Rich Lushes, a long-time crew chief for ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will be reunited with Ben Rhodes for the 2025 campaign.
Lushes, who served as the crew chief for Ben Rhodes during his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship run in 2021, confirmed the news to Jack Arute on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday.
“I will be back with Ben [Rhodes] next year,” Lushes said. “Really looking forward to that and really looking forward to going to Rockingham testing, and then to Daytona.”
The two-time NASCAR Truck Series champion has been paired with Lushes in an on-again-off-again way, with the driver-crew chief pairing working together in some form since 2021.
Their relationship began with back-to-back victories at Daytona International Speedway — first on the superspeedway and then the following weekend on the road course.
After two seasons working together, in which the pairing collected three victories together, Lushes was moved to the No. 13 to serve as crew chief for Hailie Deegan.
In 2023, Rhodes managed to make a deep run into the post-season with another crew chief calling the shots, but with four races left, was brought Rich Lushes. The pairing finished the year with a championship.
That wasn’t the end of the crew chief swapping for Rhodes and Lushes, though. Last season, the pairing was assigned to start the year together, but after the struggles of both the No. 99 and No. 13, driven by Jake Garcia, another swap was made.
With Rhodes looking for a third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title in 2025, ThorSport Racing has decided that Lushes is the guy to help him get there.
The 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will begin at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 14. Coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1.
