Jake Garcia, who was a formidable force on the short track scene on his path to the NASCAR ladder, will move to the ThorSport Racing team to contest his second full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2024.
The team announced the 18-year-old driver as the newest driver for the organization on Wednesday.
“To have the chance to race for a championship organization like ThorSport Racing is huge for me,” said Garcia in a team press release. “I’m extremely excited for this opportunity and cannot wait to get the 2024 season started.”
The young racer will have Quanta Services as his anchor partner for the 2024 season.
Garcia finished 13th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings during his rookie campaign this season. The racer competed in 22 of 23 races, as he missed the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway due to being under the age requirement at the time of that event.
Over his 22 races in the series this past season, Garcia recorded three top-five finishes, including a runner-up finish in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, to go along with nine top-10s. Garcia piloted the No. 35 entry for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2023.
Garcia, a native of Monroe, GA, became the youngest champion in the history of the Southern Super Series when he took the series crown in 2021.
Additionally, Garcia was the Super Late Model Track Champion at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida in 2021, and he was the Pro Late Model Track Champion at Five Flags in 2019. Garcia will attempt to grab the checkered flag for the first time in the prestigious Snowball Derby in December, as he is one of the names on the massive entry list.
In four previous starts in the Snowball Derby, Garcia has snagged one top-five and two top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish in the 2019 edition of the event, where he led nine laps.
Garcia also has three previous starts in the Snowflake 100, and he has finished top-10 in all three attempts in that event.
Prior to his climb into the NASCAR ranks, Garcia racked up eight wins over a three-year span in the Show Me The Money Pro Late Model Series at Montgomery Motor Speedway from 2020 to 2022, and he has recorded wins in USAC Eastern Midget, CRA JEGS All-Stars Tour, CRA Super Series, and CARS Tour Super Late Model competition.
Now, Garcia will see what he can do during the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season as he'll drive for the organization, which took home the 2023 championship with driver Ben Rhodes.
Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, TobyChristie.com
