ASHLAND — Jonathan Shafer will be back in the driver’s seat Saturday and the Ashland County resident will have a familiar sponsor’s decal on his ride.
The 18-year-old Shafer will drive the On Point Motorsports No. 30 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health Cancer Care 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The 201-mile race is scheduled for noon Saturday and can be seen on FS1.
Osgar’s Autobody will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 30 Toyota Tundra. The Mansfield-based body shop previously teamed up with Shafer as an associate sponsor.
“I would like to thank Mike and Jim Osgar at Osgar’s Autobody for their support and for helping my career thus far,” said Shafer, the son of former NASCAR driver Todd Shafer.
“Their quality of work, craftsmanship, knowledge and diligence is unmatched and it shows in every vehicle they work on.”
Shafer also recognized sponsors Craig Nolletti, the owner of the Warehouse Gym in Ashland, and Slinger Print Works and Apparel in Yorktown, Virginia.
Shafer started racing when he was 4 years old, working his way up the ranks. He made his Craftsman Truck Series debut in mid-April, finishing 29th in the Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway, and finished 24th in the Rackley Roofing 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway in late-June.
“I’m just very happy, humbled and grateful to have this opportunity to run my third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race with On Point Motorsports,” Shafer said.
“I would like to thank all the crew members at On Point Motorsports for all of their hard work and for always giving me a good truck to drive.”
The Craftsman Truck Series is one of NASCAR’s three national touring series. The series made a stop at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio, but Shafer wasn’t in the field.
With the season winding down, Shafer already is looking to the future.
“This past spring I turned down a full-time professional sprint car ride with a proven winning World of Outlaw race team with a good salary to follow my heart and passion in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series,” Shafer said.
“Next year I’m looking to run full-time in the NASCAR truck series. I hope to have an opportunity to keep progressing.”