The sources of enthusiasm are plentiful among the Foristell-based MB Motorsports racing team these days.“We’re super excited for several reasons,” asserts owner Mike Mittler.Twenty years into the business, the team has distinguished itself as the only team to have participated in every year of the NASCAR Truck Series since it began in 1995.“Right now, I think we’re a solid mid-pack contender, and we’re doing it on a budget that’s a fraction of any other team above it,” said Mittler.The team is fresh off a 16th-place finish at the Daytona Truck Series on Feb. 21.“It’s only race we’ve ever finished in Daytona,” said Mittler. “We’ve always got involved in one of the big crashes.”The MB Motorsports truck finished within a half-second of the leader, with the field going three-wide on the final lap.It was a tremendous season debut for MB Motorsports, who will run again at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on March 29.“We’re taking it one race at a time, but we would like to get up there and race with the pack every time out,” said driver Justin Jennings.The 21-year-old first began driving for the team in 2013 after an aspiring career as a youth and teenager.“Justin is the real deal,” said Mittler. “He’s a super-bright young kid.”Mittler says Jennings is unique in that he is a “working driver,” committing his own time to the mechanical aspects of the truck. He likens him to NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace.“He’s kind of an old breed,” said Mittler. “He’s very smart and chassis knowledgeable. He’s in the shop every day doing fabrication and setup work.”Jennings planted his roots at the age of 9, racing go-karts near his hometown of LaGrange, Mo. in Northeast Missouri. Following high school he attended the NASCAR Technical Institute in North Carolina.“It was a huge opportunity to get to run at Daytona,” said Jennings. “It was a really cool milestone for myself and for the team. To come home with a clean truck and good run was awesome.”MB Motorsports is also anxiously awaiting its return to the Gateway Motorsports Park, which is reopening this season after closing in 2010. Mittler says the team considers the Madison, Ill. venue its home track.“We’re excited to have it back open so we can race at our own track,” said Mittler. “That was a real factor for us to keep racing after 20 years.”He says the Kansas Speedway became the adopted home track after Gateway closed. This year the team will run at both, with a May 9 race in Kansas City and a June 14 showdown at Gateway.“I think it’s a great opportunity for race fans that aren’t in a position to travel,” said Mittler. “Now they don’t have to pay to travel and come over to Gateway.”In contrast to previous years, the team is now racing Chevrolet trucks instead of Ford. Mittler says the decision to switch mostly centered around availability of parts.“It’s was difficult to have options on engines, but with Chevy there are more options,” explained Mittler. For more information about the team or for a complete race schedule, visit www.mbracing.netMB Motorsports RacingDerrick Forsythe photo.