37 Trucks are ready to go racing at The Paperclip. But only 36 can make the starting grid on Friday. Regardless, with three championship 4 spots still up for grabs, the Martinsville race promises to be the ultimate setup for the Phoenix grand finale.  However, after some distressing incidents at Homestead last week, a few fresh faces are aiming for a spot in the 36-truck field in Martinsville.

Among them, Kevin Harvick’s KHI’s (Kevin Harvick Inc.) 18-year-old prospect, Landen Lewis, will run his first race in the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season. But in doing that, the Ocean Isle Beach native has found himself in quite an unexpected narrative—the surprise beneficiary of Conner Jones’ crumbling reign of recklessness.

How did the KHI driver seize the Truck Series chance amidst the Conner Jones crisis?

If you’ve been away from the Truck Series lately, let’s catch you up to speed. 18-year-old Conner Jones, who’s running his rookie season with ThorSport Racing’s #66 Truck operations, was battling a lot of hate, exiting Homestead. Harboring a reputation for being ill-tempered, Jones lost his cool again and crashed Matt Mills of Niece Motorsports, as the duo battled for the 18th position halfway through the race.

The incident was intense, with 27-year-old Matt Mills spending two days in the hospital due to severe smoke inhalation after his Silverado caught fire. Rookie Conner Jones, who collided with Mills on lap 76, vented his frustration over the radio. NASCAR responded by parking Jones for two laps while Mills received medical care. Though Jones initially declined to comment, he apologized for his “unsportsmanlike behavior.” However, fans voiced that NASCAR’s penalty wasn’t enough. Amid demands for harsher consequences, NASCAR suspended Jones from the upcoming Martinsville race for violating its Member Code of Conduct. Meanwhile, Mills, now fully recovered, is eager to return to the “Half-Mile of Mayhem.”

In Jones’ place, Truck Series veteran and 2016 champion Johnny Sauter will step into the #66 ThorSport ride on short notice. The initial entry list had Sauter listed for Hattori Racing Enterprises #16 truck at Martinsville, who are attempting their fourth Truck race in 2024 on Saturday. But thanks to Sauter’s switch, the door has opened for another 18-year-old prodigy to make his first 2024 Truck Series start. As Bob Pockrass took to X on Thursday, he wrote, “Landen Lewis is now the driver of the Hattori No. 16 truck at Martinsville. Nice to see Lewis get a shot.”

After signing for KHI Management towards the end of last year, Landen Lewis has made only one start in the ARCA Menards Series this season. But it was a memorable one. Just last month, driving for CR7 Motorsports, Lewis finished second behind fellow KHI driver, William Sawalich, at the Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA headliner at Bristol Motor Speedway. However, beyond that, the teen phenom has been blazing the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car scene with noteworthy performances in 2024.

He won his first CARS Tour race in August at the Wake County Speedway, driving the #62 for KHI. Lewis has also scored three top-10s in his ten starts this season. In many’s eyes, the trifecta of Lewis, alongside William Sawalich, and Brent Crews are potential future stars growing under the umbrella of Kevin Harvick’s management agency.

And from Crews winning the 2024 CARS Tour LMSC Rookie of the Year honors to Sawalich getting a full-time ride at Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity team next season, and now Lewis’ Truck Series call-up at Martinsville, the accolades and acclaim are proof that Kevin Harvick has a golden eye for talent.

Kevin Harvick’s roster brimming with talent

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Josh Berry and Ryan Preece in the Cup Series. Lewis, Sawalich, Crews, and Layne Riggs in the lower series. And finally, The Closer and his son, Keelan. All those wheelmen are the esteemed clientele of Kevin Harvick, Inc. Since 2001, the race team has won two Truck Series Driver Championships, one Truck Series Owner Championship, 43 Truck Series races, and 10 Xfinity Series races. Then in 2011, Kevin and DeLana Harvick sadly drew the curtains on their ownership ventures.

About twelve later, KHI made a racing comeback in the CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock Car division on a limited schedule. The following year, both KHI teams finished inside the top 10 in points standings after running full-time seasons. Through it all, guys like Landen Lewis and William Sawalich have emerged to become the next crop of KHI drivers, ready to set the world on fire. Only recently, Sawalich became a two-time ARCA West Series champion.

Similarly, Lewis just finished 3rd in the Mazda MX-5 Cup at Martinsville. So, he’s bringing in a ton of momentum for his Truck Series outing this coming weekend. Last year, he made two starts in the Craftsman Truck Series, debuting at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a P24 finish. And then a P28 at the Indianapolis Raceway Park. Back then, his long-time mentor and inspiration, Ron Hornaday Jr., a pushing hand behind Lewis becoming a KHI driver, had said, “The kid has the want, he’s got the talent, he’s got the ability. He’s working on anything and everything so long as it has to do with the nuts and bolts of race cars… He just wants to race. He’s got the heart.”

With over 150 wins gathered across different disciplines, from go-karts to Legend Cars, it’s clear that Hornaday and Kevin Harvick might be looking at a diamond in the making.