A historic weekend will begin on the streets of St. Petersburg as Craftsman Truck Series teams and NTT IndyCar Series teams enjoy their first crossover.

But for veteran broadcaster Kevin Lee, this weekend also presents a special opportunity to watch his son Jackson take on a brand new challenge. Lee will be on hand watching as Jackson makes his first-ever start in NASCAR, let alone stock car racing.

Although he will be a bundle of nerves throughout the weekend as Jackson adapts to a new vehicle, the No. 22 Ford F-150 for Team Reaume.

“I’m used to not cheering in the press box because of my job, so I can kind of stand stoically and just churn inside a little bit, but I always feel a lot better after the thing is over,” Lee told FanBuzz ahead of the St. Pete weekend.

“So I enjoy it, but it’s a little bit hard and maybe it’s good distraction because I’m thinking about my show that comes up right after his race is over and I’m trying to talk to some of his sponsors that are hanging around with us.”

It’s NASCAR race week for the 1st time! Ready to head to @GPSTPETE with @TeamReaume for my @NASCAR_Trucks debut. pic.twitter.com/bczaMcBKc0

— Jackson Lee (@JacksonLee52) February 23, 2026

This experience of watching Jackson compete isn’t necessarily new for Lee. He has done so countless times throughout his son’s racing career, which features starts in open-wheel racing and sports cars.

“So he came up through the Road to Indy,” Lee said about his son. “So he raced in USF2000 and Pro 2000. And I think last year at St. Pete was the first time in five years he wasn’t racing something here.”

Sometimes, Lee has worked the race while continuing his career as a broadcaster. Other times, he has been able to stand back and mostly watch the race, which is the path he will take this weekend at St. Pete.

He will only have to grab a microphone for IndyCar and Indy NXT on-track sessions. Townsend Bell and Georgia Henneberry will be the members of the Fox Sports IndyCar team pulling double-duty.

Photo credit: Fox Sports

“It’s a hectic weekend because we always have a lot of sponsors and guests,” Lee added. “And it’s a nerve-wracking weekend because I’m trying to get my job done and still pay attention to what he’s doing and I’m worried about how he does and I’m worried about paying the crash damage bill if it doesn’t go well.

“So there’s a lot of stress involved with those weekends. So it’s hard to fully just enjoy it. I will admit, I’ve enjoyed the weekends more when he’s done a sports car race and I haven’t been working. You know, that’s been fun.”

Lee will still have the stress of watching Jackson compete on the race track. It will just be amplified due to the other factors in play.

The weather will certainly be a concern. The forecast calls for a chance of rain on both Friday and Saturday. If the Truck Series teams have to break out the wet-weather tires, Jackson could find more comfort than other drivers simply because he’s more familiar with St. Pete and he’s comfortable racing in wet conditions.

However, if the rain falls during practice but not during the race, he will ultimately start at a disadvantage. At that point, he will likely have to drop back and just focus more on seeing how the No. 22 handles the bumps and slick spots of the track.

After all, Jackson didn’t have the opportunity to test the truck before heading down to Florida for the race weekend.

“He has no idea how the brakes work,” Lee said. “He hasn’t done an H-pattern (shifter) since he did a Skip Barber weekend, whatever, seven or eight years ago. So that’s going to be a little bit of a challenge and he barely fits in the thing.

“He’s 6-foot-4 and he said, ‘This is the toughest fit’ that he’s ever had, harder than any (Formula Junior) car or small Porsche GT4 car, anything else. For some reason, it is difficult for his dimensions to be able to fit in the truck and it took him, I think, three to five days to get it sorted.”

Photo credit: Getty Images

Fortunately for Jackson, he has spent extensive time on iRacing in preparation for this race. He has completed countless laps on the Long Beach course — St. Pete is not currently on the simulation game — so he has a better idea how the truck will handle.

He has also spent extensive time talking to James Hinchcliffe, who tested a truck as he prepares to make his Truck Series debut with Spire Motorsports.

What Jackson learned is that the truck is similar to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, a vehicle that he has used to win multiple races. Both vehicles have a lot of horsepower, far less downforce, and brakes that they can’t describe as the greatest.

Granted, all of the research in the world will not provide a one-for-one representation for what Jackson will experience the first time he controls the No. 22 Ford. He will just have to prepare the best he can and then stay out of trouble early in the race.

Lee will be along for the ride as he watches every single lap and cheers on his son. He will also look at the bigger picture — Jackson wants to compete in more than one NASCAR race.

In order to achieve this, he will have to keep the truck clean and avoid some of the possible rookie mistakes. This will potentially set him up to showcase himself and his sponsors on the national stage, thus building a foundation for the future.

“I’m excited about this because this is a great platform for him,” Lee said. “We love sports car racing and that’s pure racing and it’s fun and it’s really hard, but we have to find sponsorship to make this work.

“And it’s a lot easier to find sponsorship for a race on FS1 or Fox than it is one that’s on YouTube.”

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