After the recent announcement of G.R. Smith and Drake Troutman parting ways, Jake Timm has been tapped to carry the banner for Team 22 Inc. through the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 at Deer Creek Speedway.
The Minnesota driver will trade his normal No. 49 for a No. 22* starting tonight during the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision event at I-94 emr Speedway. In partnership with Smith, Timm will carry the number and Team 22 Inc.’s owners points throughout the northern swing as the team evaluates its plans.
The announcement of Smith and Troutman’s split came on Tuesday, with Troutman saying in a Facebook post, “There is no bad blood.”
“I have a lot of respect and very much appreciation for what GR and his whole family has done for my racing program,” Troutman said in the post. “He gave me and my whole crew an amazing opportunity. We are working on some things right now and getting a game plan together for the remainder of the year and beyond. As for the keyboard warriors on either side of the story, the best thing to do is keep the drama out of it. This racing deal is tough, it’s expensive, and it’s a constant grind. Again, I appreciate GR and his family and have a lot of respect for them. As far as me and my crew and I go, we are racers… and racers race. We will be back soon.”
Troutman, who has yet to announce his plans, collected multiple accolades during his 18 months driving for Smith, including a $20,000 victory at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park last year – Troutman’s first World of Outlaws win – and the 2025 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year honors. They currently sit fifth in driver and team points with 10 top-five finishes and 19 top 10s in 31 starts together.
Timm ran his first full season with the World of Outlaws in 2025, finishing 12th in the Series standings with one top five and six top 10 finishes. His best stretch of finishes came during the Series’ northern swing last year, highlighted by a 10th-place finish at River Cities Speedway, a fifth-place finish at Norman County Raceway and a sixth-place finish at Deer Creek Speedway.
Timms’ schedule as the No. 22* driver currently includes I-94 emr Speedway (June 24), River Cities Speedway (June 26), Nodak Speedway (June 28), Norman County Speedway (June 30), and Deer Creek Speedway (July 2-4).