Derek Kraus, who has spent the last three seasons competing for full-time for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, has been tapped to compete in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.
Kraus, a native of Stratford, Wisconsin, will join Young’s Motorsports for the NextEra Energy 250, piloting the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado. Sponsorship for the effort will come from Hardscape Construction.
“I am very excited about joining Young’s Motorsports for Daytona,” said Kraus. “Over the years, Young’s Motorsports have shown on the superspeedway that they build very fast Chevrolet Silverados and I am excited to be able to drive one of them next month at Daytona.”
The 21-year-old is the second driver to be announced as part of the Young’s Motorsports driver lineup for Daytona, joining the previously announced Spencer Boyd, who will compete full-time in the team’s No. 12 entry.
“I am so excited to welcome Derek to the Young’s Motorsports family,” said Tyler Young, owner of Young’s Motorsports. “I have watched Derek blossom over the past three Truck Series seasons and now to him racing for us rather than racing against him is a true blessing. With Derek’s ability and clever craft behind the wheel, I know we’re in good hands.”
In his three-season tenure with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Kraus recorded a solid four top-five and 24 top-10 finishes, including a career-best runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway in 2020.
According to a team release, the agreement between Young’s Motorsports and Derek Kraus is currently set to be a one-off, but the 21-year-old is hoping to grow his schedule with the organization throughout the 2023 campaign.
Kafka Granite and Shockwave Suspension Seats, are both long-time sponsors of Kraus’ racing efforts. will also support Kraus in his one-off effort with Young’s Motorsports.
