As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to the season finale next weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Spire Motorsports will bring a second entry, the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado.
According to a press release from the team on Thursday, Derek Kraus will be the teammate to Marco Andretti for the Lucas Oil 150, and the No. 77 truck will be adorned with primary sponsorship from Western States Flooring.
“I’m really looking forward to racing at Phoenix with Spire Motorsports and all the guys on that team,” Kraus said in the release. “Phoenix Raceway is one of my favorite races on the schedule just because of how competitive the track is. I’m thankful to have Western States Flooring on board and looking forward to putting on a good show for that group. We had a good day at Milwaukee earlier this season so hopefully we can pull some notes from that weekend and put them to good use in Phoenix.”
The Spire Motorsports team, which utilized the talents of Kruas in an eighth-place effort at the Milwaukee Mile, is excited to have the 22-year-old back behind the wheel of one of its trucks.
“We’re happy to have Derek back in a Spire Motorsports Chevy Silverado next weekend,” team manager Mike Greci said. “He did a nice job when he drove for us at the Milwaukee Mile and we think a lot of that success should translate to Phoenix. He’s incredibly mature for his age and has a knack for getting the most out of his equipment.”
Spire Motorsports, which has a technical alliance with JR Motorsports, will have Andrew Overstreet and Mike Hoffman as the crew chief and truck chief for the No. 77 entry at Phoenix.
In 75 career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Kraus has recorded four top-five finishes and 27 top-10s.
This season, the young driver has made seven starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing as well, and he has scored three top-10 finishes in that stint.
Kraus will look to have another solid run in the Spire truck next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
