Sam Hunt Racing announced on Monday (May 20) that NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Dean Thompson will make his Xfinity Series debut this weekend. He will drive the #26 Toyota GR Supra at the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Thompson currently competes full-time for Tricon Garage in the Truck Series. He has managed to score three top-10 finishes in the first 10 races this season and currently stands 20th in the points table with 173 points.
Sam Hunt Racing made the announcement on social media through a post with a caption, which reads:
“Welcome to the @NASCAR_Xfinity Series. Dean @deanthompsonr will make his @xfinityracing series debut this weekend at @CLTMotorSpdwy, piloting our No. 26 GR Supra”
Along with pulling double-duty this weekend in NASCAR‘s national series, the 22-year-old will also take part in the ARCA Menards Series race for Venturini Motorsports.
Thompson will be the sixth driver to join the #23 SHR entry, including Justin Sage Karam, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Corey Heim, John Hunter Nemechek, and Ed Jones.
In a four-year-long Truck Series career, the California-born driver has made 55 career starts and scored eight total top-10 finishes. His career-best finish of P3 came on two occasions at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway in 2023.
Thompson made his Truck Series debut in the #44 Chevy truck with Niece Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway in 2021, where he started 25th and crossed the finish line in 21st. The following year, he moved to full-time racing with Niece and ended the season in 23rd place in the championship standings.
Under the Toyota Racing Development program since 2023, Thompson competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series with Tricon Garage and partially in the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports.
Entry list: 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte
Take a look at the entry list for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
- Cole Custer
- Patrick Emerling
- Sam Mayer
- Jesse Love
- Dawson Cram
- Anthony Alfredo
- Garrett Smithley
- Justin Allgaier
- Sammy Smith
- Brandon Jones
- Josh Williams
- JJ Yeley
- Hailie Deegan
- AJ Allmendinger
- Chase Elliott
- Sheldon Creed
- Taylor Gray
- Aric Almirola
- Austin Hill
- Dean Thompson
- Jeb Burton
- Kyle Sieg
- Blaine Perkins
- Noah Gragson
- Parker Retzlaff
- Kyle Busch
- Akinori Ogata
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Ryan Sieg
- Leland Honeyman, Jr.
- Ryan Ellis
- Brennan Poole
- Parker Kligerman
- Jeremy Clements
- Jade Buford
- Chandler Smith
- Kyle Weatherman
- Natalie Deker
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Riley Herbst
