Ever since the playoffs began, the Craftsman Truck Series has been relatively dry in terms of big news.
Not this week.
Lots of news broke since the last time I authored this column, and most of it is important in the grand scheme of the Truck Series. So instead of picking one piece to analyze, we’re going to analyze all of it.
Some news was expected. Others, not so much. Let’s dive in.
Conner Jones Suspended for Martinsville, Johnny Sauter Filling In; Landen Lewis Replacing Sauter at Hattori
Perhaps one of the more expected pieces of news dropped on Wednesday (Oct. 30), when it was announced that part-time Rookie of the Year contender Conner Jones would be suspended for the upcoming race at Martinsville Speedway.
The suspension comes after Jones intentionally wrecked Matt Mills at Homestead-Miami Speedway after the latter blocked Jones into turn 3. After Mills slammed the turn 3 wall and caught fire, Jones angrily keyed the radio saying that the crash was a result of several run-ins throughout the year.
Mills exited his truck under his own power, but was then transported to a local hospital, where he stayed two nights before heading home Monday (Oct. 28).
After declining to talk to the media, citing he may “say something stupid,” Jones released a statement on X taking responsibility for his role in the incident.
My full thoughts on the situation can be found here. The suspension is deserved and warranted. Some believe that the penalty is too harsh, citing similar past incidents in which drivers were not suspended.
But the issue is that Jones has a history of irresponsible driving, which is what warranted the suspension. He’s been suspended from the zMAX CARS Tour before, had several run-ins in the ARCA Menards Series that drew the ire of his competitors and, this season alone, has been called to the NASCAR hauler and angered competitors on several occasions.
Sending a fellow competitor to the hospital isn’t necessarily grounds for suspension, but when you’ve caused enough trouble like Jones has, it certainly doesn’t do you any favors. For NASCAR, its patience with Jones was likely thin, and the contact with Mills was the last straw.
Hopefully this sends some sort of wake-up call to the 18-year-old that if he wants to continue racing in NASCAR, his behavior over the course of the season will not be tolerated. Otherwise, he will flame out really fast. His team, ThorSport Racing, already has another development driver in Luke Fenhaus waiting in the wings if Jones doesn’t pan out.
Johnny Sauter will replace Jones in the No. 66 at Martinsville, returning to his former longtime team for a one-off. Coincidentally, Sauter was also suspended for a race in 2019 while racing for ThorSport, after deliberately wrecking Austin Hill under caution at Iowa Speedway.
Sauter was originally slated to make his third start of the season (fourth overall) with Hattori Racing Enterprises at Martinsville. Now, with Sauter jumping to the No. 66, HRE has called upon Landen Lewis to drive the No. 16. Lewis has only made two Truck Series starts, both with Roper Racing in 2023. This will be his first Truck Series start of 2024, and he will make the race after the No. 27 of Josh Reaume withdrew, leaving 36 trucks for 36 spots.
Bret Holmes Racing Shuts Down
Bret Holmes Racing announced on Friday, Oct. 25, that it would be closing its doors for good, effective immediately. The team will not attempt the final three races of the season, and driver/team owner Bret Holmes will search for an outside ride for 2025.
It’s a shame to see. Holmes built himself a pretty good team. He won the ARCA championship in 2020 and arguably should’ve won the truck race at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022. Now he will have to find another way to remain in the Truck Series full-time without the cushion of driving for himself. He certainly has the talent to be a Truck Series driver. If he’s given the right equipment, he could be a contender.
It’s worth noting that aside from a couple signings here and there, there is still a lot left to be decided in silly season, with several ultra-competitive rides open. Perhaps someone takes a chance on Holmes in 2025? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Hettinger Racing Buys BHR’s Assets, Signs Brett Moffitt
BHR’s assets were quickly bought up by Hettinger Racing, who will attempt the final two races of the season with 2018 series champion Brett Moffitt behind the wheel. Hettinger Racing is a regular competitor in the CARS Tour with Katie Hettinger, and recently made its first ARCA start with Dawson Sutton behind the wheel.
Between the truck, ARCA and CARS Tour teams, it will be interesting to see what Hettinger Racing has in store for 2025. Team owner Chris Hettinger started the team for his daughter Katie, who is currently sitting out of racing for now while she finishes her senior year of high school. Is she in the plans for future expansion once she finishes high school? It would make the most sense.
At the same time, if the team plans to compete full-time in the Truck Series in 2025, maybe it’d be worth signing Holmes to a part-time, if not full-time, deal. After all, they are his old trucks; he knows them better than anybody. Then that would give time for Hettinger to get some more CARS Tour starts, and maybe an ARCA start here and there before she moves up to the Truck Series in 2026.
But it’s interesting (not to mention exciting) for a grassroots-level team to expand its horizons into ARCA and NASCAR, and it’ll be exciting to see what the team’s plans are moving forward.
Stefan Parsons Moving to Niece for Season Finale
Stefan Parsons will drive the No. 44 part-time entry for Niece Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway. Parsons has made 10 Truck Series starts this season, all coming with Henderson Motorsports in the No. 75. The No. 44 will be crew chiefed by Jon Leonard, who jumps ship from Holmes’ race team.
Unless a full-time ride with Niece is in the future for Parsons, hopefully it isn’t the end of his partnership with Henderson. He’s been a very satisfactory driver for the team, usually bringing the truck home in one piece. If it is the end of the partnership, it’d be a shame. But hopefully both parties land on their feet.
As for Phoenix, it’s a great opportunity for Parsons to audition for a full-time ride, of which several are currently available, for 2025. With sponsorship from Pop, it’ll be fun to see how Parsons and the part-time No. 44 does.
Layne Riggs’ Crew Chief Suspended
Jones wasn’t the only Truck Series personnel to be suspended with Homestead. Dylan Cappello, crew chief for Layne Riggs, was suspended for one race due to an improperly-weighted steering wheel. The infraction came in pre-race inspection, which forced Riggs to start in the rear. The L1 penalty also includes a 10-point deduction in both driver and owner points.
Cappello, just 28 years old, joined Front Row Motorsports as an engineer in 2022. He made team headlines late in 2023 when he won an ARCA West race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring in a one-off effort. This season, he became crew chief of the No. 38 truck and has done a very nice job, helping Riggs clinch Rookie of the Year honors several races early.
FRM performance director Johnny Roten will replace Cappello at Martinsville. Also in the penalty report was a $2,500 fine to Rajah Caruth’s crew chief Charles Walter for a loose lugnut.
Christian Eckes’ Crew Chief Promoted to Cup
Charles Denike, crew chief for Christian Eckes and the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 team, will move up to the Cup Series to become crew chief for Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 at 23XI Racing. Denike will replace Bootie Barker, who is moving up to a competition-based role at 23XI.
It’s a great opportunity for Denike, who is a proven race-winning crew chief. He and Eckes have earned seven wins in two years together, and are in the hunt (some even have them as the favorite) for the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series championship.
Now, MHR will have to find not just a new driver, but a new crew chief for its flagship truck in 2025, as Eckes is being promoted to the Xfinity Series at season’s end.
Speaking of silly season, after all that news, we’re still very in the dark on 2025 silly season. While the Cup Series silly season is almost over and Xfinity Series silly season is actively taking shape, we haven’t heard a whole lot in the way of Truck Series silly season news.
With just two more races left in 2024, that likely means the offseason is going to be rife with news. And that’s gonna be a whole lot of fun.
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter, among many other duties he takes on for the site. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight-choreographer-in-training in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.