Buddy Kofoid will make his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 16.
The 20-year-old Californian won the 2021 USAC Midget National championship with six victories in addition to nine feature wins in the Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget Series. Kofoid made 10 late model starts last season and finished third at the All-American 400 in the Pro Late Model division at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville.
“Getting the opportunity to race the best equipment in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a huge step in my career and I can’t thank Kyle Busch Motorsports, Mobil 1 and Toyota enough for giving me this chance,” Kofoid said in a press release. “To be making my Truck Series debut in such a unique event at an iconic venue like Bristol Motor Speedway is going to be really cool.”
Kofoid finished fourth in the A-main in the 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals and fended off Kyle Larson, the two-time defending champion of the race and reigning Cup champion, to win his qualifying race.
Kofoid has won two of first three events of the Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget schedule, including Toyota’s 400th national dirt midget win on March 25 at I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City. He sits second in the USAC Midget National championship standings after four events.
In his first NASCAR start, Kofoid will pilot the same chassis that Martin Truex Jr. drove to lead 105 laps and win last year’s inaugural Truck race on Bristol’s dirt. Crew chief Mardy Lindley, who also called the shots for Truex in 2021, will be back atop the box this season. KBM also won twice at Eldora Speedway with Bubba Wallace (2014) and Christopher Bell (2015).