16 Year-Old Phenom Tristan McKee makes Truck Series debut Friday at Richmond

EDDIE KALEGI - STAFF WRITER

Tristan McKee just turned 16 years-old last week. He doesn’t even have his street driver’s license yet, and noted during a Friday morning media availability that he’s still a couple months away after being “a little late” to the permit process.

However, the Williamsburg, Virginia product has another milestone to look forward to Friday night, as he’ll make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut, piloting the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in the Black’s Tire 250 at Richmond Raceway. McKee will become the second youngest driver to race in the division, only having seniority over Casey Atwood’s 1996 maiden attempt. He’ll be teamed up with Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen, who will be behind the wheel of Spire’s second entry Friday.

Although he’s young and inexperienced at this level, McKee already boasts an impressive racing resume, and the results speak for themselves.

McKee scored his fourth ARCA East Series win of the season at Iowa Speedway last weekend, a victory that also marked his second victory of the year in ARCA Menards Series national competition. This followed his true breakout moment on the NASCAR scene last August, scoring a shocking victory at 15 years-old in the national division at Watkins Glen.

Outside of NASCAR, McKee has significant Late Model experience dating back to when he was as young as 10 years-old, most recently taking the checkered flag in the 2026 installment of the Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin, outdueling veteran Bubba Pollard at Berlin Raceway.

McKee has collaborated with former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current driver coach Josh Wise in recent months, developing alongside several current Cup Series drivers, including Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell, who coincidentally, have both made starts for Spire’s Truck Series program earlier this season.

“It’s been really cool to be able to lean on all those guys,” McKee said. “There’s been a lot of that, leaning on everyone, getting info from everyone that I can, just getting as well prepared as possible.”

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