NASCAR made its season debut last weekend with the Craftsman Truck Series taking the track first up at Daytona. Despite the Daytona Duels, the first official race of the weekend proved to be very entertaining. Featuring names such as Tony Stewart, Carson Hocevar, and many others, a full-time name would prevail. That man was Chandler Smith of the No. 38.
All three NASCAR Series will now pivot to Georgia, where EchoPark Speedway hosts Race Weekend No. 2 of the season. The Truck Series has a list of drivers who will be dropping down to run double duty on the weekend. Some are familiar, while others are new names, but all will surely keep it competitive and entertaining.
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Part-Time Truck Entries for the FR8 208 at EchoPark Speedway
No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota — Corey Heim
The 2025 Champion will make its part-time debut back in a TRICON Garage truck. As Kaden Honeycutt runs Heim’s old No. 11, the team will put Heim in a 2nd truck. He expects to be among the favorites leading into the race weekend.
No. 5 TRICON Garage Toyota — Adam Andretti
TRICON Garage expands their efforts this week with the No. 5 making its team debut. Adam Andretti will take the wheel, a familiar surname to many. The 46-year-old is a member of the Andretti racing family. He has a unique racing background that includes open-wheel racing in the Indy Series and, most recently, Super Truck Racing. He has also run a few races in the 2010’s across the ARCA West Series and NASCAR Canada.
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Andretti has mostly been absent recently, but Andretti will take a stab at EchoPark Speedway. He will not be expected to, especially. The reasoning for Andretti’s entry appears to be his association with sponsor, TopLiner.
No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet — Kyle Busch
Feb 24, 2024; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Driver Kyle Busch celebrates in victory lane after winning the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports© David Yeazell-Imagn Images
(© David Yeazell-Imagn Images)
Busch is no stranger to running in the Truck Series. Busch has run exactly five Truck Series races in each of the last seven seasons. He has run no less than four races over the past decade. Busch recorded one win in 2025 and has 67 wins over 180 Truck Series starts.
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No. 25 Kaulig Racing RAM — Ty Dillon
The former No. 25 pilot will be this week’s “Free Agent” driver for the Kaulig/RAM team. Dillon will likely return later in the year, although nothing has been announced.
No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet — Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Stenhouse Jr. had a nice career debut in the Truck Series last week, finishing with a top 10. Per Stenhouse Jr., “I’ve always wanted to run a truck, but never had the opportunity to put something together.” As of now, this will be the second of two races that Stenhouse Jr. is scheduled to run for Niece Motorsports.
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No. 62 Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota — John Hunter Nemechek
Nemechek makes his second Truck Series start since 2026. His first race back was last week at Daytona, where the No. 62 finished in 5th place. Nemechek has an extensive history in the Truck Series, making his debut at Age 16 in 2016. He has 13 wins in 150 starts.
No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet — Carson Hocevar
Hocevar will run his 2nd race of the season in this Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet. He will run multiple races throughout the season, with future race dates to be determined. At Daytona, Hocevar would wreck and spin multiple times. He finishes 14 laps down in 35th place.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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