Halmar Friesen Racing
Halmar Racing Team, also known as Halmar Friesen Racing, is an American professional stock car racing and dirt track racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, fielding the No. 52 Toyota Tundra full-time for Stewart Friesen. The team also fields modified racing cars for several drivers around the Northeastern United States.
| Owner(s) | Chris Larsen Stewart Friesen (Truck Series) |
|---|---|
| Series | NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series |
| Race drivers | 52. Stewart Friesen |
| Sponsors | 52. Halmar International, We Build America |
| Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Opened | 2016 |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2016 Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby (Eldora) |
| Latest race | 2020 Sunoco 159 (Daytona) |
| Races competed | 78 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 2 |
| Pole positions | 3 |
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Truck No. 16 history
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]
Truck No. 52 history
In 2017, the team announced plans to run the full Truck schedule as Halmar Friesen Racing with Friesen driving the renumbered No. 52.[3] HFR hired Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. of Tommy Baldwin Racing 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, 2017, HFR announced the end of its partnership with Baldwin and the start of a new technical alliance with GMS Racing.[7]
On August 16, 2018, Friesen made the truck series playoffs for the first time in the organization's history.
On July 11, 2019, NASCAR confiscated the No. 52 truck prior to 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]
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]
References
- "Camping World Truck Statistics: Stewart Friesen - 2016 [DriverAverages.com]". www.driveraverages.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- "Stewart Friesen: The Eyes of the Northeast Were on You – DTD Exclusive". Dirt Track Digest. July 22, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- "Halmar Friesen Racing Announces NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News - MRN.com". www.mrn.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- McFadin, Daniel (January 9, 2017). "Halmar Friesen Racing enters Truck Series under leadership of Tommy Baldwin". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- "Halmar Friesen Racing taking two-week hiatus from Truck competition". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- "Stewart Friesen finishes 2nd in NASCAR Trucks race at Eldora Speedway". syracuse.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (August 23, 2017). "Halmar Friesen Racing Truck team splits with Tommy Baldwin Jr., forms alliance with GMS Racing". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- "NASCAR confiscates No. 52 truck from Halmar Racing". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- "Stewart Friesen scores first Gander Trucks victory, wins at Eldora". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- Rutherford, Kevin (December 3, 2020). "Stewart Friesen Remaining in Truck Series, Moving to Toyota in 2020". Frontstretch. Retrieved December 3, 2019.