While the Cup Series and Xfinity Series were putting some of the puzzle pieces together for the 2025 season, the Craftsman Truck Series was virtually inactive.

Rumors have been circulating for months, especially about Corey Heim’s future plans, but nothing has been announced so far. Not even contract extensions for 2025 have been announced.

That changed on Friday, August 23, when Daniel Dye was announced as Kaulig Racing’s new full-time driver for 2025, filling one of the team’s vacant Xfinity spots for next season as part of a multi-year deal.

You might think that this is the trigger for the start of the 2025 Truck Series Silly Season. But even so, we still don’t really know much about who might drive where.

Teams are running out of time to finalise their 2025 lineups, so let’s take a look at what we know ahead of the final six races of the 2024 season.

At least one McAnally-Hilgemann racing car is now available

Dye’s move up to Xfinity leaves his No. 43 (or whatever number MHR decides to use for next season) available for a driver. Who that might be is up for debate.

Of course, they could look at a free agent from the Cup Series who has had previous involvement with Chevrolet, such as Corey LaJoie. Maybe Zane Smith, who has already driven in five races for the team this season in the No. 91 rotation. Maybe the team will give Jack Wood a full-time position instead of the mostly full-time (but still part-time) job he has this year.

Then there are a few ARCA Menards Series drivers who could also be in the running. Andres Perez may be the most truck-prepared Chevy driver the manufacturer has available. Lavar Scott could also be an outsider, but he might be better off with another year of ARCA under his belt. Connor Mosack has also started several times for Chevy teams in ARCA, Trucks and Xfinity this season and could also be in the running.

Maybe MHR will even poach a fellow Chevy driver like Chase Purdy (who brings sponsorship) from Spire Motorsports to drive the truck. Either way, MHR may have some decisions to make, as Dye’s car may not be the only one it has to fill next season.

Christian Eckes will likely be promoted next season as well, as it would be foolish of Chevy not to give him a spot at the next level. Eckes is one of the two championship favorites this season and is more than ready for the next level if he wants to be.

Therefore, he could remain Dye’s teammate.

With both AJ Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen racing in the Cup Series in 2025, Kaulig has two full-time Xfinity spots open. Dye will fill one of them and the other will be open for Eckes to grab.

In fact, Kaulig Racing will make another announcement regarding its 2025 Xfinity lineup at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, August 31. That’s where Eckes could end up for 2025.

That would leave two spots open at MHR, which could be filled by one of the drivers listed above. Or perhaps someone else who isn’t on the radar yet.

Taylor Gray vs. Corey Heim: Who will be promoted first?

In the Truck Series, Heim will be the talk of the town throughout the 2024 season (and 2023, really). He’s been the clear favorite for the past two seasons, and the question has never been if he’d move up, but when.

After competing in the Cup Series this season for both Legacy Motor Club and 23XI Racing (Heim serves as an alternate driver for both), it seemed like Heim would be heading into Cup racing full steam ahead, likely in a third charter for 23XI.

However, Riley Herbst’s name is being discussed for the third spot in the 23XI (should the team acquire a charter from the closing Stewart-Haas Racing), with Heim expected to stay in the Truck Series for a third year, which would be a waste of his talent at this point.

His teammate Taylor Gray made his Xfinity debut with Joe Gibbs Racing this season and has since competed in nine races in JGR’s No. 19 rotation, earning three top-10 finishes so far, with his best finish being third at Richmond Raceway.

With the news that Sheldon Creed will move to the Haas Factory Team Xfinity program in 2025, at least one JGR Xfinity seat remains open. It is now expected to go to William Sawalich, who confirmed to Front line last season that he would compete in Xfinity racing full-time in 2025. However, not only can plans change, but more than one JGR spot could open up.

Amid rumors that Chandler Smith will also leave JGR at the end of the season, another opportunity may arise for Gray.

But why not home?

Long story short, due to a bitter rivalry between Heim and Ty Gibbs (grandson of the team owner) in ARCA, JGR is basically not an option for Heim, so Gray could actually be eliminated from the Truck Series ahead of Heim, which is something I would not have thought would happen at the start of this season.

At this point, Heim’s only way out of the Truck Series would be through Sam Hunt Racing, for whom Heim is competing part-time in the Xfinity Series this season. Hunt has a little bit of funding, but the question would be whether it’s enough to put Heim in the car full-time.

However, if Gray moves up, his spot in the TRICON garage will remain open. Frankly, I believe that spot should go to Sawalich rather than Sawalich moving up directly to Xfinity. Yes, he’s successful in ARCA, but he’s been nearly irrelevant in his few Truck Series starts. I fear that if Sawalich struggles to get results in the Truck Series, the direct move up to Xfinity won’t be as smooth as it was for Jesse Love.

In any case, TRICON will have to consider one of the Venturini Motorsports ARCA drivers to replace Gray (or Heim if he moves up). We’ve already discussed those possibilities, so I won’t go into them in detail.

However, it would be a shame if Heim had to return to TRICON for a third year. Toyota would then be wasting his talent.

Trucker treats

While the 2025 carnival season is just beginning, we still have 2024 to worry about. Here are some news and clues you may have missed.

• Jason Burdett joined TRICON Garage as Tanner Gray’s crew chief for the remainder of the season, replacing Jerame Donley. Burdett’s first race was this past Sunday (August 25) at the Milwaukee Mile. Burdett began the season as a Cup Series crew chief, leading Jimmie Johnson’s part-time effort in the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club. He was eventually released amid personnel changes. Interestingly, TRICON decided to bring him in after the playoffs began (which Gray narrowly missed) rather than trying to pair him with the No. 15 team as part of its playoff offensive.
• As you may have seen on Sunday, the Truck Series is not expected to return to Milwaukee next season. However, rumors have suggested a return to Michigan International Speedway, as well as the long-awaited return to Rockingham Speedway. Additionally, there may be a race in Connecticut, with Lime Rock Park the most likely candidate. With the schedule likely not long away, it could be an interesting 2025 calendar for truckers.
• With the Cup and Xfinity Series (in conjunction with the NASCAR Mexico Series) set to run at Autodromos Hermanos Rodriguez in 2025, it’s time to start thinking about bringing the Truck Series back to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Canada – or better yet, the NASCAR Canada Series as a support race. That way, the Trucks get their own international race back and the American NASCAR Series can have representation across North America.