Derek Kraus

The young Wisconsin native had a bit of a slump in his sophomore season last year. Kraus labored to just four Top-10 finishes after posting a whopping 13 with this same race team in his rookie season. Kraus saw his average finish inflate from 13.0 to 19.7 as a result. He'll look to hit the reset button in 2022 as he returns to the No. 19 MHR team. The team switches from Toyota to Chevrolet this season and will look to recover some of their lost performance. Kraus has the ability to lead laps and challenge for Top-10 finishes, so he stands a very good chance of climbing the driver rankings. An alliance with GMS Racing will only help this small race team to improve.

Kraus' first full season in the truck series last year was a pleasant surprise. The 19-year-old prospect piloted the No. 19 Toyota to three Top-5 and 13 Top-10 finishes. Kraus came on strong late in last season, grabbing four of those Top 10's in the final five races. This small race team will field the youngster in a full campaign once again in 2021. Kraus' only major concern is that he'll be starting out with a new crew chief this season. Kevin Bellicourt left MHR at the end of last year to pursue an opportunity in the Cup Series with Spire Motorsports. At the time of this writing we don't know who'll be the crew chief for this driver and team. That one unknown does somewhat temper our expectations for Kraus. However, this young driver's talent and potential are undeniable.

This team will be transitioning from part to full-time in the upcoming season. They have made a strategic alignment with Hattori Racing that will help them to run the full schedule. Kraus made just four starts last season in this truck, but did nab a surprising Top 10 at Dover in those limited starts. Kevin Bellicourt was the crew chief and is expected to return for Kraus' full-season effort. This young driver was last season's K&N Pro Series West champion with five victories and 13 Top-10 finishes, so the level of talent is obvious. The headwinds of a relatively new race team will be their biggest limiting factor.