After knocking off some rust, Nitro Motorsports owner Nick Tucker is ready to run the East Series race at Hickory ‘just for fun’

HICKORY, N.C. — Nick Tucker doesn’t have much time to rest while he builds Nitro Motorsports’ fledgling ARCA Menards Series program alongside co-owner Joe Tovo.

But on Saturday evening, he briefly shifted his focus from the business side of motorsports back to the driving aspect as he competed in Hickory Motor Speedway’s season-opener piloting a Late Model Stock for MKM Racing Development.

More than two decades had passed since Tucker last turned a lap around the historic facility, but there was a specific reason why he was on site as a driver. Tucker wanted to re-acclimate himself to race conditions before running the ARCA Menards Series East event at Hickory on April 4.

RELATED: See the full East Series schedule

Tucker considers everything about the Hickory East Series race a full-circle moment. The track helped lay the foundation for where Tucker resides with Nitro Motorsports, which is why he’s looking forward to the race regardless of where he finishes.

“Hickory is a special place in my heart,” Tucker said. “When I first moved from Washington state at the end of 2000, this is where I started my late model career after transitioning from go-karts. We ran here four or five years before I went to the Truck Series. With [the East Series] coming to Hickory, I thought it was a good opportunity to come back.

“We didn’t have anybody running the ARCA East race, so this is a neat deal to go have some fun with our guys and relive some memories.”

The number Tucker carried on his car Saturday night was the same one he used during his first starts at Hickory and has since become synonymous with Nitro Motorsports’ brand: the No. 70.

While that number did not always follow Tucker throughout his time as a driver, the lessons and experiences obtained from Hickory’s abrasive surface did. Tucker used that information to eventually progress into both NASCAR and the ARCA Menards Series, scoring a pair of top 10s in the latter at Salem Speedway and Mobile International Speedway.

Tucker’s journey even saw him test NASCAR Cup Series for Ray Evernham, but the opportunities to one day compete on that platform eventually fizzled out. Not ready to let go of his motorsports aspirations, Tucker went back to his go-kart roots in the mid-2010s and used the resources at his disposal to start his own brand.

The name of that brand was Nitro Kart, a precursor for what would become Nitro Motorsports.

Under the direction of Tucker, Nitro Motorsports blossomed into one of the most successful road-racing developmental programs. Brent Crews and Ben Maier were among Nitro Motorsports’ first drivers, with other alumni including Connor Zilisch, Thomas Annunziata, Corey Heim and Jesse Love following their expansion into the Trans-Am Series TA2 class.

Now Nitro Motorsports’ mission to educate and guide the next generation of competitors encompasses the ARCA Menards Series. Tucker and Tovo purchased Venturini Motorsports in April 2025 to serve as Toyota’s flagship team on the platform with seven full-time cars between the national series and the West Series.

Tucker is covering a ton of ground with the ARCA Menards Series while simultaneously managing a multi-car effort in Trans-Am. The work is arduous, but Tucker is proud of how Nitro Motorsports continues to adapt and thrive.

“For me, it’s finding balance between managing both programs,” Tucker said. “I’ve got great people involved in both and keep [them] going really well. I’ve spent a lot of time on the ARCA side getting that to where we’d like to see it as a group. We’re getting there, and we’ve had some strong runs.

“Everyone we have involved has worked their tails off through the transition getting us to a spot where we want to be.”

Nitro Motorsports’ ubiquitous growth for Tucker involves overlap between their respective programs. This was apparent at Hickory on Saturday with Tovo’s twin sons Ethan and Jackson, both full-time Trans Am competitors, participating in the Limited Late Model feature with Lee Faulk Racing.

The Tovo brothers are familiar with the standards and reputation of Nitro Motorsports and are absorbing as much as they can on every front. After making their respective debuts at Hickory last year, Ethan and Jackson will tackle more oval racing in 2026 to go along with their road-racing commitments.

From Ethan’s perspective, having both Tucker and his father for him and Jackson to rely on is making every part of their development process feel seamless. That guidance extends far beyond the track for Ethan, as everyone at Nitro Motorsports encourages him to drown out unnecessary noise and maintain a positive, proactive mindset.

“[You have to] focus on yourself,” Ethan said. “That’s a really big thing now with social media. You can let it get to you, but I wouldn’t say don’t care about the mistakes. If you have a bad weekend, don’t bring your bad mood into the next weekend.”

Tucker’s role as a driver Saturday — instead of solely being an owner — was a welcome change for Ethan and Jackson. The three were unable to race against each other being in two separate divisions, but Tucker’s own experiences with navigating Hickory was crucial toward helping the Tovos with the Limited Late Model feature.

With asphalt short-track racing now a key part of his schedule, Jackson is determined to understand all the intricacies about the discipline alongside his brother. The Tovos still have much to learn about oval tracks, but Jackson felt Saturday was a great start — Tucker’s active presence being a key reason why.

“[Tucker] has been super supportive and super helpful with car tips and [how to] go through the corner,” Jackson said. “It [was] super fun having him out [at Hickory] to watch one of my first Late Model races with Lee Faulk Racing and my first [oval] race of 2026.”

Tucker enjoyed watching Ethan and Jackson engage in a fierce battle for third prior to climbing into his No. 70 Toyota for his own race. Jackson ended up gaining the upper hand over Ethan with a bump-and-run in the closing laps, securing him the last spot on Hickory’s Limited Late Model podium.

Strong outings from both Tovos on Saturday made Tucker’s return to the driver’s seat at Hickory more special. If Ethan and Jackson stay committed to refining their race craft, Tucker believes the two will enjoy successful careers regardless of what path they choose.

“They’ve come a long way,” Tucker said. “I want to see consistent performances, run up front, make all the laps, get all the experience and put themselves in positions to win the race. I think they’ve done a really good job of that so far to start the year with the Trans Am stuff. I’d like to see them get in Victory Lane this year.”

Tucker himself brought MKM Racing Development’s car home in one piece in a quiet-but-solid ninth. There is now a baseline for Tucker to utilize as he crafts an ideal setup for the East Series race at Hickory, which will feature a much heavier chassis compared to the Late Model Stocks.

Winning is not the primary goal for Tucker in next month’s race. Tucker has plenty of faith in Nitro Motorsports to put together an efficient car, but he understands finding Victory Lane will be a difficult task against younger drivers who race way more frequently than him.

Instead, Tucker plans to implement the same strategy he used at Hickory on Saturday, figure out what his car needs, avoid trouble and simply enjoy being able to compete on the ARCA Menards Series platform for the first time since 2013.

“I want to go have fun,” Tucker said. “I’m 40 years old, so I don’t know how many more times I’ll be able to go out and race. I’m going to cherish every opportunity I have on track and enjoy it for what it is. When I used to do it, you were fighting for a career. Now I’m doing it just for fun.”

A lot has changed for Tucker since the first time he raced at Hickory in the early 2000s. He and Tovo have built Nitro Motorsports into a premier driver development program responsible for many current NASCAR drivers excelling on both road courses and ovals.

Tucker’s role in the industry is much different from two decades, but his love for racing remains fervent. That passion will be on full display when Tucker climbs back behind the wheel at Hickory in April for what is currently his only planned appearance on the ARCA Menards Series platform this season.