Spence Smithback/woolms.com

Jake Timm of Winona, Minn., will race under G.R. Smith’s Team 22 Inc. banner for at least the next seven World of Outlaws Late Model Series events, beginning Wednesday at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn., and continuing through July 4’s NAPA Gopher 50 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., as first reported by WoO announcer Ruben Mireles.

The arrangement comes one day after Drake Troutman of Hyndman, Pa., announced his departure from Team 22 following an 18-month tenure with Smith’s operation.

Rather than driving Smith’s equipment, Timm (pictured) will compete with his family-owned operation while carrying Team 22’s No. 22* branding, allowing Smith’s team to maintain its full-time WoO status. Team 22 currently sits fifth in the series standings.

“With everything happening so sudden, Jake Timm is going to be carrying the Team 22 Inc. banner through the Gopher 50 on July 4,” Smith confirmed to DirtonDirt. “I hope he goes out there and gets a win. These are good tracks for him. These are tracks he knows well. I hope he goes out and has great success.

“Our race team is back home,” the Cornelius, N.C., car owner added. “This isn’t a long-term deal. It’s a way for us both to continue while we navigate the future.”

Timm was already planning to compete on the WoO’s Upper Midwest swing — a stretch of tracks in his backyard — so “the opportunity works well because we’ll have the platinum perks on the World of Outlaws,” Timm told DirtonDirt. “Our plan for now is to just do this through Deer Creek.”

Timm opened the season as a full-time WoO competitor before stepping away from the tour following the May 2 Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis.

He’ll continue under the Team 22 banner Friday at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., Sunday at Nodak Speedway in Minot, N.D., next Tuesday at Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn., and July 2-4 at Deer Creek Speedway's Gopher 50.

Outside of the immediate future, Smith said doesn’t know what’s next following July 4’s Gopher 50. He admitted he was “crushed” to see Troutman leave, but said “he respected me enough to say, ‘Hey, I’ve slept on it, and my heart is taking me another direction,’ which I get.”

"Right now, I can't even think about the future,” Smith added. “We’re doing what we need to do. As far as the long-term future, I have no plans or long-term commitments. It’s still too soon and too fresh. This was something we weren’t ready for.

“I want to stress how much we cared about Drake and how much we loved him. I want nothing but success for him. We were just scratching the surface of what we were capable of. That’s why it still stings so much.”