Kristofer Cole Wright Bio
Kristofer Cole Wright is an American professional stock car racing driver born on July 17, 1994, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet Silverado RST for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, and also ran part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 15 Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports. Wright has also previously competed in sports car racing, open-wheel racing, the Euroformula Open Championship, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and is the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class champion.
Wright’s racing résumé spans multiple disciplines and continents, reflecting a deliberate path through a wide range of machinery before establishing himself in American stock car racing. He earned IMSA Prototype Challenge Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 and followed that with an LMP3 class championship in 2018, demonstrating adaptability and competitive pace in prototype machinery. Those sports car credentials, combined with experience in European open-wheel formula cars, have shaped a versatile driver capable of performing on diverse track types and surfaces.
Early Life and Background
Kristofer Cole Wright was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Central Catholic High School, from which he graduated in 2013. His father was also a racing driver, though he encouraged his son to pursue golf rather than racing during his youth. Despite that guidance, Wright gravitated toward motorsports and, after high school, became a member of the golf teams at IMG Academy and Robert Morris University. He also qualified for the district championship of the Remax World Long Drive Championship in 2014 before refocusing his athletic energy fully on racing.
Path to NASCAR
Wright began his competitive racing career in sports cars, joining Kinetic Motorsports in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A class in 2015. He recorded his first podium finish that season at Miller Motorsports Park, a third-place result that signaled competitive potential at the touring car level. He then moved into prototype machinery with the IMSA Prototype Challenge series in 2017, driving for JDC MotorSports. A win at Watkins Glen International and consistent performance throughout the season earned him Rookie of the Year honors and a runner-up finish in the Prototype Challenge standings.
Building on that momentum, Wright signed with Extreme Speed Motorsports for the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge season. He scored race wins at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway, finished on the podium in all six events, and secured the LMP3 class championship. He capped his sports car résumé with an endurance debut at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona, driving for Performance Tech Motorsports in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s LMP2 class, where he helped the No. 38 entry finish second in its class. During this same period, Wright also pursued open-wheel development, entering the Road to Indy ladder in 2017 with John Cummiskey Racing in the U.S. F2000 National Championship before moving to the Pro Mazda Championship with JDC. In 2019, he moved to Europe to compete in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with Fortec Motorsports, finishing 16th in points with a best finish of fifth at Silverstone Circuit. He carried that relationship with Fortec into the Euroformula Open Championship for 2020.
Kristofer Cole Wright Career
Early Career (2015–2019)
Wright’s early career was defined by breadth of experience across sports car, open-wheel, and prototype disciplines. In 2015, he debuted in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A class with Kinetic Motorsports, earning a podium at Miller Motorsports Park in his first season. From 2017 through 2019, he competed in the IMSA Prototype Challenge and the Road to Indy ladder in the United States, and in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship in Europe. His 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class championship with Extreme Speed Motorsports stands out as the most significant achievement of this phase, highlighted by wins at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway and podium finishes in every race that season.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2020–2022)
Wright’s transition to stock car racing began in the summer of 2020, when he made his first stock car start at the ARCA Menards Series West doubleheader at Utah Motorsports Campus, finishing second in one race and third in the other. In August 2020, he joined GMS Racing to compete part-time in both the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. His debut with the team came on August 1 at Hickory Motor Speedway in the CARS Super Late Model Tour, finishing eleventh. He made his ARCA debut at Michigan International Speedway and his Truck debut at the Daytona International Speedway road course.
For the 2021 season, Wright moved to Young’s Motorsports to run the full NASCAR Truck Series schedule in the No. 02. He also expanded his résumé by serving as a road course ringer for Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The 2021 season was interrupted when he missed the Atlanta Motor Speedway race after testing positive for COVID-19. In 2022, Wright was announced as the full-time driver of the No. 44 for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series, but left the team in August. He then finished the 2022 Xfinity Series season driving for Brandonbilt Motorsports from August onward, with sponsorship from FNB Corporation.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Era (2025–Present)
After a 2023 season that began with a return to Young’s Motorsports and the No. 02 Truck but ended with a mutual parting of ways following three top-twenty finishes in eleven races, Wright signed with Venturini Motorsports to run the full ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2024 in the No. 15 Toyota. He also made two additional starts for Tricon Garage that year. In late 2024, Our Motorsports announced that Wright would drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series, replacing Anthony Alfredo. That Xfinity opportunity ended in July 2025 when Wright and Our Motorsports mutually agreed to part ways; at the time, Wright was 29th in the standings and had recorded only three top-twenty finishes. He returned to Venturini Motorsports’ ARCA team for three part-time races in mid-2025 before joining McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Truck team for the Charlotte Roval and Talladega races in the No. 16 Chevrolet Silverado RST.
Driving Style and Strengths
Wright’s background in sports car, open-wheel, and prototype racing provides him with a refined car-control skill set that is particularly well-suited to road courses and technical circuits. His ability to extract consistent podium results in prototype machinery across varied track types demonstrates strong race craft and adaptability. His experience as a road course ringer in the Xfinity Series reflects a reputation for performing on road courses when called upon by teams needing specialized expertise.
Notable Races and Milestones
Wright’s 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class championship, sealed by wins at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway, represents the most significant milestone of his career to date. His first stock car podium came quickly after his 2020 debut, with second- and third-place finishes in the ARCA Menards Series West doubleheader at Utah Motorsports Campus. A podium sweep in the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge season, with finishes on the podium in all six events, further underscores his ability to deliver consistent results at a championship-caliber level.
Kristofer Cole Wright Career Wins
Across his verified racing career, Kristofer Cole Wright has recorded wins in prototype sports car competition and podium finishes across multiple disciplines. His most decorated season came in 2018, when he won the IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 class championship with victories at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway. He also captured a win at Watkins Glen International in the 2017 IMSA Prototype Challenge season, which contributed to his Rookie of the Year honors that year.
IMSA Prototype Challenge Highlights
Wright’s 2017 IMSA Prototype Challenge season with JDC MotorSports produced a race win at Watkins Glen International and earned him Rookie of the Year honors, with a runner-up finish in the overall Prototype Challenge standings. He followed that with a dominant 2018 season for Extreme Speed Motorsports, scoring race wins at Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway while finishing on the podium in every event across the six-race schedule. That consistency secured the LMP3 class championship, the most significant title of his professional racing career.
Other Wins and Performances
Wright recorded his first podium finish in sports car racing at Miller Motorsports Park during the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A class season with Kinetic Motorsports. In the 2020 ARCA Menards Series West doubleheader at Utah Motorsports Campus, he finished second in one race and third in the other in just his second and third career stock car starts. His endurance racing résumé includes a second-place class finish at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona, driving for Performance Tech Motorsports alongside Kyle Masson, Robert Masson, and Cameron Cassels.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMSA Prototype Challenge (LMP3) | 3 | 10+ | — | |
| Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car | 0 | 1 | — |
Kristofer Cole Wright Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kristofer Cole Wright was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a family with motorsports connections. His father competed as a racing driver, though he encouraged his son to play golf during his youth rather than pursue racing. That guidance reflected a father’s desire to see his son take a different path, but Wright ultimately gravitated toward motorsports regardless. The elder Wright’s own racing background provided Kristofer with early exposure to the sport and an understanding of the demands it places on competitors and their families.
Personal Life
After graduating from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh in 2013, Wright attended IMG Academy and was a member of the golf team at Robert Morris University. He also qualified for the district championship of the Remax World Long Drive Championship in 2014 before turning his focus fully to racing. Wright maintains a public presence through his social media accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook, where he connects with fans and shares updates from his racing career.
2025 Season Performance
Wright entered the 2025 season as the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Our Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a move announced in November 2024 that replaced Anthony Alfredo in the seat. The season did not unfold as planned: Wright was 29th in the Xfinity Series standings, last among full-time drivers, and had recorded only three top-twenty finishes before his departure following the race at Dover Motor Speedway in July. Wright and Our Motorsports confirmed they had mutually agreed to part ways, with Kaz Grala named as his replacement for the Dover event.
Following his exit from the Xfinity Series, Wright returned to Venturini Motorsports’ ARCA Menards Series program in July 2025 for three part-time races in the No. 15 Toyota Camry, maintaining his relationship with the team that had supported his full-time ARCA effort in 2024. In September 2025, it was announced that Wright would join McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Truck Series team for select events, including the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and Talladega Superspeedway, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet Silverado RST. Those appearances mark a return to the Truck Series for Wright, where he previously drove for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, providing a partial schedule for the latter portion of the 2025 season with a team that competes at a high level in the series.
