Getty Austin Wayne Self prepares for qualifying at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series field will have a new competitor during the 2023 season. Camping World Truck Series team AM Racing will expand on its current operations.
AM Racing issued a press release on October 7 and announced the news. The team confirmed that the first race on its schedule would be the season-opening Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2023.
AM Racing, which currently fields Austin Wayne Self‘s No. 22 Chevrolet Silverado in the Truck Series, did not reveal whether the Xfinity Series entry will be full or part-time. Instead, the team confirmed that it will continue to compete full-time in the Camping World Truck Series while also taking on the ARCA Menards Series.
Austin Wayne Self Will See His Role Change
GettyAustin Wayne Self will try to make his Xfinity Series debut.
The press release also addressed the status of driver Austin Wayne Self. He has been the primary wheelman for the family-owned team while other drivers have made part-time starts. He will now have an expanded role with the team after accounting for 14 of the organization’s 17 top-10 finishes, as well as the two top-fives.
AM Racing did not provide specific details about Self’s role in future seasons or whether he would make starts across multiple series. Still, the team noted that he would have more responsibilities while it expands in both the Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series.
“Austin Wayne Self will always be an integral member of our team,” said team president Wade Moore in a pres release. “He is going to do a great job helping us launch the Xfinity Series program while being an asset to our other projects too.
“Austin wants to see his family-owned team grow. With that transition, he will also be expanding his responsibilities on the business forefront to make sure AM Racing is around for a long time.”
The ‘Future Focused’ Changes Will Feature an Expanded Lineup
GettyAustin Wayne Self’s team pushes the No. 22 to the starting grid.
AM Racing mentioned multiple times in the press release that these moves will be made so that it can be “Future Focused” on bringing competitive entries for the foreseeable future. Moore specifically said that these moves will help the team showcase drivers, marketing partners, and personnel.
The team did not suddenly make this decision to expand. Moore noted that the team has put pieces in place throughout the year and that more moves will happen in the coming months as they prepare to take on multiple racing series.
A key part of this process will be “broadening” the driver lineup that has already featured Self, Bubba Wallace, JJ Yeley, Myatt Snider, former Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt, and NASCAR Mexico Series champion Max Gutiérrez.
AM Racing has not revealed any of the drivers that will suit up across three series in 2023. These announcements will come at a later date along with information about vehicle numbers, sponsors, and crew chiefs. For now, the team will focus on closing out the Camping World Truck Series season with races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (October 22) and Phoenix Raceway (November 4).