Nick Sanchez Is Determined To Learn Championship Ways From Kyle Busch

Nick Sanchez is only 22 years old, but he’s already making a name for himself as one of Nascar’s top prospects.

Sanchez entered the 2023 Nascar Craftsman Truck Series season with a load of confidence after several strong Xfinity Series starts in 2022. The 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion opted to compete in the Truck Series this year, a new challenge before he attempts a full Xfinity Series slate.

“When the opportunity presented itself to continue my relationship with Rev Racing and Max Siegel, they’ve been loyal to me in my career since I was 15 in legends cars,” Sanchez said. “I had the opportunity in front of me to continue with them and with our partners at Gainbridge, with help from Chevrolet. It’s an opportunity to grow with a new sponsor and a new brand in Nascar, along with my relationship with Max, who I hold very near and dear to me.”

The brand-new Truck Series team has a strong alliance with Kyle Busch Motorsports, which moved to Chevrolet over the offseason as team owner Kyle Busch — the all-time Truck Series wins leader with 63 trophies — inked a fresh contract with Richard Childress Racing in the Cup Series. Essentially, the No. 2 Chevrolet is a third KBM truck. Thus far, the in-race results are not there, but Sanchez qualified first and second, respectively, in the first two races this year.

The opportunity to work with the two-time Cup Series champion means that Sanchez can learn how to be a winner himself in Nascar’s top-three divisions.

“I know we’re a new truck team, but our alliance with KBM is very, very deep,” Sanchez said. “The opportunity to join a team that just made it to the championship round played a very big role in my decision making. I want to win, and I think I’m in the best opportunity to do that.”

This season marks Rev Racing’s first time moving up through the Nascar rankings. The team historically competed in the feeder series — all three ARCA Menards Series divisions — and in other smaller divisions like late models and legends cars.

But when a sponsor came on board, it was obvious that a partnership with Busch’s team could create a winning combination. Because of the alliance, Sanchez opted to stick with the team that’s been loyal to him, rather than pursue other Xfinity or Truck Series opportunities.

“I can use Kyle Busch’s brain to help me drive faster,” Sanchez said of Busch, who won the second race of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “To have him to lean on, you don’t need to go anywhere else for information or for questions. The drivers who have come out of the KBM stable, you look at where they are now and they’re competing against him on Sundays. Whatever he preaches to them works, and I want to get all of the knowledge that I can get out of him. I want to learn and grow as a driver.”

For Sanchez, the expectations in 2023 are high. Not only does he want to win at least one race, but he is determined to compete for the Truck Series championship. Crew chief Danny Stockman won the 2011 Truck Series championship and 2013 Xfinity Series title with Austin Dillon, and he’s also hungry to win it all.

As seen through the first two races, Sanchez knows he needs to not only evaluate his competition, but he must finish races to earn the results before entering victory lane.

“I have the best opportunity in front of me to focus on my craft and get better as a driver,” Sanchez said. “I don’t have to worry about anything else or any other driver. I just need to focus on myself. I’m going to race myself out there. I know it’s possible, and I need to just execute it. With that being said, at the end of the year, that will hopefully lead me to a championship. The end goal is a championship this year. Every single race I’m in, I want to win.”

Looking ahead, Sanchez would like to get his feet wet in the Xfinity Series again at some point this year, should the opportunity arise. In eight starts between BJ McLeod Motorsports and Big Machine Racing, he earned a top 10 at Martinsville with three other top-12 finishes.

Sanchez said, “Initially, I had an opportunity or two to go to Xfinity. I said, ‘Is this the right move?’ Now, working with my team and seeing all of the exciting stuff going on and the way they work, I’d love to run some Xfinity races at the end of the year. But I’m totally content with not running any because I think I’m in the right place to win.”

Sanchez’s next race is FR8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.