Getty The No. 51 Chevrolet Silverado will have a new driver for 2 races.
The No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado will have a new driver for two upcoming races. The Craftsman Truck Series team has joined forces with Matt Mills.
Kyle Busch Motorsports announced the news on June 16 with a press release. The team said that Mills will take over the No. 51 Chevrolet Silverado at Richmond Raceway on July 29 and the Milwaukee Mile on August 27. J.F. Electric will serve as his primary partner.
“I’m really excited that KBM is providing me with an opportunity to showcase my abilities driving two races in the No. 51 Silverado,” Mills said in a press release.
“It makes it even more exciting that Richmond is the first race because I was born about an hour from there and I’ve had some strong runs there in the Xfinity Series, so I couldn’t think of a better track to make my KBM debut at. J.F. Electric has been a long-time supporter, and this wouldn’t be possible without them, Utilitra and Thompson Electric.”
Mills Makes His KBM Debut in 2023
GettyMatt Mills will drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Mills has made 141 starts across the three national NASCAR series while driving for a wide variety of teams. The majority — 121 races — have been in the Xfinity Series while 19 have been in the Truck Series. His lone other start was in the Cup Series.
Mills’ most recent starts in the Truck Series have been with Young’s Motorsports. He made four starts for the team in 2022 and four in 2023 while posting a career-best finish of 15th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022.
Mills will now make his Kyle Busch Motorsports debut, and he will take over the best equipment of his NASCAR career. He will also make his first starts in the Truck Series at Richmond Raceway and Milwaukee Mile. Though Mills has seven starts at Richmond in the Xfinity Series.
Rules Prohibit Certain Drivers From Competing at Milwaukee
GettyRon Hornaday Jr. races at Milwaukee Mile.
The trip to Milwaukee Mile will have a fairly streamlined lineup. There are rules in place that prohibit certain drivers from competing at the one-mile track due to its place on the NASCAR schedule.
The Truck Series race at Milwaukee Mile takes place on Sunday, August 27. This event is the second race of the opening round of the playoffs.
Full-time Cup Series drivers are not eligible to compete in the regular-season finale and the Truck Series playoff races while the full-time Xfinity Series drivers are not allowed to compete in the Truck Series season finale.
Mills is not full-time in any national series, so he can compete in the Truck Series race at Milwaukee Mile. He will take advantage of this opportunity while becoming the fourth driver to control the No. 51 Chevrolet Silverado.
There have been 12 Truck Series races so far in 2023. Jack Wood has controlled the No. 51 for five of them while Kyle Busch has taken it over for four. He will make his fifth start of the season at Pocono Raceway on July 22.
William Byron rounds out the list. He made three starts in the No. 51 as part of a limited schedule with his former team, which included Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, and North Wilkesboro Speedway.
