Slimp ‘Just Pumped’ For Truck Debut In HFR No. 62

Wesley Slimp will debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this weekend with Halmar Friesen Racing.

LAKEVILLE, Conn. – Current Porsche Carrera Cup North America driver Wesley Slimp will make his first foray into the NASCAR world this weekend during the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visit to Lime Rock Park.

Slimp has been tapped by Halmar Friesen Racing to pilot the No. 62 HNTB Toyota Tundra in the LiUNA 150 at the historic, 1.478-mile, seven-turn facility.

The Marietta, Ga., driver will carry primary sponsorship in the event from HNTB Corp., an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm that has sponsored the majority of his racing ventures.

“I’m really excited, honestly; there’s no nerves,” Slimp told Race Face Digital regarding the opportunity. “I’m just pumped for this experience and to take whatever it’ll give me.”

With a background focused predominately on sports car racing, beginning in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and later moving to Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, Slimp now races in Porsche Carrera Cup for one of the brand’s most successful North American teams in Kellymoss.

Slimp broke through for two victories during the 2023 Super Trofeo season at two iconic venues, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l and Vallelunga Circuit in Campagnano di Roma, Italy, with co-driver Tyler Hoffman.

The duo wound up finishing third overall in the championship standings in the Am class that season. Slimp has three wins overall in 36 Super Trofeo starts.

Slimp will be one of six drivers in the 35-truck field looking to shine bright in their Truck Series debuts on Saturday afternoon, joining fellow Trans-Am winner Thomas Annunziata, four-time IMSA champion Jordan Taylor, William Lambros, Ben Maier, and 2017 NASCAR Canada Series titlist Alex Labbé in that category.

He hopes to showcase that some of his sports car skills will translate to the Truck Series, but also admits there’s a lot that he’s had to learn about the NASCAR vehicles in advance testing.

“Honestly, it’s been about learning how to hustle it, and testing other preparations with the team,” Slimp said of his preparation for Lime Rock. “It’s a slightly different driving style, but really not as different as some people might think.”

Saturday will be a test for Slimp over the course of 100 laps around the oldest operating road course in the United States, considering it’s his first visit to the racetrack, but it will be for everyone in the field.

He hopes his prior road course skills will at least give him an edge in adapting to Lime Rock quickly.

“I haven’t raced there in my career yet,” Slimp said. “So it’s just taking things that I’ve already learned and kind of putting them in a new lens and applying them differently. As far as the track, it’s got some unique characteristics, like the long turn one complex. But it’s really not so different from things I’ve done before.”

Lime Rock will be the first time in nearly two years that HFR will field the No. 62 entry, which has been driven by a plethora of drivers in years past, including two-time Truck Series champion Todd Bodine and reigning Truck Series rookie-of-the-year Layne Riggs.

Friesen’s wife Jessica also drove the No. 62 truck in dirt races at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway in both 2021 and 2022.

Slimp explained that the opportunity in the Truck Series was first sparked by Halmar International co-founder and HFR co-owner Chris Larsen more so than from Friesen himself.

“[My involvement] was mostly led from the Halmar side, mainly with Chris Larsen. I popped up on his radar and that lined up as a perfect storm with Stewart (Friesen) wanting to run the [No.] 62 again,” he recalled. “I’m so happy to have gotten the opportunity from Chris and from Stewart.”

What are Slimp’s goals for the weekend, which includes a 50-minute practice session Friday prior to qualifying and the race Saturday?

“I’m trying not to put a very specific goal on it. I want to take it as it comes, because I have no idea what to expect,” Slimp admitted. “I haven’t raced against really any of these guys before, or on this platform, so practice is going to be a lot about figuring out what it is I really want from this in order to succeed, and running as many laps there as possible.

“It’s really a step-by-step thing. I feel like the only way you can really be disappointed is by setting a goal without knowing whether it’s realistic or not,” he continued. “Obviously, I’m a racer and I want to go and win and do all these things, but that doesn't come immediately. This is a tough series with a really talented field. We know that and we’re just going in to build and see what happens.”

The last time the Truck Series held a standalone road course race came in 2019 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, which produced some of the most memorable and moments in series history over the years the trucks ran there.

Slimp knows the Lime Rock race could be just as memorable and tipped he’s simply happy to be part of it.

“It just adds to the privilege that it is to get to do any of these events … and the fact that it’s this first-time event is so cool. It’s really special,” he noted. “It doesn’t add pressure, even though you might think it would. It’s more of just a whole other aspect to enjoy and to take from this experience.”

The LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park airs Saturday, June 28 at 1 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.