Derek Kraus Bio
Derek Kenneth Kraus (born September 1, 2001) is an American professional stock car racing driver from Stratford, Wisconsin. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team. Across his career he has also raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, and the ARCA Menards Series East and West. He is the 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, a former NASCAR Next member, and also serves as a simulator driver for Kaulig Racing.
Now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kraus built his reputation through the NASCAR development ladder before stepping into national-series competition. His progression from Wisconsin short tracks to the Cup Series has made him one of the more familiar young names in American stock car racing.
Early Life and Background
Derek Kenneth Kraus was born on September 1, 2001, in Stratford, Wisconsin, where he grew up surrounded by the region’s short-track racing culture. He is the son of Mark Kraus, who raced super late models in the 2000s, giving his son an early connection to the sport. Stratford, a small town in central Wisconsin, is also home to Bill Hilgemann, a businessman who later partnered with Bill McAnally Racing to field a Truck Series entry for Kraus.
Kraus attended Stratford High School, where he competed on the wrestling team and played football during his freshman year. He graduated in 2020 but missed his rescheduled graduation ceremony, which had been moved to July because of COVID-19, to compete in a Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway on the same day. Shortly after high school, he relocated from Wisconsin to Charlotte, North Carolina, the home base for most NASCAR teams.
His first taste of racing came in go-karts and Bandoleros at local Wisconsin venues. Kraus won the GSR Kartway championship in 2012 and 2013, then added a Bandolero track championship at State Park Speedway in 2013. In 2014, he captured both the State Park and state Bandolero championships before stepping up to Midwest trucks and super late models.
Path to NASCAR
Kraus moved quickly through the grassroots ranks. He began the 2015 season with seven Super Late Model races at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida and, that same year, became the youngest driver to win a feature at Rockford Speedway at age thirteen in the American Ethanol SuperTruck Series. He also won his first super late model race just days before turning fourteen and captured the 2015 Midwest Truck Series championship.
In 2016, he competed in the ARCA Midwest Tour, finishing fourth in the standings and surpassing NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth as the youngest driver ever to win a race in that series. By the end of that season, Kraus had attracted attention from top NASCAR development teams, setting the stage for his move into the national ladder.
In January 2017, it was announced that Kraus would drive full-time in the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West for Bill McAnally Racing (BMR), piloting the team’s No. 19 Toyota Camry. The deal came after a successful test at Kern County Raceway Park, and he made his debut for BMR later that February at New Smyrna Speedway, finishing third in a K&N Pro Series East race.
Derek Kraus Career
Early Career (2017-2018)
Kraus opened his K&N Pro Series West career with Bill McAnally Racing in 2017 and quickly showed front-running speed. He earned career-best finishes of second at Kern County Raceway Park, Spokane County Raceway, and Colorado National Speedway, and won the pole at Iowa Speedway in his first combination East-West event. He closed the year by winning the season finale at Kern County, beating teammate and series champion Todd Gilliland to claim his first victory, and was named the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year.
In 2018, Kraus expanded his schedule with BMR across both the K&N Pro Series West and East. He won the West season opener at Kern County Raceway Park after a last-lap pass of teammate Cole Rouse and went on to score multiple victories, including a dramatic win at Gateway Motorsports Park in a combination East-West race. He was also selected for the 2018 NASCAR Next class, which recognizes the sport’s top emerging talent, and made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at ISM Raceway in the No. 19 Toyota Tundra for BMR, qualifying and finishing eighth.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Breakthrough (2019)
The 2019 season was the defining year of Kraus’s young career. He returned to BMR for a third West campaign and opened with a victory in the New Smyrna 175 K&N East race, signaling his intent to chase both regional titles. After a sixth-place run at Bristol, he sat three points out of the East Series lead and publicly committed to running for the championship if he kept leading.
In the West Series, Kraus won both ends of the Tucson Speedway doubleheader, led every lap of the first race, and added victories at Douglas County Speedway, Meridian Speedway, and Kern County Raceway Park, his fourth straight win at his home track. He also picked up a Trans-Am Series victory at Sonoma Raceway that year, winning the pole and the overall race. By simply starting the season finale at ISM Raceway, where he finished third, Kraus clinched the 2019 K&N Pro Series West championship.
He also expanded into the Truck Series with BMR in 2019, running four scheduled events at Martinsville, Dover, Las Vegas, and ISM Raceway, with a fifth race added at Homestead-Miami Speedway after his West title was secured. His best Truck finish that year was an eighth at Dover, equaling his series-best at the time.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Run (2020-2022)
On January 13, 2020, Bill McAnally Racing announced a new partnership with fellow Stratford native Bill Hilgemann, forming McAnally-Hilgemann Racing to field the No. 19 Toyota Tundra full-time in the Truck Series for Kraus. He opened the season with a career-best fourth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway and came close to his first Truck win at Darlington Raceway, finishing second to Ben Rhodes in an overtime finish. He ended 2020 ranked eleventh in the Truck Series standings.
Kraus returned to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2021 with a new crew chief, Matt Noyce, who had moved over from the ThorSport Racing truck of Ben Rhodes. His previous crew chief, Kevin Bellicourt, departed to crew chief the No. 77 Spire Motorsports entry in the Cup Series. On December 6, 2022, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Kraus would be replaced in the No. 19 truck by Christian Eckes for 2023, closing his multi-year run with the team.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut (2023)
On February 1, 2023, Kraus was announced as the driver of the Young’s Motorsports No. 20 truck for the Truck Series opener at Daytona, with additional races conditional on sponsorship. On March 21, Kaulig Racing revealed that Kraus would make his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway in the No. 10 car and run a part-time Xfinity schedule for the rest of the season. In July 2023, Kaulig also tapped Kraus to drive the team’s No. 16 Cup car in practice and qualifying at Richmond while A. J. Allmendinger competed in the Xfinity race at Road America, a role he earned because of his work as Kaulig’s simulator driver. He also did simulator work for Legacy Motor Club during 2023.
NY Racing Team Era (2024-Present)
On February 22, 2024, it was announced that Kraus would drive the No. 16 for Kaulig Racing part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, with his first Cup start coming at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Pennzoil 400. He continued to split time between Cup and Xfinity competition while serving as a simulator driver for Kaulig Racing, broadening his engineering and feedback role within the organization.
In 2025, Kraus moved to NY Racing Team to drive the No. 44 Chevrolet, making his first start for the team in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he started 37th and finished 32nd. He also returned to the ARCA Menards Series West for the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway, driving the No. 09 Toyota for Shockwave Motorsports, reconnecting with the regional series where he first made his name.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kraus built his reputation on short tracks and intermediate speedways, where his late-braking aggression and willingness to make contact on restarts have produced several last-lap passes. His super late model background gives him strong car control in traffic, and his long-running role as a Kaulig Racing simulator driver has sharpened his feedback and race-trim setup skills, both of which have been valuable in his transition to the Cup Series.
Notable Races and Milestones
Kraus’s signature moments include his four straight K&N West wins at Kern County Raceway Park and his 2019 West Series championship-clinching run at ISM Raceway. His near-miss Truck win at Darlington in 2020, his Xfinity debut at Richmond in 2023, and his first Cup start in the 2024 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas each marked clear steps up the NASCAR ladder.
Derek Kraus Career Wins
Derek Kraus has built the bulk of his win ledger in NASCAR’s regional and development series, most notably capturing the 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship with multiple race victories. Across his career, he has also added Truck Series top-ten finishes, Xfinity Series top-ten results, and a Trans-Am Series win at Sonoma Raceway in 2019.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Highlights
In the ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the K&N Pro Series West, Kraus has recorded 10 wins, 35 top-ten finishes, and 8 poles across his career. His first series win came in 2017 at the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame 150 at Kern County Raceway Park, and his most recent win in the series was the 2019 Napa/Eneos 150 at Kern County. His 2019 championship was the defining achievement of his time in the West Series.
Other Wins and Performances
Kraus also has 3 wins, 15 top-ten finishes, and 2 poles in the ARCA Menards Series East, with his first East win coming in the 2018 Monaco Gateway Classic at Gateway and his last in the 2019 Who’sYourDriver.org Twin 100’s #2 at South Boston. Earlier in his career, he won championships in go-karts at GSR Kartway, the State Park Speedway Bandolero title, and the 2015 Midwest Truck Series championship, plus a Trans-Am Series overall victory at Sonoma in 2019.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 27 | 4 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 3 | 15 | 2 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 10 | 35 | 8 |
Derek Kraus Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kraus comes from a racing family rooted in central Wisconsin. His father, Mark Kraus, raced super late models in the 2000s, and Derek’s early progression through go-karts and Bandoleros at State Park Speedway was closely tied to that family background. The Stratford racing community, including local businessman Bill Hilgemann, played a direct role in launching Kraus’s national career.
Personal Life
After finishing high school in 2020, Kraus relocated from Stratford, Wisconsin, to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be closer to NASCAR’s team hub. He continues to live in the Charlotte area while balancing part-time Cup and Xfinity schedules with his simulator duties for Kaulig Racing.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has placed Derek Kraus in a new environment with NY Racing Team, where he has driven the No. 44 Chevrolet in selected Cup Series events. His first start for the team came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he started 37th and brought the car home 32nd, a clean debut for a part-time program. He later lined up for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, but that race ended early when the No. 44 caught on fire and forced him out of the event.
Alongside his Cup duties, Kraus returned to the ARCA Menards Series West for the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway, driving the No. 09 Toyota for Shockwave Motorsports. That run marked a symbolic return to the series where he first broke through, pairing current Cup work with a connection to his championship-winning past.
Looking ahead, Kraus is expected to continue splitting time between Cup starts with NY Racing Team and his simulator role with Kaulig Racing. With more seat time in Cup equipment and a renewed presence in ARCA, his 2025 schedule is built around gaining experience and laying the groundwork for a fuller national-series program in the seasons to come.
