Jack Wood will be joining McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in a double-duty role for the 2024 NASCAR season. The double-duty effort will feature Wood piloting the No. 16 NAPA Auto Care/Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet SS on a full-time basis in the ARCA Menards Series West, where he will compete for the series’ championship, and the No. 91 MHR Chevrolet Silverado RST in 14 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Serise events.
As part of Wood’s double-duty effort, Kevin Bellicourt will serve as his crew chief in both series and Eric Holmes, a three-time ARCA West champion, will serve as both his spotter and driver coach. Wood’s first Truck Series start with MHR in 2024 is set to occur at Daytona International Speedway on February 16 followed by Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24 as the rest of his schedule remains to be determined. His first ARCA Menards Series West start of the 2024 season also remains to be determined with the series’ schedule not yet revealed.
The news comes as the 23-year-old Wood from Loomis, California, is coming off a part-time Truck campaign with Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he competed in 13 of the 23-race schedule and recorded two top-10 results.
“The opportunity to race for a championship with BMR and NAPA Auto Care is definitely exciting,” Wood said. “It’s a great chance to reestablish myself in the West series, focus on racing for a title and continuing to compete on the Truck side also. Having Kevin [Bellicourt] with me in both series is going to be a huge help to build consistency and I’m looking forward to balancing both programs next season.”
Prior to the Truck Series, Wood formely competed in the ARCA Menards Series West, where he has tallied four top-five results and 11 top-10 results in 19 starts (2019-23). He has also made three career starts in the ARCA East region and 17 career starts in the ARCA Menards Series, where he has collected three top-five results and 10 top-10 results in 17 starts (2021-23).
During the 2021 season, Wood made his Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas, where he finished 28th while piloting GMS Racing’s No. 24 Chevrolet entry. The Californian would compete in 11 additional events before competing on a full-time basis in the Truck circuit with GMS in 2022. Despite finishing no higher than 13th on the track in a season where he recorded an average-finishing result of 25.2 and a 24th-place result in the final standings, Wood was selected to anchor Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 51 Chevrolet entry for the majority of the 2023 season, where he shared the ride with team owner Kyle Busch, William Byron and Matt Mills.
Through 48 career starts in the Truck Series, Wood has achieved three top-10 results, five laps led and an average-finishing result of 24.4. Currently, his best on-track result is a ninth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway in April as he continues his pursuit for his first series’ victory.
Wood’s 2024 plans reunites himself with Bill McAnally Racing, which he competed for at Sonoma Raceway in the ARCA West and at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the ARCA Menards Series during the 2022 season. It will also mark his first full-time campaign in the ARCA West region as he replaces Tanner Reif in the No. 16 BMR entry, an entry that last won the ARCA West title in 2021 with Jesse Love. Over on the Truck Series region, Wood will compete alongside Christian Eckes and Daniel Dye, both of whom will compete for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing on a full-time basis.
“Having Jack join our Truck Series program is a big addition, and I’m excited to see him compete for a championship in the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet out west,” Bill McAnally, team owner of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, said. “We want to get back to victory lane in the ARCA West Series and Jack will give us a great chance to chase our 12th championship. He never got to compete for a regional title, and I think the opportunity for him to do that will help him gain confidence and experience. It will also help grow the No. 91 team with Kevin [Bellicourt] into a contender in the Truck Series.”
With his plans for next season set, Wood’s part-time 2024 Craftsman Truck Series campaign with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
