“I didn’t expect it at the time, but I knew when it happened, my life was going to change.”
Mini Tyrrell, a standout from the zMAX CARS Tour, is set to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in Friday’s Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway, but just a couple of months ago, competing at ‘The World Center of Racing’ wasn’t on his mind.
The native of Manassas, Virginia, will pilot the No. 14 RAM 1500 for Kaulig Racing on Friday, as well as the other 24 events on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule, after winning the debut season of RAM: Race For The Seat, the reality television show created by Kaulig, RAM, and Dana White’s Thrill Sports Productions.
To capture the full-time seat, Tyrrell had to beat a variety of drivers from different disciplines, including dirt racing standout Carson Ferguson (who earned a one-off at Martinsville in October), fellow zMAX CARS Tour drivers Landon Huffman and Jared Fryer, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers Austin Beers and Michael Christopher, Jr., and road course racer Ryan Gemmell.
“It certainly was a shock factor because I went into the show – obviously, the goal is to win, it’s the same as racing, I want to go out there and I want to win, but I set those goals of what is going to make me happy, so going into the show I wanted to be myself and perform to the best of what I could do,” said Tyrrell. “I didn’t have an expectation that I could win. I know every driver there was just as good and a very good competitor at the track.”
Now, since the show was filmed at the end of last year, Tyrrell has been working tirelessly to get himself into the proper headspace to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which the 21-year-old admits has come with some challenges.
“I knew this was not just showing up on the weekend and driving a racecar; this is a full-time job,” he explained. “I knew that required moving to North Carolina, and being hands-on and physically a part of it every day.”
“The biggest thing I’ve done in a short amount of time to prepare is focus on myself mentally, focus on myself physically, make sure I’m getting in shape and putting it all on the line and making sure I’m physically ready and prepared to drive these cars, because it’s a long duration of time I’m in there.”
Tyrrell isn’t just making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway; he’ll also stay in the area an extra day to compete in the ARCA Menards Series event, driving for his crew chief, Bruce Cook, in the No. 17 RAM Trucks Chevrolet SS.
After competing in the ARCA Menards Series pre-season practice at Daytona, the zMAX CARS Tour winner does have some laps around the 2.5-mile superspeedway, but practice this weekend, in both series, will make a huge difference in how quickly this entire deal came together.
While the driver affectionately known as “Mini” isn’t complaining about having a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ride, by any means, the Rookie of the Year contender acknowledges that this isn’t exactly how he drew it up.
“It’s definitely not the ideal way to get in. It sounds amazing, and it’s a full-time ride, but if I had to pick and choose years ago, I’d say let me get in and get my feet wet at Martinsville, or have a lot more training time and work on, and study what I need to do in the off-season to be prepared for this moment,” Tyrrell added.
“Luckily enough, everybody at Kaulig Racing and all the team members and crew chiefs are so wise and have been doing it for so long, and they’re great coaches. My crew chief, Bruce Cook, on the No. 14, is an extremely good coach, and I’m very grateful to have the chance to work with him.”
Cook has spent several years heading up his own driver development program in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, working with drivers such as Landen Lewis, Spencer Davis, Zane Smith, and Josh Berry, amongst others. That’s on top of the time he’s spent in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, working for race-winning and championship-winning outfits like Kevin Harvick Inc.
“Got a lot of preparation I’ve been doing to try and get myself up to speed, so I feel we’re just as prepared as the rest of them coming to this one this weekend,” Tyrrell said confidently.
Yes, Tyrrell is a brand-new face in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage, but Kaulig Racing is new, as well. The team with wins in the Cup and O’Reilly Series will be fielding five trucks full-time in 2026, with Daniel Dye, Brenden Queen, Justin Haley, and Tyrrell at the helm, plus a rotating cast of characters in the No. 25, including three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who will run at Daytona.
The Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona — the debut of Tyrrell and Kaulig Racing, plus the return of RAM to NASCAR — will take place on Friday, February 13, at 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
