Spade Racing

Spade Racing 2025 Trucks Preview: Nascar Wrestles with its Future

1. Cup Regular Season Preview

2. Cup Team Rankings & Grades

3. TV/Streaming Preview

4. Truck Season Preview

5. Xfinity Season Preview

So as usual, the Truck Series is the one with the least amount of confirmed rides for the upcoming season. Some are virtually guaranteed (Matt Crafton at ThorSport) and some are virtually unknown (Young’s Motorsports). So let's do what a pro wrestling company would do and throw them into huge stables then!

*—unconfirmed

THE FIVE HORSEMEN: Main venters who can (and will) compete for the championship. Stability, experience, and strong teams surrounding them. But with only four slots in the championship race, could there be dissension in the ranks?

1. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota: Corey Heim

2. *98 ThorSport Racing Ford: Ty Majeski

3. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevy: Grant Enfinger

4. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevy: Tyler Ankrum

5. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford: Ben Rhodes

D-GENERATION NOW: The young lions of the series, from rookies to sophomores, who could find themselves in Cup rides by the end of the decade. But how will they stack up against the Truck Series’ wily veterans?

6. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Layne Riggs

7. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevy: Rajah Caruth

8. 17 TRICON Garage Toyota: Gio Ruggiero

9. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevy: Jack Wood

10. *13 ThorSport Racing Ford: Jake Garcia

THE REALLY NEW WORLD ORDER: Four drivers with talent at successful teams with strong sponsorship. But how long will it take them to adjust to their new surroundings?

11. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Chandler Smith

12. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevy: Daniel Hemric

13. 81 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevy: Connor Mosack

14. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy: Andres Perez de Lara

THE DUNGEON OF VETS: The Truck Series is known for having some drivers make their entire careers there. But have some of these drivers overstayed their welcome?

15. *88 ThorSport Racing Ford: Matt Crafton

16. 15 TRICON Garage Toyota: Tanner Gray

17. *77 Spire Motorsports Chevy: Chase Purdy

18. *56 Hill Motorsports Toyota: Timmy Hill

MAIN EVENT MEDIA MAFIA: They’re well-known. They’re crossover stars. They’re big online. But can they success on-track in a full-schedule?

19. 33 Reaume Brothers Ford: Frankie Muniz

20. 5 TRICON Garage Toyota: Toni Breidinger

21. 26 RackleyWAR Chevy: Dawson Sutton (famous for having ridded the series of Ty Dillon, who ridded the series of Matt DiBennedetto).

THE NIECE-URAL BORN THRILLERS: One of the Truck Series’ stalwart teams, but can they turn quantity into quality?

22. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevy: Christian Rose

23. *41 Niece Motorsports Chevy: Bayley Currey

24. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevy: Matt Mills

25. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevy: Kaden Honeycutt

THE ONE MAN THREE MAN BAND: Three guys whose teams are based around them, owned by them, and exist for them. Can they pull off an upset win to sneak into the playoffs?

26. *52 Halmar Racing Ford: Stewart Friesen

27. 76 Freedom Racing Enterprises Chevy: Spencer Boyd

28. *32 Bret Holmes Racing Chevy: Bret Holmes

THE MASKED MULTIPLE DRIVERS: Some teams will be running with a number of drivers this year (the Young’s Motorsports *02, the TRICON 1, the Reaume Bros. 2 and 22, Spire’s 7, and the ThorSport *66). But will they be able to adjust to different drivers’ styles and talent levels?

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

Visit the store https://www.cafepress.com/spaderacing

Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized

Does this track have lights?

A MOXOC Media production

www.moxoc.com

Race Picks (the last season?), Uncle Max vs. The Points Leader: DAYTONA

And we’re back from the offseason. Sorry I can’t be more excited about things, but it was a ROUGH winter. My car broke down repeatedly, my job had mass layoffs that I barely survived, and I had yet another relationship fizzle out right around the conference championship weekend. But not all is lost.

2025 Schedule Matrix--click to enlarge

That’s because I might (might!) be up for a big promotion at work. The store manager position is open, and I’ve been given the opportunity to interview for the spot. I’ve always wanted to be a store manager, and having the job permanently would mean more work but much more pay. So not to put the cart before the horse, but if I do get this promotion, this could be my last year making picks.

Anyways, onto the picks—as always, I pick for all points-paying Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series races. In Cup races I compete against the points leader to see who can win more, me or, um, sustained success. And as always, my “Dark Horse” pick is a driver and/or team no one would expect to win.

TRUCK SERIES Fresh From Florida 250 (7:30pm ET on FS1) CHANDLER SMITH—a new series, a new home, a new success (for about a year).

XFINITY SERIES United Rentals 300 (5pm ET on The CW) RYAN TRUEX—someone has to post a mild upset this weekend, why not Ryan Truex not Jr?

CUP SERIES Daytona 500 (2:30pm ET on Fox) Points Leader picks JOEY LOGANO (last year’s champion). Favorite: ROSS CHASTAIN—do melons keep well over the offseason? We’ll find out. Next Favorite: AUSTIN CINDRIC—being a two-time Daytona 500 is nothing to sneeze at, even if you do occasionally wear a bow-tie. Dark Horse: BUBBA WALLACE—he cries, fans cry, Nascar leadership cries, and I have a snack before bed.