The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has seen its share of wild moments in 2025, and the drama’s been cranking up. Back on May 30 at Nashville Superspeedway’s Rackley Roofing 200, actor-turned-driver Frankie Muniz hit a wall when a loose oil-line clamp caused a catastrophic oil pressure loss just two laps in. Oil dumped everywhere, triggering a safety stoppage and forcing Muniz out by lap 24, his first last-place finish tied to engine failure.

Then, on June 7 at Michigan, veteran Norm Benning’s Chevrolet sputtered out after just three laps due to a suspected broken valve spring, with the team pulling the truck to avoid further damage. But the real jaw-dropper came today during practice at Lime Rock Park, where rookie Wesley Slimp’s No. 62 truck went up in flames, sending a chill through the Truck Series garage. As teams gear up for the LiUNA 150 on Saturday, Slimp’s fiery scare has everyone talking, but the young driver’s not backing down.

Wesley Slimp’s fiery scare shakes up Lime Rock practice

Wesley Slimp’s Truck Series debut took a terrifying turn during Friday’s practice at Lime Rock Park. Speaking to FOX afterward, he recounted, “Yeah, so we had an issue that started around turn three. I was obviously already gonna bring it back to the pit lane. By the time I hit the pit lane, I started to hit some smoke at the dash, and the spotter let me know there’s a flame, so we shut it down.”

The fire erupted 27 minutes into the 50-minute session, cutting Slimp’s run short. His best lap of 57.29 seconds ranked 33rd out of 34 trucks, and safety crews scrambled to douse the blaze under the hood of his No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Tundra. The incident triggered a red flag, but practice resumed after a quick cleanup.

Slimp stayed cool despite the chaos, saying, “Have to get back to the team, see what happened; what caused it. But all in all, I am just really bumped for them to cut the only practice session lap short, but I know we’ll get back out there and figure that for qualifying.”

The rookie’s optimism shines through, even as his debut weekend hit a snag. Alongside other first-timers like William Lambros, Thomas Annunziata, and IMSA star Jordan Taylor, Slimp’s fighting to make his mark. The team’s now racing against time to diagnose the issue and get the No. 62 ready for qualifying, hoping to turn a scary moment into a comeback story.

The fire’s a stark reminder of how quickly things can go south in the Truck Series, especially on a new track like Lime Rock. Slimp’s grit, though, is what stands out; he’s not letting a literal blaze dim his focus. For Slimp and his crew, it’s about digging in and fixing the problem fast. Saturday’s race could be his chance to prove he’s got the heart to compete, fire or no fire.

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Craftsman Truck Series at Lime Rock Park Preview

The Craftsman Truck Series is shaking things up with its first-ever trip to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, for the LiUNA 150, a 153-mile, 100-lap battle on a 1.478-mile road course with seven flowing turns. Set for Saturday, June 28, at 1:00 PM ET (FOX), it’s the series’ first road course of 2025 and the last race before a three-week break, with just three events left before the playoffs.

The $782,900 purse is up for grabs, and Goodyear’s bringing tires used at COTA in Xfinity this spring, five sets per team, plus wet-weather options in case Mother Nature stirs the pot. Lime Rock, a 1957 staple that’s hosted IMSA and legends like Mario Andretti and Paul Newman, promises a fast, wild ride for the trucks.

The 34-truck field is stacked with fresh faces. Brent Crews, the 2023 Trans-Am TA-2 champ, drives TRICON’s No. 1 Tundra. Jordan Taylor, an IMSA star with a Le Mans class win and two Rolex 24 victories, takes Spire’s No. 7 Silverado. Thomas Annunziata, with three karting titles, pilots Spire’s No. 07, while Cam Waters, a 14-time Australian V8 Supercars winner, returns in ThorSport’s No. 66 F-150.

Corey Heim is chasing history; a win would give him three straight road course victories, breaking the Truck Series record. But after three top-15 misses in his last five races, including a 23rd at Pocono due to a flat tire, he’ll need a flawless weekend to lock up the regular season title. Do you think he can do it?