On April 7, the racing world was shattered upon finding out the news that Shigeaki Hattori, an Indy NXT winner, NTT IndyCar Series and Craftsman Truck Series driver, and team owner in multiple levels of stock car racing, was killed in an automobile accident on the evening of April 6.
Hattori was just 61 years old.
— Hattori Racing (@Hattori_Racing) April 7, 2025
While the Okayama, Japan native found varying levels of success in open-wheel racing, his bread and butter was in the Truck Series — not as a driver, but as an owner.
Before going full-time, Hattori’s team made a few one-off attempts under the Hattori Racing Enterprises banner, starting with Brett Moffitt in 2013.
Moffitt already had a relationship with HRE, running full time in the K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA Menards Series East) with the team, narrowly losing the championship after a last-lap crash in 2012.
Moffitt finished 17th in the team’s Truck Series debut at Michigan International Speedway in 2013 — though it was far from the last time Moffitt would pair with the team. The team returned to the series and attempted three races in 2015, with Ross Chastain for one race and Ross Kenseth (son of Matt Kenseth) for two.
However, the team only made one of those races — the first of Kenseth’s two attempts.
The race at Martinsville Speedway was Kenseth’s Truck Series debut, coming in a season that included an ARCA win at Michigan and an impressive sixth-place finish in his debut Xfinity Series start with Joe Gibbs Racing at Chicagoland Speedway. Even with HRE’s limited resources, Kenseth was able to bring his No. 18 truck home a respectable 17th. Unfortunately, Kenseth only made one more NASCAR start, which came two races later in the Xfinity race at Phoenix Raceway — also with HRE.
It wasn’t until 2016 that ‘Shige’ decided to give more attention to running more (if not all) Truck Series races. He tapped Ryan Truex, younger brother of Martin Truex Jr., to pilot the No. 81 truck for what was supposed to be a full-time season in 2016. The partnership almost started out with an upset win at Daytona International Speedway — Truex led coming to the white flag, but a crash caused his lane to fall apart, allowing Johnny Sauter to edge past Truex as the caution came out to snatch the win.
Sponsorship caused Truex to only run a part-time schedule, but he returned for a true full-time schedule in 2017 with HRE in the renumbered No. 16. Though Truex and HRE never found victory lane together before his release at season’s end, he did manage two poles and laid a solid foundation for the team going forward.
In 2018, the team brought back Moffitt for a full season — however, much like Truex (and much of the team’s Truck Series tenure), funding was the big issue. Looking to build on what Truex had started with the team, just making the playoffs and maybe notching a win or two would’ve probably been considered a great second full-time season. Especially for a small team with very limited resources.
Moffitt and Hattori couldn’t have possibly known what was in store for them.
Moffitt reeled off six wins, including back-to-back wins to close out the season. Those two wins might be the most important wins in Moffitt’s career, but they were definitely the most important in Hattori’s career — those two wins in particular helped secure Moffitt and HRE the 2018 championship.
This was by far the summit for Hattori, then 55 years old at the time. With limited resources and employees, the little team that could became the little team that did — and ‘Shige’ became forever immortalized as a championship owner, perhaps his greatest legacy.
Hattori and the team never reached the crest again, but still found success in the years following. Moffitt was released from the team after sponsorship woes crept up again in the offseason, leaving the defending champion without a ride for 2019.
Replacing him was rookie Austin Hill, a relative unknown. However, through Hattori, Hill became a known name in NASCAR.
In his first race with Hattori at Daytona, Hill did what Truex barely missed out on several years prior: he won in his first race with the team. Over the next three seasons, Hill put up eight wins with Hattori at all kinds of racetracks — from the high banks of Daytona to the dirt of Knoxville Raceway and the road course of Watkins Glen.
Hattori was so high on Hill that he decided to give him his first few chances in the Xfinity Series, opening an Xfinity team just to give Hill opportunities in the second-tier level. That led to Hill getting a full-time opportunity with Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity program in 2022, where he still competes today.
Hill reminisced on his time with Hattori on X shortly after word spread of Hattori’s death.
We have a lot of great memories together and I am proud to say I was able to race for him. They didn’t make them like Shige. He was one of a kind and someone that will be deeply missed. To all of his friends and family I am thinking of all you today. Rest easy my friend. pic.twitter.com/KViF4EHu6H
— Austin Hill (@_AustinHill) April 7, 2025
After Hill’s departure, Hattori brought in Tyler Ankrum to drive the No. 16 — but after the success he had with one truck, plus the sponsorship Ankrum brought with LiUNA!, Hattori decided a second full-time truck was feasible, signing Chase Purdy (who also brought sponsorship in Bama Buggies) as the driver of the new No. 61 truck.
Unfortunately, the trouble began there.
Due to lack of owner points, Purdy failed to qualify for the season opener at Daytona, and neither truck could find victory lane. In the offseason before 2023, Purdy left for Kyle Busch Motorsports, after which Hattori decided to scale back to one full-time truck and leave a second one for part-time funded drivers. Ankrum remained behind the wheel of the No. 16, but saw a decrease in performance from 2022 — though he was able to win an ARCA race with HRE at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the final win for Hattori and HRE.
The No. 61 truck only saw action in eight races — two with Cup Series driver Christopher Bell, five with 2022 ARCA West champion Jake Drew and one with ARCA driver Sean Hingorani. Of the three, Bell earned the truck’s best finish of fourth at Pocono Raceway, though Drew was able to score a top 10 at Kansas Speedway as well.
Ankrum left the team entering 2024, joining McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, leaving Hattori with no full-time driver and back to square one in funding. As such, Hattori decided he would field just one part-time truck in 2024. HRE only made it to the track four times — its first race at North Wilkesboro Speedway with Aric Almirola ended in a DNQ due to rain, but it was able to make three other starts — two with Sauter and one with Landen Lewis, with Sauter earning a best finish of 23rd at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The team had not announced plans for 2025, and now with the captain of the ship tragically gone suddenly, who knows if there will be any future plans for HRE.
However, he will be riding aboard at least a few trucks this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, as MHR’s four trucks will run a tribute sticker to Hattori.
For our good friend Shige. pic.twitter.com/BhVCs2XbDd
— Bill McAnally Racing (@BMR_NASCAR) April 9, 2025
It’s no secret that Hattori left his mark.
His time as a Truck Series owner may have been brief, but he made the absolute most of it. With Moffitt, he and his group of Davids were able to take down all the Goliaths in 2018. Something nobody can ever take away.
His death is a tragic one — he was a racer at heart, and both open wheel and stock car teams and drivers have poured out their condolences. But he will not soon be forgotten — hell, he won’t ever be forgotten. The 2018 championship will forever be remembered in history, immortalizing Hattori as a championship owner.
We may never see that type of upset again (especially with this playoff system), and that’s why he will be remembered forever.
But most importantly, he was beloved by all who had the chance to know him. Hattori moved to the United States with a dream — it may not have unfolded the most traditional way, and it wasn’t as a driver, but he achieved that dream — something many are still chasing.
Rest in peace, Shige.
Truckin’ Tidbits
- Call Before You Dig, along with Manafort Brothers Incorporated and CWPM Waste Removal & Recycling Services, will sponsor Toni Breidinger and the TRICON Garage No. 5 team in the Truck Series’ inaugural race at Lime Rock Park on June 28.
- Speaking of TRICON, the No. 1 will be driven by Brandon Jones at Bristol, and will be sponsored by the University of Arkansas College of Engineering.
- Ankrum and Ullico will again unite for a two-race deal. Its first race aboard Ankrum’s No. 18 will be Friday at Bristol, and will again adorn Ankrum’s truck at Nashville Superspeedway on May 30.
- Bare Knuckle Boxing has entered a five-race partnership with Layne Riggs. The first race for the duo will be at Rockingham Speedway on April 18, though the other four races have not been announced.
- Matt Mills will be sponsored by Utilitra in three races this season, beginning Friday at Bristol. The other two races for Mills’ bright pink No. 42 will be at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Watkins Glen.
- Chandler Smith also joined the “new sponsor” list, as he will represent Rural King at IRP on July 25.
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. He has also assisted with short track content and social media, among other duties he takes/has taken on for the site. In 2025, he became an official member of the National Motorsports Press Association. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight coordinator in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.