The championship race of the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series season saw on-track incidents in abundance. The race ran 29 laps over and saw an unprecedented end to the championship. Ben Rhodes eventually walked away as a two-time Truck Series champion but it was not something a lot of people might have expected. Another man who was involved in a serious racing incident was Marco Andretti and the 2022 SRX Series champion has shared an update that will excite NASCAR fans.

Marco Andretti comes from motorsport royalty. His grandfather, Mario Andretti, is considered to be one of the greatest drivers to have ever lived. Mario is the most successful driver from the US to have ever competed in Formula One having won 12 races and 1 world championship. His father Michael Andretti, on the other hand, made his name in Champ Car and CART Championship Car.

Despite the disappointing crash, Marco Andretti shares positive news

Marco Andretti has not been a regular in NASCAR, but he has been decent in the Truck Series races. He took part in three races this season and finished in the top 20 on a couple of occasions. However, his recent outing in Phoenix, unfortunately, finished in a way that he wished it did not. 

On lap 55, Andretti’s #7 truck made contact with the #30 of Chris Hacker. The resulting chaos saw Hacker viciously crashing into the barriers, leaving his truck in no condition to continue. Thankfully, he was okay but he made a gesture to Marco to show his disappointment and frustration.

Marco Andretti’s truck was not as damaged as Chris Hacker’s but the 36-year-old was still forced to retire from the race. In a post-race interview, the driver of the #7 was asked about his future and whether it would lie full-time in the Truck Series. His answer gives a lot of hope to fans hoping to see him competing day-in day-out in NASCAR.

“I’m there yeah, I mean I was just about to have fun in that stint so…it’s a bummer that caught us out there. I don’t look at what happened, I don’t even know what happened yet, so, we’ll have to see,” the driver of the #7 truck said.

Andretti was, however, disappointed with how things turned out for him during the race. “I needed that whole race, I needed that whole race for laps so definitely disappointed with that. Don’t want to wait a whole off-season to get more laps in this series but you know, it was just getting fun there,” he added.

For Chris Hacker, it has been a long wait since his return to motorsport. The part-time Truck Series driver was suspended for two months by NASCAR after a DWI arrest. He made his return in the Xfinity Series race in Martinsville.

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Chris Hacker looks back at two-month-long suspension

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While the two NASCAR races he has taken part in since his return have both ended in DNFs, Chris Hacker was happy to be back in the sport. After his suspension was lifted, the 23-year-old penned a statement about how he has been sober and how the whole journey has been a big learning experience.

“The last two months have been a huge learning experience for me. I went from the highest point of my life to the lowest point of my life overnight and made a career changing decision that no one should ever make. There’s no excuse and no one to blame other than myself. I’m proud to say that I am 71 days sober. I have spent this time taking a hard look at myself and owning up to the pain I have caused my family, my friends, my sponsors and my fans. I am deeply sorry for having hurt every one of you,”  the statement read as per The Checkered Flag.

It is always tough for a driver when they get suspended no matter the reason. It is how they make their comeback that counts. One can only hope that Hacker has truly learned from his mistakes and come out on the other side a more mature human being.

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