Getty Derek Kraus races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
One of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will showcase a different look during the 2022 season. Bill McAnally Racing/McAnally-Hilgemann Racing has announced a switch from Toyota to Chevrolet. The organization also revealed an alliance with GMS Racing.
Bill McAnally Racing issued a press release on Wednesday, October 13, revealing the news. The team said that they would run Chevrolet Silverados full time in the Truck Series while also switching to Chevrolets in the ARCA Menards Series. Bill McAnally Racing previously worked with Chevrolet during the 2000 and 2001 Truck Series seasons when Brendan Gaughan started eight races.
“Chevrolet is looking forward to working with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing as one of our truck series teams for 2022,” said Dayne Pierantoni, GM Racing Program Manager for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, in the press release. “Bill McAnally has demonstrated his commitment to fielding championship caliber teams over the years and his record speaks for itself. With Bill’s commitment to working in conjunction with our existing partners under the Chevrolet banner we are expecting great results from his organization.”
Bill McAnally Racing will operate out of a GMS Racing building in Statesville, N.C., as part of the new alliance with the championship-winning organization. The race team has won two championships (2016, 2020) since its inception in 2014. GMS Racing has also secured one ARCA Menards Series championship (2015), two ARCA East championships (2019, 2020), and the 2020 Sioux Chief Showdown title.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Will Run 2 Truck Teams in 2022
I can’t explain how excited I am to announce this, joining the @BMR_NASCAR /MHR boys for the 2022 @NASCAR_Trucks season! We’re going trophy hunting ladies and gentlemen 🏆
The manufacturer switch follows another big announcement from Bill McAnally Racing/McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. The organization revealed on September 9 that Colby Howard had signed a multi-year deal. He will join McAnally-Hilgemann Racing on a full-time basis in 2022 as the team expands to a two-truck operation.
Howard previously competed in the Xfinity Series, starting 22 races for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in 2020 and driving the No. 15 Chevrolet at a variety of tracks. He consistently contended inside the top 20 and posted a season-best finish of 12th at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 28, 2020.
Howard returned to JD Motorsports for the 2021 season and made 21 starts in the No. 15 Chevrolet. However, the driver confirmed to TobyChristie.com on September 10 that he and JD Motorsports were parting ways. Howard told the outlet that the Truck Series deal had no influence on the decision to leave JD Motorsports. Instead, he cited a funding disagreement.
Howard Will Partner With Another Driver in 2022
When Bill McAnally Racing announced that Howard had signed a contract, the team made a point to address the future of Derek Kraus. McAnally told Davey Segal of Frontstretch that the driver of the No. 19 entry will return in 2022. He specifically said that Bill McAnally Racing was working on finalizing a deal and would make an announcement at a later date.
McAnally addressed the negotiations again in the press release announcing the manufacturer change. He said that the team continues to work on the details of Kraus’ deal and that there will be an announcement when it is final.
The 20-year-old Kraus is currently finishing out his second full-time season with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. He posted three top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes during his rookie season, finishing 11th in the championship standings. He has added another four top-10s and one more top-five finish during his sophomore campaign.
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