MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Audio and story by Managing Editor Jacob Seelman for Speed77 Radio and Race Chaser Online — Photo courtesy Justin Boston Racing —
The cards are finally falling into place for 2013 ARCA Racing Series SCOTT Rookie of the Year Justin Boston.
Boston, who won two ARCA races this season (Toledo and Madison) en route to finishing fourth in season points, made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in August at Bristol and shocked the world by finishing ninth and 12th in his first two career NASCAR Nationwide Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing in September, can breathe a sigh of relief because he now officially knows what he will be doing in 2015 after months of speculation.
In his own words:
“I’m going Truck racing.”
Officials from Kyle Busch Motorsports announced on Friday night that the 25-year-old Sparks, Maryland native will pilot a third Toyota Tundra out of the KBM stable for the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, alongside previously announced teammates in Erik Jones and NASCAR Next alum Daniel Suarez.
Boston will be a candidate for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, and he says that despite the fact that next season will be about gaining experience, he still looks to be competitive at the front of the field.
“Just because I’m going to be a rookie, doesn’t mean we’re still not going out to compete for wins. We’re gonna compete for wins,” Boston emphasized. “It’s what I’ve been doing the past two seasons (in the ARCA series) and now I get to carry that success over to the Truck Series with KBM and I couldn’t be more blessed and honored to be able to drive one of their trucks.”
Boston was originally scheduled to race the final three Truck races of 2014, but he and his backers elected to shift their focus towards the 2015 season after some of the surprise runs he had among his various rides.
“You hit the nail on the head,” Boston smiled when asked if the change was a refocusing effort. “We definitely wanted to take a step back a little bit and try and figure out where I was going to be running next year. While you’re racing that’s kind of hard to sit down and figure out what you’re going to do in the future so we really wanted to sit down and figure all of that out. That was mainly the reason you didn’t see me at the race track because we were trying to put plans together to put me in a good position to win races and I think it’s worked out pretty well so far.”
It’s a deal that Boston circles as the best move he could make in order to race for a championship in 2015 and remain in top-flight equipment after stellar runs this season.
“You look at the numbers, Kyle Busch Motorsports has already broken records this season with 13 wins and they’re going for a 14th this weekend in Homestead so you know, I couldn’t be in a better position to go and race for wins and race for Rookie of the Year and ultimately go race against my teammate Erik Jones for a championship. I mean, that’s really where my head’s at and what I’m preparing for so I don’t see why we can’t come out of the box (strong).”
“Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later because I feel like I have all the tools necessary at Kyle Busch Motorsports with Joe Gibbs Racing engines and Toyota Racing and all the people that are going to be behind me giving me support and great trucks to go get the job done.”
The number and sponsor on Boston’s truck will be determined in the coming weeks, once additional work from inside Kyle Busch Motorsports is completed and agreements are finalized.
Boston knows those pieces are coming. He also knows that he won’t have all the experience he needs from day one — but that it will come.
“It’s definitely going to be a bit of a learning curve with the truck and how it drives compared to the Nationwide car, but you know, that’s what good race car drivers do. They adapt, and that’s what I’m hoping I’ll be able to do as I get more seat time and more tracks under my belt next year.”
Boston knows, though, that his team owner and four-time Truck winner teammate will be behind him every step of the way.
“It’s huge to have someone like Kyle Busch to look up to, to bounce things off of and to drive for, and Erik Jones too. You know, he has so much experience at such a young age and that’s going to be a lot of help as well.”
“You know, it’s no secret that I definitely have lacked experience in prior seasons. When I came into the 2013 ARCA season I only had 20 races under my belt, so in retrospect to the competition I’ve been racing against, it’s been playing a lot of catch-up.”
The Maryland native knows now that he’s learned what it takes — and now he’s got the stage to show it.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much just by being at the track and watching a lot of these races before I climb in the seat; I did that with a lot of the Nationwide Series races and being a part of the organization before I strapped in for the first time, so I think it’s a huge benefit to have teammates that have done that and people to lean on for 2015 and beyond.”
“I’m definitely pumped to be a part of the Kyle Busch Motorsports family and I’m excited to see what we can do next year.”
Boston’s first race with KBM will be the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2015.
Listen in to our full conversation with Justin Boston on his new deal for 2015 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:
