Nick Sanchez will move up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 to drive for Big Machine Racing, the team announced Sept. 18.
Sanchez, currently in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff hunt, has previously driven the No. 48 Chevy for six races near the end of the 2022 season.
His performances then, plus a pair of wins this season in trucks, made an impression on Big Machine Racing CEO and owner Scott Borchetta.
“In 2022 we put Nick in our car for a handful of races and he was fast right out of the gate,” Borchetta said in a team release. “At Martinsville [Speedway] in particular, I watched him go full-on, elbows out, putting the car right where it needed to be, with no fear against the best-of-the-best in the series.
“Since then, he’s done a fantastic job in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and I know that he and crew chief Patrick Donahue and the entire Big Machine Racing team are going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.”
Gainbridge, Sanchez’s primary sponsor for the No. 2 Chevy from Rev Racing, will join Sanchez at Big Machine as an associate sponsor.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join Big Machine Racing with Chevrolet next year in the Xfinity Series,” Sanchez said. “I’m grateful to get the opportunity to work with Scott Borchetta, Patrick Donahue and the whole Big Machine team next year.
Sanchez will replace Parker Kligerman, who announced his retirement from full-time competition at the end of 2024 last week.
“I am so grateful to Parker Kligerman for coming to Big Machine Racing for the 2023 and 2024 seasons,” Borchetta said. “He was the perfect driver at just the right time to help us go to the next level in the Xfinity Series.”
Sanchez has two wins, eight top fives and 11 top 10s this season in the Truck Series.
Rev has not announced a replacement for him yet in the series.
James Krause joined Frontstretch in March 2024 as a contributor. Krause was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Northern Illinois University. He currently works in Fort Wayne, Indiana covering minor league, college and high school sports. Outside of racing, Krause loves to keep up with football, music, anime and video games.