McAnally-Hilgemann Racing has signed Kris Wright to compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for 2026.
The organization announced on Tuesday that Wright, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will get behind the wheel of the No. 81 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the duration of the upcoming season.
Signed up!@KrisOnNASCAR is taking the reins of the No. 81 in 2026. Full details ?? https://t.co/71IRiXsmV5#NASCAR | @NASCAR_Trucks pic.twitter.com/hDoGCr02Dk
— Bill McAnally Racing (@BMR_NASCAR) December 9, 2025
F.N.B. Corporation, a long-time supporter of Wright’s efforts in NASCAR’s National Series and the ARCA Menards Series, will serve as the primary partner of the team’s 25-race campaign in 2026.
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Darren Fraley, who worked as the shot-caller for Wright in his two-race schedule with the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing group towards the tail-end of last season, will serve as the full-time crew chief of the No. 81 Chevrolet.
“I’m really looking forward to next year and being a part of the MHR program,” said Wright. “This is the biggest organization I’ve had the chance to race with, and it’ll be a great opportunity to put the resources to good use. I felt really good about working with Darren [Fraley] in the two races we ran this fall. There’s a lot of familiarity there, so I’m really encouraged that we can have a strong season in 2026.”
Since first breaking onto the scene of NASCAR’s National Series in 2020, Wright has made a total of 49 career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving for teams such as Young’s Motorsports, GMS Racing, Niece Motorsports, and TRICON Garage.
Last Fall, while driving the No. 16 Chevrolet Silverado for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing at Talladega Superspeedway, Wright collected a career-best 11th-place finish. His other start in the entry at the Charlotte ROVAL resulted in a finish of 26th.
“We’re glad we were able to run Kris in a couple of races before the end of the season and to have him on board in 2026,” team owner Bill McAnally said. “With Darren [Fraley] leading the No. 81 team, we’re making sure Kris has a strong team behind him and motivated to elevate his career in his first full-time season.”
The 31-year-old driver has done his fair share of jumping from series to series in recent years, moving from the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Brandonbilt Motorsports) to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Young’s Motorsports) to the ARCA Menards Series (Venturini Motorsports) to another crack at the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Our Motorsports).
The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will mark the first time in his NASCAR National Series career that Wright will compete full-time, after only running a majority season campaign in 2021 and 2022 in the Truck Series.
Wright will embark on his first race of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign on Friday, February 13 at Daytona International Speedway. Coverage of the event will be on FS1, NASCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
