When looking at the preliminary entry list for Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-finale at Phoenix Raceway, some may notice the absence of a second entry for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, which fields the No. 19 for Derek Kraus.
In February, Bill McAnally Racing announced the formation of the BMR Drivers Academy, in which a number of drivers would compete in a series of 40 events – spanning 16 race weekends — in order to gain experience in vehicles similar to those used in the ARCA Menards Series.
When the program was announced, the organization stated that all winners from the program would be placed into a random draw, in which one driver would get the chance to compete in the NASCAR Truck Series season-finale at Phoenix Raceway.
However, with so much at stake for the drivers and teams competing for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, NASCAR didn’t approve the organization’s plan, forcing the team to stick with their one full-time entry, rather than still fielding an additional one.
“The original plan was to run a winner from the BMR Drivers Academy in the truck race at Phoenix, but that was unapproved by NASCAR – being a championship race,” a spokesperson for the organization told TobyChristie.com.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing's original plan to field a second truck for a winner from the @BMR_NASCAR Drivers Academy in the NCWTS championship race at @phoenixraceway wasn't approved by NASCAR, a team representative tells me.#NASCAR | @NASCAR_Trucks | #LucasOil150
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) November 2, 2021
Next season, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing will be transitioning from Toyota to Chevrolet, while establishing a technical partnership with GMS Racing. The team will also expand their operations for their first season with Chevrolet, with Colby Howard joining the organization to pilot a second entry. Derek Kraus is also expected to return to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2022, despite the team not making an official announcement.
