Driver 23 Truck
Four champions
Four Proven Winners, One Truck
The #23 Thirty One Motorsports Ford tells a story unlike any other truck on the Midwest Truck Series schedule in 2026. Four drivers. Four different chapters of a racing career. A 16-year-old third-generation NASCAR family driver chasing his first championship. A 22-year-old six-time series winner who has been winning since he was old enough to vote. A 21-year-old former series champion who took the title at 17. And a 54-year-old veteran who has been doing this since before some of his teammates were born.
The #23 is not just a truck. It is a snapshot of what this sport looks like across generations. And every one of these four knows how to win.
Combined race victories
combined championships
Years of combined racing experience
Driver Profiles
Tristan Swanson
The 2021 Midwest Truck Series Champion, Swanson claimed the title at just 17 years old, becoming one of the youngest champions in series history. A multi-surface threat with wins in trucks, legends, modifieds, and super late models, Swanson returns to the #23 with unfinished business on the MTS schedule.
Penn Sauter
The son of 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter, Penn carries one of the most decorated racing bloodlines in Wisconsin motorsports. Named a 2026 Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalist, Sauter brings third-generation talent and an emerging reputation as one of the most promising young drivers in the region.
Brad "JJ" Mueller
A multi-time Slinger Super Speedway champion, 2024 Slinger Nationals champion, and one of the most versatile competitors in Wisconsin short-track history, Mueller races on both dirt and asphalt at the highest local level. With NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Grand National starts on his resume, the veteran presence Mueller brings to the #23 is unmatched.
James Lynch
A six-time Midwest Truck Series winner who took his first MTS victory at just 17 years old, Lynch has been one of the most exciting young talents in the series since his debut season. A United States Pro Karting Series national champion and five-time Illinois state champion before he ever sat in a truck, Lynch brings speed, experience, and a relentless drive to win.
Looking Ahead
The #23 Thirty One Motorsports Ford enters the 2026 Midwest Truck Series season as one of the most intriguing stories on the schedule. Four drivers. Four different stages of a racing career. One truck built to compete at the front of the field at every stop.
Tristan Swanson returns to the series where he made his name, looking to add to a championship resume that began when most of his competitors were still figuring out the sport. Penn Sauter steps into the MTS for the first time carrying the weight of a legendary racing family name and the hunger of a 16-year-old with something to prove. Brad “JJ” Mueller brings decades of hard-won experience to select races, including a return to Slinger Super Speedway where he has dominated for years, and the Dixieland Delight at Wisconsin International Raceway where he has found victory lane before. James Lynch, already a six-time series winner before the age of 22, continues to build a career that has been pointing toward the front of the pack since he first climbed into a truck.
What makes the #23 compelling is not just the talent behind the wheel. It is the range of that talent. A 16-year-old chasing his first series win alongside a 54-year-old who has forgotten more about winning than most drivers will ever learn. That dynamic plays out on the track every time the #23 Ford takes the green flag in 2026.