Last weekend, Bristol Motor Speedway got it’s turn on the schedule. Through the beating, banging, and an attempted sweep of the weekend, Bristol also provided the opportunity for some of the underdogs to shine.
Next week, the Cup teams have Easter weekend off, but the trucks and Xfinity teams will have a two day show at a revived Rockingham Speedway.
Trucks | Weather Guard Truck Race
Jake Garcia (#13 ThorSport Racing Ford): Already fueled by momentum and better equipment this season, ThorSport’s youngest driver had yet another impactful run in Bristol. Placing his Ford 5th on the grid to start, Garcia drove a solid race and survived the chaos. While he did not lead, the ThorSport’s driver brought his truck home 7th.
2025 has been a turning point for Garcia, as he sat 10th in points after just six starts following Bristol. Garcia has also practically eclipsed his young truck career’s stats, with four top ten finishes already this year.
Parker Kligerman (#75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet): PK exchanged his mic for a helmet for the second time this season in Bristol. Following his almost-win in Daytona, the #75 Chevrolet returned on this Friday night. While results did not mirror the season opener, Kligerman kept his truck clean and brought it home 14th, after starting 35th.
Bayley Currey (#44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet): Currey and the #44 team have had a roller coaster 2025 so far. While a 23rd-place DNF finish would typically count in this series, there’s more to the story. Making his fourth start of the season in the 44 truck, Currey placed his Chevrolet in 20th.
Currey would methodically work his way quickly to the front, and on lap 122 would take the lead for 14 laps. As the race wore on, the chance at a win would eventually fade and the #44 would have to go to garage with suspension issues.
Xfinity Series | Sci Aps 300
Ryan Sieg (#39 RSS Racing Ford): Surviving the Kyle Larson 300 embarrassment attempt at Bristol, Sieg and his #39 Ford continued to show speed this season. The Sci Aps Ford started the race in 5th, and maintained a presence with the front runners throughout the event. Finishing a strong 7th, Sieg was one of only a dozen drivers to finish on the lead lap by the end of the event.
Corey Heim (#24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota): Truck Series standout and Toyota prospect Heim made his third start of 2025 in Bristol. Taking the wheel of Hunt’s part-time #24 entry, Heim had a strong run and brought his Toyota home in 8th. Heim’s pair of other starts this season have resulted in a 31st (COTA), and 37th (Homestead). Heim will be running several more Xfinity events in 2025 as he prepares to climb the ladder to Cup.
Josh Williams (#11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet): While Williams’ tenure with Kaulig Racing has left some things to be desired, Bristol showed a glimpse of the 11 team’s potential. With sponsor Call 811 on board, Williams survived the event and finished 14th after starting 26th. The Kaulig driver was also only the second driver to finish one lap down to a dominant Hendrick run, which no doubt hampered the final finish.
Cup Series | Food City 500
A.J. Allmendinger (#16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet): The ‘Dinger has had a bit of a Cup career resurgence in 2025, rejoining Kaulig’s Cup program. Bristol continued the team’s progress as Allmendinger would start 8th and finish 9th in an event that saw a Hendrick team dominate yet again.
In nine starts this season, Allmendinger has three top ten finishes already, along with a 14th in Atlanta
Austin Dillon (#3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet): Dillon and his RCR crew have struggled to gain some kind of footing this season, but ironically the chaotic Bristol provided one of these steps. Starting 17th, Dillon would bring his #3 Chevrolet home in 10th for his first top ten of the season. This could be the spark the team needs to have a successful summer run.
Prior to Bristol, Dillon’s best result was a 12th in Phoenix in a season marred with penalties and bad luck.
Justin Haley (#7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet): Haley rejoined his former team in late 2024 to prepare for a strong run in 2025. As the new season has progressed, Haley and his #7 team have struggled to reach those goals. Bristol provided a much needed boost to Haley, collecting a 13th place finish after rolling off 10th.
While Haley does a have a top ten in Homestead, the remainder of the season has been far from consistent, so such a strong run at Bristol shows a glimmer of hope still.
