Press Release | BRET HOLMES RACING
Mooresville, N.C. (February 3, 2023) - Bret Holmes Racing (BHR) announced today they will field a full-time entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with driver Bret Holmes for the 2023 season. The team will compete for Rookie of the Year honors and the 2023 Driver Points Championship.
Holmes competed in eight Truck Series events last season, capturing one top-five and two top-10 finishes. The Munford, Ala., native was the 2020 ARCA Menards Series champion and looks to capitalize on his growth as a driver this season.
“It’s a blessing and a dream to be competing for a championship in one of NASCAR’s top three series,” said Holmes. “This is a huge chance and opportunity that I’m ready to capitalize on. It’s been what feels like forever since we’ve been full-time racing which was back in 2020 in the ARCA Menards Series. Since then, we’ve been building up our inventory, experience, and notebook. All of that has ultimately led to this season, and I can’t wait to show what we’ve got. We’ve done really well on superspeedways, and I think we can start the year off strong there.”
Over the off-season, the Mooresville, N.C.- based team named Jerry Baxter as crew chief for the upcoming season. The veteran crew chief has called the shots across all the top three NASCAR divisions. Specifically, in the Truck Series, Baxter has earned 16 victories in his 11 seasons as a crew chief.
“I’m thrilled to be joining BHR and working with Bret,” said Baxter. “Bret is eager to perform well behind the wheel, and I’m looking forward to working with the team. We have a small team, but our aspirations are big.”
BHR also moved long-time employee, AJ Heister into the General Manager position. Heister has been in racing for the last 18 years and most recently, served as the shop foreman at BHR.
“It’s been a short off-season with some big changes at BHR,” said Heister. “We’ve been preparing since we unloaded from the last race in 2022, and I believe our hard work will show when we get to the track. All of our staff and I are very excited to get to Daytona and get the season started.”
Pate Holdings of Tuscaloosa with owner Stan Pate will serve as the primary sponsor for the No. 32 Chevrolet team for the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. Pate Holdings of Tuscaloosa will adorn the Chevrolet at additional races this season which will be announced at a later date.
The new Holmes-Baxter duo will take to the track in the NextEra Energy 250 on February 17th at Daytona International Speedway. Live coverage will be televised on FOX Sports 1, beginning at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
“I think bringing in a veteran like Jerry Baxter to the team and moving AJ Heister into a General Manager role are two big things we’ve done this off season,” said Holmes. “I fully believe these changes will result in a great season. I can’t wait to be in Daytona in a couple of weeks.”