Getty The No. 51 will have a new driver for the Bristol dirt race.
The No. 51 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro will have a new driver for the trip to Bristol Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch Motorsports has brought in dirt standout Buddy Kofoid to take over the entry for the Camping World Truck Series race.
KBM announced the news in two separate ways. The team issued a press release confirming that Kofoid will make his national series debut while driving the No. 51 Toyota. KBM also released a special video that channeled “Elf” and showed Kofoid exploring the team’s headquarters while on a mission to track down Kyle Busch. The 20-year-old driver even ate spaghetti with syrup on it.
Buddy (@MichaelKofoid) the Dirt Driver, what’s your favorite race track?
How ’bout @BMSupdates Dirt? 👀
Kofoid will have a familiar partner along for the trip to Bristol Motor Speedway. Mobil 1, a partner of both KBM and Kofoid’s Keith Kunz Motorsports midget entry, will serve as his primary during the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt.
“Getting the opportunity to race the best equipment in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a huge step in my career and I can’t thank Kyle Busch Motorsports, Mobil 1 and Toyota enough for giving me this chance,” Kofoid said. “To be making my Truck Series debut in such a unique event at an iconic venue like Bristol Motor Speedway is going to be really cool.”
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Kofoid Will Control a Race-Winning Chassis
The chassis that Kofoid will control, KBM-12, has a special history at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is the same one that Martin Truex Jr. drove during the inaugural Truck Series dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 2017 Cup Series champion led 105 of the 150 scheduled laps and won in what was only his third career Truck Series start.
Kofoid will now take over this same chassis while pursuing a strong performance in his first career Truck Series start. He will also have Mardy Lindley atop the pit box as his crew chief. Lindley was the crew chief during Truex’s dominant win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Along with Truex’s win at Bristol, Lindley has also helped KBM drivers account for three others. Kyle Busch captured two wins during the 2021 season — one at Atlanta Motor Speedway and one at Kansas Speedway — while working with Lindley. Corey Heim then won his first career Truck Series race in 2022 with Lindley atop the pit box.
Kofoid Has Extensive Experience on Dirt Tracks
It was a good weekend ☝🏻
While he has not competed in a national NASCAR series, Kofoid has faced off against some of its biggest drivers while making a name for himself. For example, he defeated Kyle Larson in a qualifying feature at the Chili Bowl Nationals to kick-off 2022.
Kofoid’s list of achievements also includes nine feature victories in the Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget Series, a victory in the Trophy Cup Sprint Car Race at Thunderbowl Raceway, and the 2021 USAC Midget National championship. Kofoid has primarily achieved success at dirt tracks, but he has also begun competing in Late Model events.
Kofoid will now have the opportunity to become acclimated to the No. 51 with multiple sessions. The drivers will hit the dirt track on Friday, April 15, for two separate practices. They will then return the following day for the qualifying races and the main event.
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