Trio Of BMR Drivers Ready To Battle At Martinsville
• 17-Year-Old Jake Garcia To Debut In Camping World Truck Series
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (April 5, 2022) – McAnally-Hilgemann Racing will have a trio of drivers in competition on Thursday, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visits Martinsville Speedway for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200.
Seventeen-year-old Jake Garcia is set to make his series debut in the No. 35 Chevrolet Silverado RST at the historic half-mile track, joining with MHR regulars Derek Kraus in the No. 19 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Silverado RST and Colby Howard in the No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST.
Garcia – making the first of five series races he is slated to run this season – is a driver from Monroe, Georgia, who has honed his talent racing Super Late Models and Pro Late Models. His team at MHR will be led by crew chief Chad Norris and truck chief Mike Brill.
Garcia will have the experience of his MHR teammates to rely on at Martinsville. Kraus has made three series starts there, with a 10th-place finish as a rookie in 2020. Howard has one series start there, finishing 38th in last year’s event.
Kraus and Howard are both coming off strong performances at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas on March 26. A 12th-place finish by Kraus, coupled with bonus points he picked up with top-five finishes in each stage, boosted him to 10th in the championship standings. Howard, meanwhile, was in contention for a top-10 finish – before getting caution up in a wild scramble going into overtime.
At the track on Thursday, Gates Industrial and BBB Industries will host a special group of NAPA customers from the distribution area near Martinsville, who were selected through sales programs. The guests will receive a VIP experience – including a special tour of the NASCAR garage, a meet-and-greet with the MHR drivers, a tour the inside an MHR hauler and the chance to be on the starting grid with the team during pre-race ceremonies. In addition, two VIP guests will view the race from the MHR pit cart.
Practice/Qualifying
The format for practice and qualifying at Martinsville on Thursday will involve a 20-minute warm-up/practice session – followed by qualifying, with a single-truck, two-lap format.
Quote – Derek Kraus
““I am excited to run at a short track again. We had some bad luck there last year and are ready to get a good finish.”
Quote – Colby Howard
“I am really looking forward to Martinsville after a heartbreaking finish at COTA. Martinsville has always been a strong track for me, we just have not had the best finishing results. Hopefully we can turn our luck around.”
Quote – Jake Garcia
“I’m really excited for Martinsville. I look forward to working with everyone at MHR and racing a truck for the firs time. I hope to have a good finish and gain a lot of experience.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 (200 Laps) (Race 5 of 23) April 7, 2022
Location: Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va. (.526-mile oval)
Television: FS1 on April 7 at 8 p.m. ET
Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Career series stats: 54 starts, 2 poles, 4 top fives, 20 top 10s
Most recent series finish: 12th – COTA (3/26/22)
Best career series finish: 2nd – Darlington (9/6/20)
Martinsville stats: 3 series starts, 1 top 10 (Best finish – 10th on 10/30/20)
2022 series stats:
Races: 4 starts, 1 top 10
Laps completed: 416/421
Laps led: 1
Series standings: 10th
Colby Howard
No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Simpsonville, S.C.
Career series stats: 9 starts
Most recent series finish: 24th – COTA (3/26/22)
Best career series finish: 13th – Darlington (9/5/21)
Martinsville stats: 1 series start (Finish – 38th on 10/30/21)
2022 series stats:
Races: 4 starts
Laps completed: 308/421
Laps led: 9
Series standings: 29th
Jake Garcia
No. 35 Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 17
Hometown: Monroe, Ga.
Career series stats: Making series debut