race inspection. While both he and the Henderson team felt confident in their chances on appeal, they lost on Wednesday, making the penalty official. The Henderson team will return to competition later this year, running at least another nine starts.

MISSING: #95-GK Racing

Clay Greenfield is not entered after a mid-race wreck off Turn 4 wrecked his Chevrolet, leaving him 33rd.

CUP INVADERS: #7-Kyle Busch, #07-Michael McDowell

Saturday, February 22, 2025 (Green Flag 5:10 P.M. ET, CW)

XFINITY Race 2 of 33

Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 at Atlanta

2024 Last-Place Finisher: Jordan Anderson

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers for 38 spots, so all will qualify.

DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing

Aric Almirola returns to the XFINITY Series grid for the first time since his 3rd-place finish last fall at Phoenix, this time taking the place of 25th-place Daytona finisher Justin Bonsignore in JGR’s new “all-star” entry for 2025. Younglife Toyota is the listed sponsor.

MISSING: #24-Sam Hunt Racing

The second SHR entry is not among this week’s entrants one week after Ryan Truex finished 17th.

MISSING: #29-RSS Racing

The Sieg effort has not fielded the #29 entry with which J.J. Yeley failed to qualify in Daytona.

MISSING: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing

Also not entered this week is Jordan Anderson’s #32, which at Daytona was a former Germain Racing chassis with which Anderson finished 7th last week.

DRIVER SWAP: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen

DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen

With the Hettinger #4 Truck team not entered in Saturday’s race, Mason Maggio takes the wheel of Joey Gase’s #53 for his first race in this series since he came home 22nd last fall in Martinsville. This moves Gase to the #35 in place of Greg Van Alst, who finished 26th last Saturday.

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing

Mason Massey is back in a XFINITY Series car for the first time since last summer at Pocono, when he finished 29th for Bobby Dotter. This time, he’s with Alpha Prime’s team, taking the place of 13th-place Daytona finisher Caesar Bacarella.

DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing

Nick Leitz also makes his series return – his first XFINITY race since last fall at Homestead, when he finished 37th for DGM Racing. This time, he takes the place of 10th-place Daytona finisher Patrick Emerling and carries sponsorship from PNR Ammunition Chevrolet.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, February 23, 2025 (Green Flag 3:19 P.M. ET, FOX)

CUP Race 2 of 36

Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta

2024 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Williams

ENTRY LIST

There are 39 drivers entered for 40 spots, meaning all will qualify. This marks the first short field of the 2025 season.

MISSING: #40-JR Motorsports

MISSING: #56-TRICON Garage

MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports

MISSING: #66-Garage 66

MISSING: #84-Legacy Motor Club

MISSING: #91-Trackhouse Racing / “Project 91”

Six of the nine “open” teams that attempted the Daytona 500 are not making the trip to Atlanta this weekend. This includes JR Motorsports’ #40 with which Justin Allgaier finished 9th and the 3rd-place finishing Jimmie Johnson, who sits eighth in the Playoff standings after a sterling performance. Johnson is expected to return at the Coca-Cola 600 to attempt his 700th series start. Also missing is TRICON Garage’s #56 for 38th-place finisher Martin Truex, Jr., who may run races later this year. The DNQs of Beard Motorsports and Garage 66 are also not entered, though drivers Anthony Alfredo and Chandler Smith will each compete on Saturday.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (February 21, 2009): Lance Hooper picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career when his #44 Key Motorsports Chevrolet had a vibration after 2 laps of the San Bernardino County 200 at Fontana. Hooper made his 80th and final Truck Series start later that season.