Luke Baldwin, the 2024 SMART Modified Tour champion, has signed a deal to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, March 28, the team announced Thursday. Baldwin told FloRacing that he signed a three-race deal with his remaining two races still to be announced.

“I’ve signed a three-race deal with ThorSport Racing to go truck racing, and I have never been more excited for something in my life,” said an exuberant Baldwin. “This is something everyone dreams of as a kid and I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to do it, thanks to Duke, Rhonda, and Ali Thorson.

Baldwin has only one full season of full-size racing experience under his belt after cutting his teeth in the Legends Car ranks. During his rookie campaign in the high-powered Tour-type Modifieds, the 18-year-old scored two wins on the SMART Modified Tour en route to 2024 Rookie of the Year honors and the series’ championship. In 2025, he started strong by capturing the pole at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener at New Smyrna Speedway, and followed that up by finishing an impressive fourth-place finish in the feature. 

“This will be a whole new ball game in multiple ways, whether it’s the competition, the way the trucks drive, or the atmosphere, but I think the time I’ve spent in the SMART Tour and the CARS Tour will definitely help me catch up sooner than later."

Locked in for his NASCAR Truck Series debut! Luke Baldwin joins ThorSport Racing for a multi-race venture, kicking off at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 66 Ford F-150. Stay tuned for an upcoming partnership announcement! 👀 #ThorSportRacing #NASCAR #LukeBaldwin #NASCARTrucks… pic.twitter.com/AqGdLA9Ny7

— ThorSport Racing (@ThorSportRacing) March 6, 2025

Baldwin, the grandson of Modified legend "Tiger" Tom Baldwin, and son of Daytona 500 champion crew chief Tommy Baldwin, will be quite the busy driver in 2025, but in his words, "the more the merrier." Baldwin is full-time with the SMART Modified Tour in an effort to defend his championship from one year ago, while also racing full-time with the Monaco Modifieds Tri-Track Series in the northeast. He's also running a majority of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule as well.

"I’m extremely blessed to be in the situation that I am in," Baldwin told FloRacing. "Hopefully, I can make the most of it. Driving all of these different types of race cars just accelerates my learning curve and helps me be a more well-rounded race car driver.

“These last three to four years since I’ve started racing have been a dream. Each year has gotten busier and busier as we’ve gone on, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Baldwin will be in action Saturday at the ultra-abrasive Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina for the SMART Modified Tour's "Pace-O-Matic 99," a race sponsored by the primary sponsor on his No. 7 SMART Modified owned by Virginia Senator Bill Stanley and former NASCAR racer Hermie Sadler. 

Race fans can watch Baldwin in Saturday's SMART Modified Tour race at Anderson live on FloRacing with a FloRacing subscription. Fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.