MOORESVILLE, N.C. Hettinger Racing has entered the season-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway with driver Mason Maggio.

The 20-year-old racer from Palm Beach Garden, Florida, will drive the No. 4 Tantillo Auto Group Chevrolet Silverado in Fridays Fresh From Florida 250.

The event will be Maggios 22nd career Truck Series start and his second on a superspeedway. Maggios first superspeedway start came in his most recent Truck Series race Oct. 4, 2024 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where he finished 18th.

As far as the overall basics of superspeedway racing and how to navigate it, Talladega definitely gave me a great feel of what to expect, Maggio said. Ive been putting in the work watching film between practice, qualifying and the race, and then Ive got some really good people here at Hettinger Racing to lean on for advice. Talladega gave me a lot of good pointers and it just makes me feel even more prepared than I wouldve been if I didnt do that race last year.

Daytona marks Hettinger Racings third Truck Series start. The team ran the final two Truck Series race of the 2024 season at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Phoenix Raceway with driver Brett Moffitt after team owner Chris Hettinger bought the assets of Bret Holmes Racing.

Hettinger is a second-generation racer whose father, Jim, raced open-wheel Midgets and Sprint Cars and won two championships in 1984 and 1990, accolades that earned him a spot in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Chris began his racing career behind the wheel, winning in Midgets and Late Models before becoming a full-time team owner.

Daytona marks another step in the growth of our race team, Hettinger said. Weve got our Late Model and ARCA program, and the Truck Series represents the top step of the ladder program we have available to our drivers. Mason is ready for this opportunity and we are too.

Maggio is an accomplished Late Model racer who began his career in Bandolero and Legend Cars. He made his Truck Series debut on June 4, 2022 at Worldwide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, and his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on April 1, 2023 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.

I broke into the Truck Series in 2022, and then did my first Xfinity start in 2023. Just been kind of going back and forth there, really hustling with smaller-to-mid-pack teams trying to make a name for myself and continuing to show the NASCAR world what I can do, Maggio said. I feel like Ive done a pretty decent job of that, from well-established, small teams to even startup teams, so Im not afraid to grab the bull by the horns and take on a new challenge.

Its whats led me to this opportunity with Hettinger Racing and, knowing Ive got good equipment and good people, its the most excited Ive been in a long time.