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Owner(s) | Chris Larsen Stewart Friesen |
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Base | Statesville, North Carolina |
Series | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series |
Race drivers | 52. Stewart Friesen, Christopher Bell, Kaden Honeycutt 62. Wesley Slimp, Cole Butcher, Mike Christopher Jr. (part-time) |
Manufacturer | Toyota |
Opened | 2016 |
Career | |
Debut | 2016 Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby (Eldora) |
Latest race | 2025 UNOH 250 (Bristol) |
Races competed | Total: 209 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 209 |
Drivers' Championships | Total: 0 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 0 |
Race victories | Total: 4 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 4 |
Pole positions | Total: 3 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 3 |
Halmar Friesen Racing, also known as Halmar Racing Team, is an American professional stock car racing and dirt track racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, fielding the No. 52 Toyota Tundra full-time for mostly Stewart Friesen and part-time fielding the No. 62 Toyota for Wesley Slimp, Cole Butcher and Mike Christopher Jr..
The team also fields modified racing cars for several drivers around the Northeastern United States, including for Stewart and his wife Jessica.
The team ran part-time in 2016, using the No. 16 and entering the short track races with Friesen as driver. [1] For the team's debut race at Eldora, the truck had a body from Kyle Busch Motorsports and an engine from Richard Childress Racing. [2]
Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | NCTC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Stewart Friesen | 16 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | MAR | KAN | DOV | CLT | TEX | IOW | GTW | KEN | ELD 28 | POC | BRI 22 | MCH | MSP | CHI | NHA 13 | LVS 19 | TAL | MAR | TEX | PHO 18 | HOM 29 | 33rd | 69 |
In 2017, the team announced plans to run the full Truck Series schedule as Halmar Friesen Racing with Friesen driving the renumbered No. 52 truck. [3] HFR hired Cup Series team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. of Tommy Baldwin Racing (which reduced from a full-time to a part-time Cup Series schedule in 2017) to serve as team manager. [4] After the June Texas race, the team announced a two-race hiatus and that they would return in Kentucky in July. [5] Friesen captured the pole for the 2017 Eldora Dirt Derby and finished second to Matt Crafton in the race after leading over half of the laps. [6] On August 23, HFR announced the end of its partnership with Baldwin and the start of a new technical alliance with GMS Racing. [7] The same day the team announce that Tommy Baldwin's brother in law, longtime NASCAR crew chief, Trip Bruce would take over running the team and has remained a staple at HFR from 2018 to 2021 as Stewart's Crew Chief and in 2022 moved into the role of Director of Competition.
For 2018, HFR continued the alliance with GMS, so much so that GMS driver Johnny Sauter referenced Friesen as a teammate. After advancing to the playoffs and a best finish of second on three occasions throughout the year, he finished seventh in the final points standings after being eliminated in the Round of 8.
On July 11, 2019, NASCAR confiscated the No. 52 truck before the Kentucky race after discovering an issue with the firewall during pre-race inspection. The team was able to use their backup truck, which finished second in the race. [8] On August 1, 2019, Friesen finally broke through to win his first career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Eldora. [9] Friesen would also go onto win at Phoenix Raceway later that year.
On December 3, 2019, it was announced that the team would switch from Chevrolet to Toyota in an alliance with Kyle Busch Motorsports starting in 2020, thus ending their previous alliance with GMS Racing. [10] In 2020, after Friesen missed the playoffs, he decided to skip the race at Kansas Speedway in October in order to compete in a dirt race on the same day. Timothy Peters would fill in for Friesen in the No. 52 in the Truck Series race. [11] Friesen would run his fourth full season in the Truck Series in 2021 and would make the playoffs again despite not winning any races that year.
On May 20, 2022, Friesen broke a 54-race winless streak in the Truck Series by scoring his third career victory at Texas Motor Speedway after passing Christian Eckes for the lead in overtime. Friesen returned to the Truck Series in 2023. He scored five top-fives and seven top-tens, but went winless and missed the playoffs. He finished twelfth in the final standings. The 2024 season would follow a similar trend, with Friesen scoring seven top-ten finishes and one top-five, as well as a pole at Nashville. He would again finish twelfth in the standings.
Friesen started the 2025 season with a 23rd-place finish at Daytona. Friesen broke a 72-race drought with a win at Michigan in triple-overtime. [12] In late July, Friesen was involved in a high-speed accident while competing in a Super DIRTcar Series event at Autodrome Drummond. Friesen sustained fractures to his pelvis and right leg. [13] Christopher Bell substituted for Friesen at Watkins Glen, while Kaden Honeycutt substituted for Friesen for the final eight races, starting at Richmond. [14] [15]
Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTS | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Stewart Friesen | 52 | Chevy | DAY 31 | ATL 19 | MAR 25 | KAN 32 | CLT 23 | DOV 28 | TEX 22 | GTW | IOW | KEN 12 | ELD 2* | POC 12 | MCH 13 | BRI 29 | MSP | CHI | NHA 5 | LVS 23 | TAL 17 | MAR 6 | TEX 14 | PHO 6 | HOM 7 | 14th | 422 | ||
2018 | DAY 27 | ATL 6 | LVS 5 | MAR 20 | DOV 23 | KAN 3 | CLT 6 | TEX 2 | IOW 9 | GTW 13 | CHI 19 | KEN 2 | ELD 3 | POC 4 | MCH 8 | BRI 2 | MSP 7 | LVS 17 | TAL 6 | MAR 11 | TEX 8 | PHO 5 | HOM 4 | 7th | 2265 | |||||
2019 | DAY 10 | ATL 18 | LVS 4 | MAR 5 | TEX 2 | DOV 12 | KAN 15* | CLT 3 | TEX 20 | IOW 5 | GTW 3 | CHI 3 | KEN 2 | POC 32 | ELD 1 | MCH 8 | BRI 4 | MSP 7 | LVS 19 | TAL 5 | MAR 6 | PHO 1 | HOM 11 | 4th | 4026 | |||||
2020 | Toyota | DAY 21 | LVS 9 | CLT 30 | ATL 10 | HOM 14 | POC 8 | KEN 15 | TEX 4 | KAN 27 | KAN 34 | MCH 39 | DRC 10 | DOV 9 | GTW 5 | DAR 8 | RCH 10 | BRI 32 | LVS 4 | TAL 17 | TEX 28 | MAR 6 | PHO 6 | 15th | 504 | |||||
Timothy Peters | KAN 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | Stewart Friesen | DAY 32 | DRC 11 | LVS 4 | ATL 10 | BRD 12 | RCH 13 | KAN 14 | DAR 25 | COA 17 | CLT 4 | TEX 34 | NSH 5 | POC 33 | KNX 27 | GLN 20 | GTW 4 | DAR 3 | BRI 4 | LVS 6 | TAL 22 | MAR 17 | PHO 2 | 6th | 2275 | |||||
2022 | DAY 16 | LVS 3 | ATL 6* | COA 9 | MAR 13 | BRD 11 | DAR 12 | KAN 14 | TEX 1* | CLT 9 | GTW 4 | SON 31 | KNX 5 | NSH 5 | MOH 4 | POC 14 | IRP 4 | RCH 11 | KAN 20 | BRI 7 | TAL 20 | HOM 3 | PHO 5 | 6th | 2276 | |||||
2023 | DAY 28 | LVS 14 | ATL 22 | COA 14 | TEX 3 | BRD 23 | MAR 31 | KAN 4 | DAR 2 | NWS 13 | CLT 22 | GTW 3 | NSH 18 | MOH 4 | POC 32 | RCH 27 | IRP 30 | MLW 30 | KAN 7 | BRI 14 | TAL 34 | HOM 6 | PHO 24 | 12th | 537 | |||||
2024 | DAY 14 | ATL 23 | LVS 18 | BRI 22 | COA 20 | MAR 19 | TEX 13 | KAN 25 | DAR 14 | NWS 10 | CLT 2 | GTW 8 | NSH 11 | POC 7 | IRP 33 | RCH 25 | MLW 20 | BRI 9 | KAN 24 | TAL 13 | HOM 6 | MAR 10 | PHO 18 | 12th | 557 | |||||
2025 | DAY 23 | ATL 2 | LVS 6 | HOM 16 | MAR 9 | BRI 27 | CAR 29 | TEX 24 | KAN 5 | NWS 14 | CLT 13 | NSH 21 | MCH 1 | POC 8 | LRP 23 | IRP 35 | ||||||||||||||
Christopher Bell | GLN 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kaden Honeycutt | RCH 10 | DAR 18 | BRI 12 | NHA | ROV | TAL | MAR | PHO |
On March 11, 2021, Jessica Friesen announced that she would make her Truck Series debut in the Bristol dirt race, driving the No. 62 and competing alongside her husband. [16] However, she failed to qualify after rain washed out the heat races. [17] Instead, she would make her debut in the other dirt race for the Truck Series at Knoxville Raceway, the Corn Belt 150. [18] Jessica finished 26th, one position better than Stewart. [19]
After having not driven in NASCAR for five years, Todd Bodine returned to the Truck Series to drive for Halmar Friesen Racing in the No. 62 at Las Vegas. [20] The CEO of series title sponsor Camping World, Marcus Lemonis, stated that Camping World would sponsor Bodine for six races to get him to 800 overall starts in NASCAR. [21] Bodine would compete in the 6 races during which he would finish five races, lead three laps, and score a top-ten finish at Darlington. [22] In his 800th and final overall NASCAR race at Pocono, Bodine would finish 36th after he crashed twelve laps into the race. [23]
On March 28, 2022, the team announced that Jessica Friesen would return to drive the No. 62 in the two dirt races again. [24] She would fail to qualify at Bristol for the second consecutive year. [25] She would go onto to race at Knoxville where she had a rollover crash on lap 58 after hitting the tracks berm. The accident was not shown in the Fox Sports broadcast of the race. [26] Jessica would remain in the race after the accident, finishing 34th. [27]
In July 2022, it was announced that NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series driver Layne Riggs would make his Truck Series debut, driving the No. 62 truck at IRP, and would finish seventh. [28] [29] The next race at Richmond, Riggs would qualify 4th, but would finish the race two laps down in ninteenth place. [30] Riggs would make his final start of the year at the season finale at Phoenix where he would qualify second and lead five laps early in the race, but he would later drop back and finish thirteenth. [31]
In 2023, Jessica would return to the series but would fail to qualify for the Bristol dirt race. [32] [33]
On June 23, 2025, it was announced that Wesley Slimp would make his Truck Series debut at Lime Rock Park, with Slimp competing at all three road course races as part of the deal. [34] [35] On August 10, it was announced that Super Late Model standout Cole Butcher would make his Truck Series debut at Bristol. [36] On August 29, it was announced that Mike Christopher Jr. (nephew of the late Ted Christopher) will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at New Hampshire. [37]
Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Jessica Friesen | 62 | Toyota | DAY | DRC | LVS | ATL | BRD DNQ | RCH | KAN | DAR | COA | CLT | TEX | NSH | POC | KNX 26 | GLN | GTW | DAR | BRI | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | 78th | 11 | |||
2022 | Todd Bodine | DAY | LVS 21 | ATL | COA | MAR | DAR 10 | KAN | TEX 13 | CLT | GTW | SON 20 | NSH 27 | MOH | POC 36 | |||||||||||||||
Jessica Friesen | BRD DNQ | KNX 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Layne Riggs | IRP 7 | RCH 19 | KAN | BRI | TAL | HOM | PHO 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | Jessica Friesen | DAY | LVS | ATL | COA | TEX | BRD DNQ | MAR | KAN | DAR | NWS | CLT | GTW | NSH | MOH | POC | RCH | IRP | MLW | KAN | BRI | TAL | HOM | PHO | ||||||
2025 | Wesley Slimp | DAY | ATL | LVS | HOM | MAR | BRI | CAR | TEX | KAN | NWS | CLT | NSH | MCH | POC | LRP 33 | IRP | GLN 12 | RCH | DAR | ||||||||||
Cole Butcher | BRI 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mike Christopher Jr. | NHA | ROV | TAL | MAR | PHO |