The 2027 season will look very different for Jake Garcia as he prepares to leave ThorSport Racing and join Front Row Motorsports in the No. 38 Ford F-150, the team announced this afternoon. The move comes just days after Garcia clinched his first Craftsman Truck Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. This is a pivotal move for the 21-year-old Georgia native who continues to defy the odds and rise through NASCAR’s national ranks.
Garcia’s arrival gives Front Row Motorsports a driver coming off one of the biggest moments of his career, but the timing of the news also seems interesting given his September 17 win at Bristol. The win didn’t come quietly. Garcia had a job to do, and he made a statement, leading 140 of the race’s 250 laps.
He asserted dominance lap after lap until the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics reached the final stages, but he is no stranger to keeping his fellow competitors on their toes. Through 95 career starts in the Truck Series, he has one victory, six top-five finishes, 29 top-10s, and five poles, a track record that will follow him to a much different opportunity with FRM.
Yet the move is much more than just a team change. Garcia is joining an organization that has shown it can put drivers in a position to compete, and he brings experience from 95 starts and the confidence that comes with reaching Victory Lane. Together, they give 2027 a strong starting point. The truck he is set to pilot, the No. 38, also has plenty of history behind it.
Front Row Motorsports has secured 23 victories in it since launching its program in 2022 and capturing the series championship the same year with Zane Smith. The team continues to build a competitive presence in the series with both its No. 34 and No. 38 entries qualified for the 2026 chase. The No. 38 has already visited Victory Lane twice this season, with wins at Daytona International Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Garcia takes over the seat from Chandler Smith, who is leaving the organization after 2026 and moving t to Richard Childress Racing for 2027. That creates a clear change for the No. 38, but FRM is bringing in a driver who has already shown he can capitalize when the opportunity is there. Garcia currently sits 11th in the Truck Series standings.
And while he did not make this year’s Chase, his Bristol win gave his 2026 season a different finish than the points position alone would suggest. Quanta Services will also continue as the No. 38 program’s major primary sponsor, adding another familiar piece to Garcia’s new surroundings. For Garcia, the immediate focus remains finishing his current season with ThorSport Racing before turning his attention toward the next phase.
His first start with Front Row Motorsports is already set. Garcia will make his No. 38 debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2027, when the new Truck Series season begins. By then, the Bristol win will no longer be his latest accomplishment. It will be the foundation he carries into a new garage, a new team, and a truck that has already proven it can win.
Original article


Comments