- Jack Wood will make his second start for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) behind the wheel of the No. 51 Logitech Chevrolet in Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Wood finished 13th last year in his lone Truck Series start at the Georgia track.
- The Atlanta race will be part of a 13-race schedule for Wood who qualified third in his KBM debut at Daytona International Speedway but was relegated to a 27th-place finish in the rain shortened-event after his team was employing a strategy of riding near the back of the field to avoid the wrecks that Daytona is notorious for in the early part of the Final Stage. The plan was working as he missed two big accidents at the beginning of the stage, but unfortunately rain rolled into the area and brought out red-flag conditions and the race never went back to green-flag conditions.
- Logitech G will be the primary sponsor on Wood’s No. 51 this weekend at Atlanta. Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, is a global leader dedicated to serving the needs of Gamers and Creators with award-winning hardware, software, and solutions. Logitech G’s industry-leading products include keyboards, mice, headsets, mousepads, simulation products such as wheels and flight sticks, webcams, lights and microphones, and specialized furniture solutions; all made possible through innovative design, advanced technologies and a deep passion for gaming and creator communities.
- Wood will be looking to etch his mark in the KBM historical archives this weekend at Atlanta as he looks to collect the organization’s 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory. KBM-owner driver Kyle Busch collected the KBM’s record-extending 99th-career victory with his dominant victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway leaving his organization one shy of the century mark. William Byron collected KBM’s record-breaking 51st Truck Series victory in July of 2016. Overall, 18 different drivers have won at least race behind the wheel of a KBM truck, led by Busch’s 47. Four drivers rank second on the list with seven victories: Byron, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. Four of KBM’s wins have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway, most recently with first-time winner Corey Heim in last year’s event. Heim’s win, along with Busch’s win in 2022, both came with the same chassis that Wood will pilot on Saturday, KBM-66.
- In addition to his time behind the wheel of the No. 51 Silverado in the Truck Series, Wood is running a part-time schedule for Rev Racing in the ARCA Menards Series. The 22-year-old driver qualified second in his most recent outing at Phoenix Raceway and was battling for the lead just past the halfway point when he got tagged from behind and sent crashing into the outside wall. With severe damage he was unable to continue and relegated to a 28th-place finish. Wood also piloted the No. 6 Chevrolet in the ARCA season opener at Daytona where he came from the 36th starting spot to finish eighth.
- Veteran crew chief Brian Pattie will call the shots for the No. 51 team this year in his first season at KBM after spending the last 14 seasons atop the pit box in the NASCAR Cup Series. It took the veteran signal caller just two races to get his first win at KBM, winning with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the Cup Series, his drivers produced six wins, nine poles, 57 top-five and 131 top-10 finishes across 528 starts. In 2012, he guided Clint Bowyer to three victories and a runner-up finish in the Cup Series championship standings. In 2017, he guided Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to two wins and a berth in the playoffs. The Florida native has also recorded 11 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and he now has two wins as a crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Pattie’s drivers have recorded two top-five and three top-10 finishes across 18 starts in Cup Series action at Atlanta. He won an Xfinity Series race with Joe Nemechek driving in March of 2001. This will be his first race atop the pit box for a Truck Series event at Atlanta.
- KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch returns to the No. 51 Zariz Transport Silverado March 25 at Circuit of the Americas for his second of his five starts this season. It was also announced recently that William Byron will run the No. 51 HendrickCars.com Silverado for three races, beginning April 8 at the Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Will having a strong qualifying run and good speed in the ARCA race at Phoenix give you a confidence boost getting into the truck at Atlanta?
“Yeah, for sure. I think that was one of the biggest reasons for us for to go and run ARCA this year was to just kind of build confidence back up. I think that it will translate over to the truck for sure.”
Do you like the new style of racing at Atlanta?
“It’s fun. Looking at the race from last year, all the KBM trucks were really, really fast, so if we do get a chance to qualify I think we’ll be at the front of the field will help us out. I think it will be a fun race, but you just have to be smart and stay out of the stuff the same way Corey (Heim) did last year and just kind of be there at the end.”
Do you think that the style of racing will change at all going back for a second year on the new surface?
“I don’t know. It’ll be curious going back to the track for a second time and how much the asphalt has changed over a year with all the weather in Atlanta these past 12 months. I think it will race pretty similar – probably have a little less grip If I had to guess, but I think it will be pretty much the same race that we saw last year.”
KBM PR
