Chase Purdy is returning to NASCAR in 2020.
The 20-year-old will run five NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races in the team’s No. 24 entry, the team announced today, June 9.
The limited schedule marks Purdy’s first Truck Series races in more than a year. He ran two events for MDM Motorsports in 2018 at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, recording a best finish of 13th at the latter track.
Purdy’s first race of 2020 is scheduled for Pocono Raceway on June 27, followed by entries at Kentucky Speedway, Kansas Speedway (both races) and Talladega Superspeedway, all with sponsorship backing from longtime sponsor Bama Buggies.
“I know I’m definitely going to need to get acclimated again,” Purdy said in a team statement. “I think I’m a bit out of practice with everything that goes into a full race weekend, especially in the Truck Series.
“My main goal is to refresh everything, watch a lot of film and stay in touch with my teammates leading up to the races. I would like to take a practice session to get warmed up and everything, if we’re allowed. If we just line up and race, I just want to settle in at first and make real adjustments as we go.”
A member of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 NASCAR Next classes, Purdy’s last full-time campaign was the 2018 ARCA Menards Series season. He finished fourth in the standings, also competing for MDM.
The No. 24 Purdy is scheduled to drive is currently split between four drivers. Cup Series driver Chase Elliott has piloted the truck for the past two races, winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and will fill the seat again this weekend at Homestead-Miami. ARCA driver Sam Mayer and World of Outlaws veteran David Gravel are also scheduled for several races in the entry.
Elliott, Mayer and Gravel are scheduled for four, five and six races in the No. 24, respectively.
Purdy’s first race is the Pocono Organics 150, scheduled for Saturday, June 27 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
About the author
Adam Cheek joined Frontstretch as a contributing writer in January 2019. A 2020 graduate of VCU, he covered sports there and later spent a year and a half as a sports host on 910 the Fan in Richmond, VA. He's freelanced for Richmond Magazine and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and also hosts the "Adam Cheek's Sports Week" podcast. Adam has followed racing since the age of three, inheriting the passion from his grandfather, who raced in amateur events up and down the East Coast in the 1950s.
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