Getty Jack Wood prepares for a Truck Series race in Illinois.
The future just became clear for one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. GMS Racing‘s Jack Wood will return to the team for the 2022 season and will compete on a full-time basis after a part-time 2021 schedule.
GMS Racing and Wood issued a press release on Thursday, Aug. 26, confirming the news. The team stated that the 21-year-old will return to the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado and continue to learn the tracks on the NASCAR circuit. He will also try to build on a career-best 10th-place finish at Worldwide Technology Raceway on Friday, Aug. 20.
First top 10 tonight! Extremely proud of this teams fight. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to work with an organization like @gmsracing. Congrats to @sheldoncreed on getting it done tonight!
“I feel extremely honored to be asked to drive for GMS Racing again next year, we have built a lot of momentum over the last few months and I feel strongly that next season will be a very successful one,” Wood said in the press release from the team. “There has been plenty of learning and ground work built in order to do just that. I would like to thank everyone at GMS Racing and Chevrolet for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to chase my dream. I hope to finish the rest of this year out strong and then take the off season preparing to hit the ground running in 2022 starting at Daytona!”
Wood Started 2021 in a Different Series
Several Xfinity/truck drivers getting some ARCA track time today. Jade Buford (here), Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith and ARCA full-timers Jack Wood, Ty Gibbs.
While the driver of the No. 24 has become an important part of the GMS team after making seven starts, he actually started his year off in a different style of race car. He made four starts in the ARCA Menards Series, posting a season-best finish of fourth at Kansas Speedway on May 1.
The team announced in May that Wood’s plans would change. Instead of fighting with Ty Gibbs and Corey Heim for the ARCA championship, he would switch to a part-time Truck Series schedule and make 13 total starts. Wood officially made his debut in the No. 24 at Circuit of the Americas on May 22 with a 28th-place finish. He then took 15th and 11th at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, respectively.
While he has continued to make starts in the Truck Series, Wood has occasionally dipped back into the ARCA schedule. He made starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and Watkins Glen International in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet, posting two more top-10 finishes.
Questions Remain About a GMS Teammate’s Future
Now that Wood has agreed to join GMS for the full-time 2022 schedule, there are questions about one of his teammates. Will defending Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed return to the team in 2022 as well?
The driver of the No. 2 has expressed his desire to move up to the Xfinity Series for the 2022 season, saying that he does not want to become a “lifer” in the series. Creed has also expressed an interest in the Cup Series, but he noted that it would be more realistic to move to Xfinity in the near future.
“I definitely don’t want to do another year of Trucks,” Creed told Segal. “I feel like there’s a few guys have done four, five years in Trucks and they just become lifers. I don’t want to be that person. Definitely, Xfinity is reachable with finding sponsorship dollars and going and do that in a competitive car. That is probably the main goal right now.”
Creed has yet to announce his plans for the 2022 season. For now, his focus remains on defending his title. He kicked off the playoffs with a win at Gateway Motorsports Park on Aug. 20, automatically moving him to the next round. Now he will strive to keep the winning streak alive at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 5.
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