Kris Wright Bio
Kristofer Cole Wright, known professionally as Kris Wright, is an American professional stock car racing driver born on July 17, 1994, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He competes across multiple NASCAR development and national series, most recently in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly known as the Xfinity Series), and the ARCA Menards Series. Wright is also the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class champion, a title that helped establish his reputation as a versatile driver capable of adapting to a wide range of racing machines.
Beyond stock cars, Wright has built an unusually diverse résumé that includes sports car endurance racing, open-wheel ladder systems in both the United States and Europe, and short oval competition. His career path has taken him from the IMSA paddock to the Road to Indy and from British Formula 3 to Euroformula Open before he settled into the NASCAR ecosystem in 2020.
Early Life and Background
Wright was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his father was also a racing driver. Despite that family connection to motorsport, his father encouraged him to focus on golf during his formative years. Wright took the advice seriously, joining the golf program at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and graduating in 2013.
After high school, Wright continued his golf development as a member of IMG Academy and the Robert Morris University golf team. He also qualified for the district championship of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship in 2014, narrowly missing a berth in the World Finals. These experiences sharpened his focus and competitive mindset, qualities that would later transfer to the race track.
Path to NASCAR
Wright’s professional racing journey began in sports cars in 2015, when he joined Kinetic Motorsports in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A class and earned his first podium with a third-place finish at Miller Motorsports Park. In 2017, he moved into the IMSA Prototype Challenge with JDC MotorSports, where he scored a win at Watkins Glen International and earned Rookie of the Year honors.
The following year, Wright signed with Extreme Speed Motorsports for the 2018 Prototype Challenge season, taking victory at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway while finishing on the podium in all six events to claim the LMP3 class championship. He also made his endurance racing debut at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona with Performance Tech Motorsports, finishing second in class. Parallel to his sports car work, Wright developed his open-wheel skills through the U.S. F2000 National Championship, the Pro Mazda Championship, BRDC British Formula 3, and the Euroformula Open Championship before shifting his primary focus to stock cars in 2020.
Kris Wright Career
Early Career (2015-2019)
Wright’s earliest professional seasons were spent in the Pirelli World Challenge and the IMSA Prototype Challenge, where he quickly progressed from a Touring Car A class driver into a championship-contending prototype racer. His 2017 Prototype Challenge runner-up finish, paired with Rookie of the Year recognition, marked him as a rising American talent.
His move to Extreme Speed Motorsports in 2018 produced his first major title, the IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class championship. Wright capped that chapter of his career with a class podium at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona, confirming his readiness to step into faster, more complex machinery on a national stage.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2020-2024)
Wright made his stock car debut during the summer of 2020 at Utah Motorsports Campus, finishing second and third in the ARCA Menards Series West doubleheader. He soon aligned with the GMS Racing organization, racing in both ARCA and the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series on a part-time basis. His Truck Series debut came at the Daytona International Speedway road course in 2020, while his first ARCA start for the team came at Michigan International Speedway.
On November 14, 2023, Wright announced a return to ARCA on a full-time basis for 2024 with Venturini Motorsports, driving the No. 15 Toyota. He also made select Truck Series appearances with Tricon Garage in 2024. His best ARCA result to date is a third-place championship finish in 2024, supported by 23 career ARCA top-ten finishes.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2021-2023)
Wright joined Young’s Motorsports for the full 2021 NASCAR Truck Series season in the No. 02, while also signing with Sam Hunt Racing as a road course ringer in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He was forced to miss the Atlanta Motor Speedway race in March 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19. In 2022, he was announced as the full-time driver of the No. 44 for Niece Motorsports, but departed the team in August and finished the Xfinity season with Brandonbilt Motorsports, with sponsorship from FNB Corporation.
On February 8, 2023, Wright returned to the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports truck for a full Truck Series campaign. After only three top-twenty finishes in the opening eleven races, he and the team agreed to part ways before the event at World Wide Technology Raceway.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Era (2025)
On November 20, 2024, Our Motorsports announced that Wright would replace Anthony Alfredo as the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. He opened the year with a best Xfinity-level finish to date, recording his first career top ten in the series. However, on July 15, after Kaz Grala replaced Wright on the entry list for Dover, Wright confirmed he had mutually parted ways with the team. At the time of his departure, he was 29th in the standings, last among full-time drivers, with only three top-twenty finishes.
Driving Style and Strengths
Wright is widely regarded as a road course ringer, a label earned through his prototype and open-wheel background, and he has built much of his NASCAR résumé by tackling technical circuits such as Watkins Glen, the Daytona road course, and the Charlotte Roval. His car control and adaptability have allowed him to move fluidly between prototypes, open-wheel cars, and heavy stock cars, while his calm communication style has made him a frequent choice for teams needing a steady hand on unfamiliar tracks.
Notable Races and Milestones
Wright’s signature moments include his 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class championship, a runner-up class finish at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona, and his first NASCAR Xfinity Series top ten in 2025. He has also competed in marquee events at Daytona, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Kris Wright Career Wins
Wright’s verified victories are concentrated in the IMSA Prototype Challenge, where he is a multi-race winner and the 2018 LMP3 class champion. Across his NASCAR national series and ARCA career, he has notched 23 ARCA top-ten finishes, three ARCA East top-ten finishes, two ARCA West top-ten finishes, and one O’Reilly Auto Parts Series top ten, but he has yet to record a victory at the national NASCAR level.
IMSA Prototype Challenge Highlights
Wright’s Prototype Challenge career produced wins at Watkins Glen International in 2017 and at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway in 2018. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 before clinching the LMP3 class championship the following season with Extreme Speed Motorsports, capping a dominant campaign that featured six podiums in six events.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond IMSA, Wright has added consistent top-ten finishes in ARCA competition, including a best championship result of third in 2024 with Venturini Motorsports. He has also logged single-race appearances in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship and the Euroformula Open Championship, with a best British F3 finish of fifth at Silverstone Circuit in 2019.
Kris Wright Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Wright comes from a motorsport family, as his father was also a racing driver. Despite that background, his father steered him toward golf during his youth, a decision that shaped Wright’s athletic development before he ultimately returned to the family tradition behind the wheel.
Personal Life
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wright graduated from Central Catholic High School in 2013 and spent time at IMG Academy and Robert Morris University. He has built a public presence as a driver through his social media profiles and has remained closely tied to his hometown throughout his racing career.
2025 Season Performance
Wright entered 2025 as the full-time driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Our Motorsports in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, his first full national NASCAR season. He delivered his first career top ten in the series and three top-twenty finishes, but consistency proved elusive on ovals, where his road course background offered limited advantage.
On July 15, 2025, Wright and Our Motorsports mutually parted ways after Kaz Grala was listed in the No. 5 for Dover, with Wright sitting 29th in the standings and last among full-time drivers. On July 28, 2025, it was announced that he would return to Venturini Motorsports for a part-time ARCA Menards Series slate, and on September 29, 2025, he was confirmed for the McAnally–Hilgemann Racing Truck entries at the Charlotte Roval and Talladega. On December 9, 2025, McAnally–Hilgemann Racing confirmed Wright as the replacement for Connor Mosack in the No. 81 Chevrolet for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, setting up a return to full-time national touring competition.
