Young's Motorsports Kansas Speedway May Preview

Young’s Motorsports | NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series

Kansas Speedway | Heart of Healthcare 200

Fast Facts

No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Team:

Driver: Nathan Byrd 

Primary Partner(s): Sonesta International Hotels

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado RST

Crew Chief: Tyler Young

2025 Driver Points Position: 25th | 2025 Owner Points Position: 30th

Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

● Welcome Back: The 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series season continues its six-week consecutive stretch of racing, with Young’s Motorsports proud to have rookie Nathan Byrd back behind the wheel of the team’s flagship No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Saturday night’s Heart of Healthcare 200 at Kansas Speedway.

● About Nathan: Byrd, 24, began racing go-karts in 2018, just after graduating High School, and he entered his first car race in February 2020.

Since then, the Goodyear, Ariz. native has raced over 30 types of cars in 348 total races at 67 different race tracks, effectively becoming one of the most diverse and interesting race car drivers in the world.

Completing more than 300 races in the first four years of his career, Byrd is no stranger to piloting race cars.

In 2024, the Indianapolis, Ind. resident turned his attention to NASCAR. He successfully made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Portland International Raceway and delivered a respectable 21st-place finish for DGM Racing.

In September, Byrd made his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway, earning a respectable 19th-place finish after starting 32nd.

● All-Aboard!: For the ninth of 25 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races this season, Sonesta International Hotels will serve as the primary marketing partner for Saturday night's No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the 134-lap race.  

Sonesta International Hotels is an American hotel company with an ever-growing portfolio of hotel brands in eight countries and three continents.

As the eighth largest hotel company in the world with 1100+ properties, they have a room or suite perfect for every individual and occasion.

● Nathan Byrd Truck Series Kansas Speedway Stats: Saturday night’s Heart of Healthcare 200 will mark Nathan Byrd’s second career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start in the Sunflower State.

Last fall, Byrd made his Truck Series debut, driving the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado, finishing an impressive 19th after starting 32nd in the Kubota Tractor 200.

The race continues the fast-paced stretch of the 2025 Truck Series season and will be part of a tripleheader weekend alongside the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Cup Series.

Kicking off the weekend, the ARCA Menards Series will have a Friday night showdown, with the Truck Series expected to deliver its signature thrilling action under the lights in Kansas City, Kansas.

The weekend will culminate on Sunday, May 11, with the NASCAR Cup Series taking center stage on Mother’s Day for the AdventHealth 400.

Kansas Speedway serves as the site of the ninth race of an expanded 2025 Truck Series calendar, which has grown by two races compared to the 2024 season.

● Nathan Byrd Truck Series Career Stats: Entering Kansas, Byrd has 11 career Truck Series starts with an improving average finish of 25.1.

The popular driver made his Truck Series debut for the family-owned team at Kansas Speedway in September, finishing an impressive 19th. He returned to the team in October at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway before drawing the curtain on the 2024 season by participating in the year's final race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

So far in 2025, Byrd has started the first seven Truck Series races at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Rockingham (N.C.) Motor Speedway and most recently at Texas Motor Speedway.

● Texas Motor Speedway | SpeedyCash.com 250 Race Recap: In the eighth race of the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series season, Young’s Motorsports and rookie driver Nathan Byrd continued their commitment to development and race-day growth during the series’ return to Texas Motor Speedway.

Mother Nature drenched the massive 1.5-mile speedway track on Friday, canceling practice, qualifying, and setting the starting grid by the rule book, which lined up Byrd a season-best 18th.

Throughout the 174-lap race, Byrd impressed with his adaptability. Despite battling grip issues, the rookie adjusted to the changing track conditions and posted competitive lap times across the first two stages.

In the final stage, Byrd continued his march forward and survived a restart in NASCAR overtime to deliver a career-best 14th-place finish for the second consecutive race.

● Young's Motorsports' NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series at Kansas Speedway: This weekend will mark Young's Motorsports' 34th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start at Kansas Speedway.

The organization posted a team-best finish of 11th at the track on Friday, May 6, 2016, with current team principal and former team mainstay driver Tyler Young at the wheel in the 2016 edition of the Toyota Tundra 250.

Since 2014, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 24.8 and an average finish of 23.2 in 33 Kansas Speedway starts overall.

● Young's Motorsports' NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series History: Since entering the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C., - based organization has logged 518 starts from 70 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include two victories (Talladega Superspeedway 2019 and 2021), seven top-five finishes and 33 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 23.2 and an average finishing position of 22.2.

● Follow on Social Media: For more on Nathan Byrd, please visit byrdracing.com, like him on Facebook (Nathan Byrd), and follow him on Instagram (@nathanjbyrd) and X |Twitter (@nathanjbyrd).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Nathan Byrd Pre-Race Quote:

On Kansas Speedway: “Kansas is the first track I’m going back to in the Truck series that I’ve already raced at and gotten a top 20 finish.

“In terms of competitive pace, that was actually one of my best races from a driving perspective, so I’m looking forward to returning there.”

On Kansas Speedway Preparation: “My biggest preparations for Kansas Speedway this weekend are getting good racing | simulator time to hopefully reacquaint myself with the track and doing the usual video review and talking with my crew chief and team on what I should be thinking about most heading to Kansas.”

On Returning to Kansas Speedway with Prior Experience: “It’s important as it represents a special opportunity to dial things in closer as a driver and with the setup of the truck.

“There are fewer things I have to learn in terms of how to drive the track, so I can then focus on the next tier of racing, which is how to set up the truck for the track and then qualify and race more efficiently to improve the ultimate result.”

On Goals at Kansas Speedway: “I think another top 20 finish would be satisfying, assuming that most of the trucks finish on the lead lap and we don’t have another big race of attrition. A top 20 out of true lead-lap competitive pace as a driver | truck combo would be a satisfying result. However.

“This same situation but challenging for a top 15 and being racier and moving forward after an already decent qualifying would be a more “now we’re getting it” sort of result that would really be a testament to the team’s work on the car and my abilities in finding and driving the right setup.”

On 2025 Season: “Out of 10, I would rate our season thus far as a 7/10.

“I’m happy with the progression I’ve made with the team's hard work and support, and the 7/10 reflects the progress we continue to make and the struggles we’ve had thus far.”

On Texas Motor Speedway Finish: “I think the top 15 was another good result that I may even go so far as to say is more expected given the amount of attrition there was.

“I don’t want to throw water on that result, but I personally felt that we had more to offer in terms of the final result, especially if the driver had been a bit more diligent and intentional in getting the setup dialed in faster.

“Let’s get a lead lap finish, top-15 with average or less than average attrition, and then I’ll say that we’ve really accomplished something significant that I’m really proud of and can hang my hat on. Otherwise, I’m not sitting still, and I’m pushing for better.”

Race Information:

The Heart of Healthcare 200 (134 laps | 201 miles) is the ninth of 25 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races on the 2025 schedule. A 25-minute practice for each group will occur on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 1:05 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 2:10 p.m. The field will take the green flag later that day, shortly after 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET), with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the NASCAR Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (CT).