Now that all three of NASCAR’s top series are reaching the half-way point of their respective seasons, how are the Rookie of the Year Contender’s doing? This article starts a three-part series taking a look at each rookie class by series.
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES ROOKIE CONTENDERS:
Nick Sanchez
Bret Holmes
Rajah Caruth
Jake Garcia
Daniel Dye
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Nick Sanchez (#2 Rev Racing Chevrolet)
Mid-Season Grade: B+
| STARTS | WINS | TOP 5 | TOP 10 | POLES | RANK |
| 14/14 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
Graduating from the ARCA Menards Series in 2022, Rev Racing and driver Nick Sanchez officially moved to the Craftsman Truck Series for 2023. With sponsor Gainbridge joining the effort, Rev Racing formed a strong alliance with the powerhouse Kyle Busch Motorsports team. Also, to help bolster the progress of the team, veteran crew chief Danny Stockman came on board as well
Sanchez has had a surprisingly solid season thus far, collecting 7 Top 10 finishes and 3 poles. The #2 Chevrolet started on the pole immediately in the season opener at Daytona, but came home 26th that day. Sanchez and crew got on a role in the early summer, including a 2nd at Atlanta and 3rd in Nashville. Conversely, Sanchez has also had a decent amount of on track run-ins lately, but this could be chalked up to lack of experience in the heavier trucks
Outlook:
Considered to be the favorite for rookie honors, Sanchez has performed decently and sits 9th in the series standings currently. As mentioned before, while the finishes are there, Sanchez’s #2 entry has seen some bent up sheet metal this season as well. Patience should be the name of the game for the remainder of the season, which could propel the Rev team to that next level.
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Bret Holmes (#32 Bret Holmes Racing Chevrolet)
Mid-Season Grade: C
| STARTS | WINS | TOP 5 | TOP 10 | POLES | RANK |
| 14/14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Bret Holmes, like Sanchez also moved to trucks full-time this season, fielding his own #32 Chevrolet. To help progress the team, crew chief Jerry Baxter was brought on to solidify efforts. Holmes has struggled somewhat in 2023, but also is trying to push the limits of his budget each weekend. Thus far, Holmes has had sporadic Top 15 finishes throughout the first 14 races, but also has collected 3 DNF’s on the already strained budget.
Outlook:
Holmes, who managed one Top 5 and two Top 10 finishes in limited 2022 starts, has yet to find the same footing in 2023. A strong primary sponsor could pay dividends, but for now the team must work with what they have. There have been some flashes of potential, but the team needs funding in order to climb to that next rung. To Holmes’ credit, the team has made every race this season and plans to complete the full schedule.
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Rajah Caruth (#24 GMS Racing Chevrolet)
Mid-Season Grade: B-
| STARTS | WINS | TOP 5 |
TOP 10 | POLES | RANK |
| 14/14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
Former iRacing and ARCA Menards Series competitor Rajah Caruth joined ARCA teammate Nick Sanchez in the trucks this season, signing with GMS Racing. Taking over the Chevrolet previously driven by Jack Wood in 2022, Caruth was paired with successful Truck Series crew chief Chad Walter. The duo has had an up and down season, as Caruth learns the ropes. There have been some flashes of potential, including a 6th place finish in Darlington. Caruth still has much to learn, but also has the advantage of having a championship contending teammate in Grant Enfinger to lean on for advice.
Outlook:
Caruth faces an even steeper learning curve than former teammate Nick Sanchez in 2023, as he has somewhat limited experience. While Caruth does have 4 previous starts in 2022, this is his first full season in any of NASCAR’s top three series. The relative inexperience has shown itself at times, as Caruth has just an average finish of 22nd (with 3 DNF’s). If there is some hope to salvage 2023, Caruth needs to take the remaining races this year to learn as much as he can, and not beat himself when up front.
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JAKE GARCIA (#35 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet)
Mid-Season Grade: B
| STARTS | WINS | TOP 5 | TOP 10 | POLES | RANK |
| 13/14 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
Jake Garcia has shown flashes of potential in his #35 Chevrolet throughout much of the 2023 season. Garcia had to start the season sitting out Daytona due to NASCAR’s age restrictions at larger tracks. When he made his 2023 debut in Las Vegas, he immediately collected a Top 15 finish. Garcia has show serious progression, collecting (6) Top 10’s in 13 races. There is also a tremendous advantage in having Christian Eckes as a teammate this season. Eckes has been a perennial contender since joining the truck series full-time, and has won in the teams #19 entry.
Outlook:
Garcia, who is just 18 years old, needs to focus on gaining experience this season, as most of his experience is in lighter late models on the CARS tour. Having proven himself as an up-and-coming talent, still has much to learn, but also has shown he is more than capable. Garcia should be considered an underdog playoff contender in 2024 or 2025.
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Daniel Dye (#43 GMS Racing Chevrolet)
Mid-Season Grade: C
| STARTS | WINS | TOP 5 | TOP 10 | POLES | RANK |
| 14/14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Daniel Dye joined a growing list of drivers moving from ARCA to the trucks in 2023. Coming off his tremendously successful 2022 ARCA season with GMS Racing, the duos venture into truck competition has not gone quite as planned. Dye struggled in the early part of the season, finishing no better than 22nd before Bristol. Beginning with Kansas, Dye has collected several Top 20 finishes (including an 11th in Gateway) with the addition of new crew chief Blake Bainbridge.
Outlook:
Dye has much to improve going into the latter part of this season. While there have been some decent runs, Dye and GMS need to focus on improving results and performance. The somewhat unnecessary focus on Dye during TV broadcasts could also be playing a factor, as it seems to be somewhat of a distraction. With GMS solidly behind him, Dye could evolve into a Top 10 to 12 contender in coming seasons. Before that, much needs to improve on track as Dye does seem to be a bit of an incident magnet though. Solid funding on the #43 Chevrolet could also give the team a much needed boost.
