A fresh face to the Midwest Truck Series captured championship honors in 2021. The driver was a young hard-charging rookie– his name was Tristan Swanson.
Fast forward five years and Tristan Swanson is back at the top of the leaderboard, chasing a second Midwest Truck Series title that wasn’t necessarily in the plans. The 2021 series points champion committed to a handful of races when the 2026 season began, but following an impressive start to the year, the team made the collective commitment to take their shot at a championship.
“We committed to a handful of races together, and we had several other drives lined up for the seat,” said Trevor Raskie (Team Owner). “After we won back-to-back races to start the season Tristan asked about being able to jump back behind the wheel for the next race, and we found our way to victory lane. In that moment, we felt had to see where this path would take us, and here we are.”
Swanson and his Thirty One Motorsports squad has had an impressive season, compiling five race wins (three in a row), and claiming the Midwest Truck Series Mid-Summer Shootout Championship.
“We’ve had a fantastic season, we’ve worked hard for it, and we don’t take a lap of it for granted. We’ve had a few people suggest that we’re struggling when we finish 5th, 6th, or 8th, but we are proud of those finishes as well. It is hard to win in this series as everyone is so close,” said Trevor Raskie.
The team finds themselves leading the championship chase by 38 points over second place competitor Eugene Gregorich III. The 1W of Gregorich III has been a consistent front-runner all season, and is ready to capitalize on his opportunity should the door open. The series heads to Dells Raceway Park for the season finale, an event and track Thirty One Motorsports has been leading the charge on since 2023.
“We have put a great product on the track at Dells Raceway Park since we won our first race there back in 2023. This is one of Tristan’s (Swanson) favorite venues, and it’s ours as well. I raced here for several years, and I feel we have a great handle on how the track behaves,” said Raskie.
Thirty One Motorsports has three wins at Dells Raceway Park since the truck series finale in 2023. Tristan Swanson is the favorite coming into the finale, but that will not cloud his focus when he rolls out in his #23 Ford F-150 for the final time this season. The team’s goal all season has been to chase checkered flags, and that’s exactly what they’ll strive to do to close the season. As of today, Tristan Swanson needs 88 points to secure the 2026 Midwest Truck Series Championship. A trip to victory lane would seal the deal for the New Market Minnesota driver, and it would also brand him (Swanson) as the single season race wins record holder in the Midwest Truck Series. Tune in to PitRow.tv on Saturday, October 24th for the running of the Midwest Truck Series Falloween 50.
