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ThorSport Racing has made a major announcement. The championship-winning Craftsman Truck Series organization has confirmed its manufacturer change and sets its driver lineup.
ThorSport Racing announced the news on December 15, shortly after Hailie Deegan revealed that she will join the organization and drive the No. 13 Ford F-150. ThorSport confirmed that three-time champion Matt Crafton will also return for the 2023 season as he moves closer to 550 career starts.
Breakout driver Ty Majeski will also make his return to ThorSport after he won his first two career races in 2022 and reached the championship four. 2023 will mark Majeski’s sophomore season with the team.
Finally, 2021 Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes will make his return to ThorSport Racing after he finished second overall in the 2022 standings. The Kentucky native will take on his eighth season as a full-time driver in the Truck Series.
ThorSport Left Toyota Racing After the 2022 Season
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GettyBen Rhodes will return to ThorSport Racing in 2023.
The addition of Deegan finalized the ThorSport Racing lineup. It also brought a manufacturer change as the organization left Toyota Racing and returned to Ford Performance.
ThorSport Racing is not a new addition to Ford Performance. The longest-tenured Truck Series team has achieved success with the blue oval. This includes the 2019 season when Crafton won his third career championship.
The organization will now take on the 2023 season with a partially reconfigured driver lineup, and it will try to add more wins and another championship while reuniting with Ford Performance.
“We’re happy to welcome ThorSport back to our NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports.
“Duke [Thorson] has assembled one of the best organizations in the series with a driver lineup that is filled with youth and experience. We celebrated a championship together just a few years ago and know they have the potential to do it again in 2023.”
ThorSport Racing Can Add More Wins in 2023
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GettyTy Majeski celebrates a win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The 2022 season was mostly a success for ThorSport Racing. All four of the full-time drivers — Rhodes, Majeski, Crafton, and Christian Eckes — reached the playoffs while two of them celebrated in Victory Lane.
However, the organization set out with the goal of winning the championship for the second consecutive time and the fifth time overall. ThorSport Racing did not achieve this goal after Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith used fresher tires to take the lead from Rhodes at the end of the season finale.
Smith drove a Ford F-150 during the 2022 Truck Series season, and he used it to win four races and the championship. Now the ThorSport Racing drivers will join him at Ford Performance while once again pursuing spots in the championship four.
Crafton, Majeski, and Rhodes have playoff experience, but the 2023 season will provide a new opportunity for Deegan. She will drive the best equipment of her career, and she will try to put herself in contention for a playoff spot.
“With 28 years in the Truck Series, we look forward to the partnership with Ford Performance in NASCAR,” said team owner Duke Thorson. “Our pursuit of wins and championships remains at the forefront of our objectives.”
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