Hettinger Racing has entered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, with 20-year-old Mason Maggio behind the wheel.
Maggio, a native of Palm Beach Garden, Florida, will pilot the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST in Friday’s Fresh From Florida 250. Tantillo Auto Group will serve as the primary sponsor of the effort.
“As far as the overall basics of superspeedway racing and how to navigate it, Talladega definitely gave me a great feel of what to expect,” Maggio said. “I’ve been putting in the work watching film between practice, qualifying and the race, and then I’ve got some really good people here at Hettinger Racing to lean on for advice. Talladega gave me a lot of good pointers and it just makes me feel even more prepared than I would’ve been if I didn’t do that race last year.”
Friday’s 250-mile contest from Daytona marks just the third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start for Hettinger Racing — which debuted last Fall at Martinsville Speedway after team owner Chris Hettinger purchased the assets of Bret Holmes Racing.
“Daytona marks another step in the growth of our race team,” Hettinger said. “We’ve got our Late Model and ARCA program, and the Truck Series represents the top step of the ladder program we have available to our drivers. Mason is ready for this opportunity and we are too.”
Maggio has amassed 21 career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, dating back to his series debut in 2022 with Reaume Brothers Racing. Last season at Talladega, driving for Floridian Motorsports, Maggio earned a career-best 18th-place finish.
The driver has competed part-time in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over the last three seasons, and this season, has plans to compete part-time in the Xfinity Series for Joey Gase Motorsports.
“I broke into the Truck Series in 2022, and then did my first Xfinity start in 2023. Just been kind of going back and forth there, really hustling with smaller-to-mid-pack teams trying to make a name for myself and continuing to show the NASCAR world what I can do,” Maggio said. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty decent job of that, from well-established, small teams to even startup teams, so I’m not afraid to grab the bull by the horns and take on a new challenge. It’s what’s led me to this opportunity with Hettinger Racing and, knowing I’ve got good equipment and good people, it’s the most excited I’ve been in a long time.”
