The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series hits the high banks at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday (Oct. 17) at the frustratingly early time of 4 p.m. ET.
There will be 36 trucks vying for victory — and all 36 will have a shot, believe me.
But there’s one driver making a surprise return to the series. No, it’s not Ryan Reed again, like last year.
Talladega will mark the first Truck Series start for Bret Holmes since he made the difficult decision to sell his self-owned team to Hettinger Racing just before the 2024 season ended.
While his equipment was always limited due to the funding he had, he’ll have great equipment this time around, as he will be driving the No. 1 truck for TRICON Garage.
It’s a great opportunity for Holmes for multiple reasons — the equipment he’s driving will give him his best chance to win, and perhaps serve as an audition for an expanded schedule next season, be it with TRICON or another team who needs a driver (just saying, Kaulig Racing, for example, still hasn’t announced any drivers).
Beyond that, Talladega is Holmes’ home track.
Holmes grew up in Munford, Ala., about a 20-minute drive from the speedway. So not only is competing there a big deal for Holmes, but could you imagine what the celebration would be like if he wins there?
Well, we had a taste of that back in 2022, when Holmes won his first career Truck Series race at Talladega. And then he didn’t.
Holmes crossed the line first at the checkered flag in that race, but it was determined that NASCAR, as it likes to do so frustratingly often, threw the caution for a crash within a half-mile of the finish, causing the field to be frozen, which gave Matt DiBenedetto his first career Truck Series victory instead. Holmes, meanwhile, went from his first career win at his home track to a disappointing third-place finish.
“I don’t know whether to cry or be happy, we had a good run,” Holmes said after the race.
While he may not say it himself, there’s an argument to be made that Holmes was unfairly stripped of the win that day because of NASCAR’s inability to let a race run green all the way to the line before throwing a caution mere seconds later.
Let’s be real, what help could possibly get to the drivers involved in a crash in the three seconds that the field would be slowing? And how slow could the drivers behind the wreck actually get in three seconds?
That’s made it feel like every Truck Series race since 2022 is a revenge race for Holmes. He immediately becomes one to watch when the Truck Series arrives in Talladega, for more than just the “hometown hero” storyline or the “if you’re in it, you can win it” trope we hear so often at superspeedway races..
Kudos to TRICON as well for giving Holmes the opportunity to just compete at his home track — well, really, it seems like Holmes has Lawless Alan to thank, as TRICON’s No. 1 was set to have just a four-driver lineup this season before Alan seemingly left Toyota altogether, leaving a few vacancies in the No. 1 roster to close out the season.
Trevor Bayne drove the truck at Darlington Raceway, where he finished fifth.
Either way, TRICON gave Holmes an opportunity to compete at his home track when an opportunity seemed like it would never present itself. When the month of October started, the idea of Holmes competing at all this season seemed like an improbability.
Now, the 2020 ARCA Menards Series champion now has another chance to not only avenge himself of the win that was stripped from him in 2022, but to give his family and friends another chance to see him race.
And with the equipment that TRICON has, who knows? Maybe Friday’s race will serve as a catalyst to get Holmes back into the series on a part-time, or perhaps even full-time basis.
Holmes and the rest of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field will take the green flag at Talladega Superspeedway at approximately 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17 on FOX (check your local listings).
Follow @AnthonyDamcott on X.
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.