2021 season preview: Spire Motorsports

Posted on January 21, 2021January 19, 2022 by Pat DeCola

Today we’re looking at Spire Motorsports, as we continue NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, starting with new chartered teams then ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year’s owner standings.

MORE: Changes to know for 2021 season

SPIRE MOTORSPORTS

Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: Hendrick Motorsports
Driver-crew chief pairings: Corey LaJoie-Ryan Sparks (No. 7); Multiple drivers (Jamie McMurray among them)-Kevin Bellicourt (No. 77)

What’s new: Well, plenty. LaJoie makes the shift over to Chevrolet and Spire after a pair of full-time seasons with the Ford-backed Go Fas Racing, and the team itself is expanding to a two-car enterprise. Both crew chiefs are new to the outlet, with Sparks moving over from Go Fas along with LaJoie. Former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray also returns to the fold for the Great American Race after running it for Spire in 2019 and taking last year off. The team also added former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief and current NASCAR on NBC broadcaster Steve Letarte in a consulting role.

Team outlook: It’s tough to say, to be honest. This is an organization that — kind of miraculously — already has a Cup Series win to its credit, but hasn’t nearly scratched the surface of what it’s trying to accomplish in the sport. Still in its relative infancy after debuting at the ’19 Daytona 500 with McMurray, the subsidiary of Spire Sports + Entertainment management agency is a team looking to plant its roots and grow for the future. That said, it’s clear Spire has big aspirations and appears to be methodically putting the correct pieces in place to become a powerhouse down the line, but a win this year is certainly not an impossibility. The hiring of Letarte was also an incredibly interesting and perhaps an underrated personnel move that could pay dividends as soon as this year.

Racing Insights’ stats break: Spire moves from one team to two teams in 2021, adding LaJoie — who comes to Daytona with top-10 finishes in two of the last three races there. The team found success in 2019 by winning at Daytona in the Coke Zero 400 with Justin Haley and hopes to continue to improve thanks to its additions as well as consulting work from veteran crew chief Steve Letarte.

Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Chevrolet

Experience: Third full season in NASCAR Cup Series
2020 stats: 30th in final standings; 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10
2020 final Fantasy Live ranking: 30th
2021 championship odds: 1,000-1

Outlook: Running for lesser-funded organizations LaJoie’s stats historically have not been eye-popping, but last winter he emerged as a dark horse candidate to slide into the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet vacated by Jimmie Johnson and eventually filled internally by Alex Bowman. Though the dominoes fell a different way, it still speaks volumes about LaJoie’s reputation within the garage and amongst his peers on the track that he was an option — longshot or not — to replace a seven-time champion. After securing just one top 10 and three total in his two years at Go Fas, there’s nowhere to go but up for the 29-year-old. Though he likely again won’t wow you with his finishing position most weekends, expect the trajectory of LaJoie and Spire as a whole to continue to rise, maybe even faster than some are projecting.

MORE: Corey LaJoie joins Spire Motorsports for 2021

Various drivers, No. 77 Chevrolet

Outlook: As of this writing Spire has only announced McMurray’s Daytona 500 start in terms of drivers to pilot this ride, though it is expected that Haley will return for several races on top of his full Xfinity Series slate for Kaulig Racing. There likely will be other drivers to be announced at a later date. Bellicourt is an interesting pull to put atop the pit box, having most recently worked with upstart Camping World Truck Series driver Derek Kraus en route to an 11th-place finish last season. One thing that does stand out on his resume, however: he guided a then-17-year-old William Byron to a four-win, championship campaign in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2015.

NASCAR.com 2021 team previews schedule

Jan. 18: 23XI Racing
Jan. 19: Trackhouse Racing Team
Jan. 20: Live Fast Motorsports
Jan. 21: Spire Motorsports
Jan. 22: JTG Daugherty Racing
Jan. 25: Front Row Motorsports
Jan. 26: Richard Petty Motorsports
Jan. 27: Roush Fenway Racing
Jan. 28: Wood Brothers Racing
Jan. 29: Richard Childress Racing
Jan. 30: Non-chartered and teams outside the top 30
Feb. 1: Chip Ganassi Racing
Feb. 2: Stewart-Haas Racing
Feb. 3: Joe Gibbs Racing
Feb. 4: Team Penske
Feb. 5: Hendrick Motorsports

Posted on January 21, 2021February 1, 2021 by Staff Report

Racing has long been a family affair for Craig Lutz.

He spent much of his childhood racing go-karts with his father Eric, beginning at the tender age of 5.

The family continued to build up a race team, putting Craig into an SK Modified at the Waterford Speedbowl in 2012. Lutz cut his teeth racing drivers like Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher. After two years there, Lutz was running the Whelen Modified Tour part-time. And two years after that, with help from Eric and stepmom Renee, Lutz was able to get onto the Tour full-time in 2016, still driving for the family.

In the middle of the 2017 season, however, Lutz made the jump to the No. 46 Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet, owned by Russell Goodale. Even though it was a big break to make the leap from a family operation to a different team, it was what the Lutz family had been striving for for years.

“My dad is a diehard racer,” Lutz says. “Every weekend, after our first year, we were like ‘man, hopefully one day we can get a ride driving for somebody.’ I got the call from Russell, and it was a dream come true.”

RELATED: Craig Lutz Career Stats

In his first race with the team at Stafford that year, Lutz sat on the pole for the first time in his Tour career and finished eighth.

After another year on the Tour, Lutz finally got his first Tour victory at the 2019 Fall Final at Stafford, holding off Doug Coby.

That first win was extra-special for Lutz. Not only was it his first Tour win, it was the first Tour win for anybody on the No. 46 team.

“The first one is definitely the best one,” Lutz says. “It was the first one for… all the guys on the crew. They put their lives into this, so that was the best part about the first one. Then, after the first one, you‘re like ‘when‘s the second one coming?‘ ”

Lutz wheeled his Modified to two victories in 2020, at Jennerstown and the season-ending World Series 150 at Thompson.

Craig Lutz closes the deal at Jennerstown ud83cudfc1

2nd career #NWMT win! pic.twitter.com/kFQiW71SCZ

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) August 23, 2020

With those two wins, Lutz and the No. 46 team made it very clear to the rest of the Tour garage: 2019 was no fluke.

The Thompson win was especially sweet. Believe it or not, Lutz despised the ⅝-mile oval the moment he began turning laps there. Winning races, of course, can help change minds.

“There’re so many good guys that have won Thompson, and I feel like it puts an exclamation point on your Modified racing career, to win at a track like Thompson,” Lutz says. “Long straightaways, high-banked corners. It‘s a really demanding racetrack. To be able to finally win there is a dream come true. There‘s nothing like it.”

Craig Lutz celebrates in victory lane! ud83cudfc1 pic.twitter.com/eHJczHXZQL

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) October 11, 2020

Now, coming off back-to-back 4th-place finishes in the standings, Lutz enters the 2021 season as a driver to watch in the battle for the Tour championship.

“We all hope to be running for a championship,” Lutz says. “You just try to go every weekend, can‘t have any bad days. You look at Justin [Bonsignore‘s] season last year, he didn‘t finish outside the top-five once. That‘s what it takes to win championships.

“Hopefully, if the cards play out, we‘ll have a shot at the end of the year.”

As Lutz turns the page to 2021, with three Tour wins under his belt, he still credits his father Eric for his success.

“I am where I am today because of my dad,” Lutz says. “My dad was always pushing me to be better and do bigger things, and because of him, I‘m able to do what I‘m doing now. Without him, I would never be where I‘m at today.”

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR Nation was treated to the news Tuesday of a familiar face returning to the cockpit to make another run at a second Daytona 500 win.

Spire Motorsports announced that Jamie McMurray will return to NASCAR Cup Series competition next month, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet in the Daytona 500.

Having last competed in NASCAR’s top division in 2019 in Spire’s first-ever series appearance in that season’s running of The Great American Race, the seven-time series winner’s announcement was a popular one.

Nobody, however, was more excited than McMurray’s son, Carter.

MORE: McMurray returning for 2021 Daytona 500

As excited as I am to race in Daytona my sons reaction when I told him was priceless. pic.twitter.com/Nhy2Kb3FJS

— Jamie McMurray (@jamiemcmurray) January 19, 2021

The 2010 Daytona 500 winner will attempt to secure his second Harley J. Earl trophy Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Posted on January 20, 2021February 5, 2021 by RJ Kraft

Today’s Live Fast Motorsports preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, starting with new chartered teams then ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year’s owner standings.

MORE: Changes to know for 2021 season

LIVE FAST MOTORSPORTS

Manufacturer: Ford
Engine: Roush Yates Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: B.J. McLeod—Frank Kerr (No. 78)

What’s new: The whole team. Drivers B.J. McLeod and Matt Tifft have teamed up to form Live Fast Motorsports and it is the culmination of a relationship that began when Tifft (now 24) went to a stock-car driving school at age 12 and McLeod (now 37) was one of the instructors. McLeod will be the driver with Tifft helping run things. The team has a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing that will see them get cars, parts and pieces from the championship-caliber organization – likely in a similar vein to SHR’s alliance with Go Fas Racing in 2020. The team purchased a charter from Go Fas team owner Archie St. Hilaire’s ownership interest of Circle Sport Racing’s charter. Veteran crew chief Frank Kerr will call the shots atop the pit box.

Team outlook: Expect some growing pains as a new team in the sport’s top series. Tifft has talked about 2021 being a “transition year” for the team to get its feet wet ahead of the 2022 debut of the Next Gen car.

Racing Insights’ stats break: McLeod has made 57 Cup starts with a best finish of 19th in the 2019 Daytona 500.

B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Ford

Experience: First full-time season after four part-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series
2020 stats: 16 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s
2020 final Fantasy Live ranking: 44th
2021 championship odds: 1,000-1

Outlook: This season is about laying the groundwork for the seasons to come as the organization takes shape. Tifft said in a November availability after the team was announced that they are looking to emulate Go Fas Racing “over the next year and going into future years.” A finish in the top 30 of owner points would be a solid start for the organization.

NASCAR.com 2021 team previews schedule

Posted on January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 by Zack Albert

Ty Dillon described his suiting up for a Tuesday afternoon video conference as “unique,” and with understandable reason.

As he donned a short-sleeved polo for his media session, he glanced in the mirror and noticed the logo of Toyota’s overlapping ellipses below his left shoulder. In any other instance over the course of a NASCAR career that began in 2011, the emblem would have been the familiar bowtie of longtime partner Chevrolet. Dillon had flown that banner in all 365 of his previous national-series starts, and grandfather Richard Childress’ venerable team has been a Chevy loyalist for 50-plus years.

Dillon, though, noted “things change and times shift.” That transition means the 28-year-old driver’s bid for next month’s Daytona 500 will come in the No. 96 Camry as part of a newly announced agreement with Gaunt Brothers Racing and team owner Marty Gaunt.

“As things opened up, I’m very thankful that Toyota and Marty looked at me as an individual, as a person, as a race-car driver and gave me a chance, to not tie me to not only my family but my past ties and to believe in me,” said Dillon, who also will have backing from Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company in The Great American Race. “This means absolutely the most to me. I love loyalty and I love people believing in me. If you show me you believe in me, you’ve got me forever. So I really appreciate the opportunity, and I’m very thankful.”

Dillon competed the last four seasons full time in the NASCAR Cup Series, but his status turned uncertain when Germain Racing ceased operations at the end of 2020. Enter Gaunt, who jumped to sign Dillon for Daytona.

Gaunt says his organization is scaling back to a part-time effort this season, one year after a full-season run with Daniel Suarez in a campaign that began with a heartbreaking DNQ at Daytona. The team owner said the organization would focus on superspeedway and road-course events this year, but nothing is “set in stone” for its partial schedule and Dillon is at least in the discussion for more 2021 events.

“We’ve got to get out of the gate,” Gaunt said. “We’re going to get to Daytona and then see what we can figure out down the road.”

Through it all, Dillon said he never doubted his abilities. Though his 2020 scorecard reflects a 26th-place landing spot in the final driver standings, Dillon punched above his weight at select junctures, including a career-best third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway last fall and a strategy-savvy stage win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

“I feel like I’m a very capable driver that should be in a full-time ride,” said Dillon, who added he’d considered a return to Xfinity or Camping World Truck Series competition as his next career move. “But like I said earlier, I’m not going to sit and dwell on what’s not there. … I’m very excited for the opportunity, and all I’m looking for is and all I’ve been looking for this offseason is just a little bit of light, just the door to just crack open a little bit so that I can blow it down.”

MORE: Changes to know for 2021

It’s the latest adjustment in what has been a fairly dramatic last several months for the next-generation pilot. Dillon was among the first drivers to come forward with open eyes and ears during the nation’s social unrest last summer, with his willingness to listen and learn standing out as a guiding example in the garage. Months later, his family grew to a party of four, with son Kapton waiting out Texas Motor Speedway’s postseason rain delay like the rest of the industry, born Oct. 29, a day after the Wednesday checkered flag. “Three hours to the good,” Dillon said about his rushed arrival time for the birth in North Carolina, having hitched a ride on Jimmie Johnson’s plane to get there.

All of this plus the offseason career limbo. Now there’s also the matter of keeping track of a new manufacturer in 2021, lest he make a reference to “our No. 96 Chevr- … I mean, Toyota” during any interviews.

“It might be tough, but I’m going to do my very best,” Dillon said. “I get to race these cars for a living, so I better get it right on TV when I get to talk about them.”

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

The 2021 Daytona 500 is less than a month away with plenty of unknowns heading into what might be the most anticipated NASCAR Cup Series season in history.

While drivers such as defending champion Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin — just to name a few — are poised for more success this year, there’s the potential for a dark horse to steal the spotlight.

As we head into what is shaping up to be an ultra-competitive 2021 campaign, which drivers are flying under the radar and could click off a win to make a significant playoff run? NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert and Chase Wilhelm offer up their best picks.

WILHELM: After William Byron earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory last August at Daytona International Speedway, he’s poised to have a breakout 2021 season.

Byron links back up with crew chief Rudy Fugle. Just based on some offseason conversations between the pair, it appears they are ready to pick up right where they left off, which was a title-caliber campaign with seven wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016. Byron later went on to win the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with JR Motorsports, while Fugle earned a Truck Series title with Christopher Bell that same year.

MORE: William Byron through the years

Fugle’s return injects new life into Byron and the No. 24 team. The fruits of their rekindled relationship could be achieved rather quickly, as well. Byron returns to Daytona with a points-paying win under his belt, while also earning a qualifying race victory before last year’s running of The Great American Race.

One more item worth noting: Byron is also strong on road courses. The 23-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver earned a pair of top-10 finishes last year — an eighth place at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course and a sixth place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. With seven road courses on the schedule this year, that potentially serves as seven chances for victory if he can go through teammate Chase Elliott to achieve it.

Byron should be on your radar as a multi-race winner and playoff threat this season, and rightfully so.

ALBERT: Solid pick, but let’s dive a little deeper into the pool of 2021 Cup Series dark horses, specifically the short list of first-year drivers.

Chase Briscoe carries a winning pedigree from the NASCAR Xfinity Series into his rookie Cup season, moving into the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford last driven by Clint Bowyer. Briscoe made waves last year by boldly predicting that he’d need at least an eight-win total for his season to be considered a success. He wound up besting that preseason goal, visiting Victory Lane nine times, leading more than 1,000 laps and clinching a spot in the championship finale.

Rookies typically face a steep learning process, and the expectation here is little different. But Briscoe’s experience level at age 26 is a bit heftier than most, and he’s an established winner in Xfinity, Trucks and ARCA competition during the last five seasons leading up to his Cup Series debut.

The retooled 2021 Cup Series schedule also plays to some of Briscoe’s strengths, with the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track race this spring and a flood of seven road-course events providing a bonanza of opportunity for the Hoosier native. Briscoe has already demonstrated his worth on the circuit’s bread-and-butter ovals, but he’s also a former winner on the Eldora Speedway dirt and the Charlotte and Indy road-course layouts.

Briscoe ranks as an odds-on favorite to become the second straight SHR driver to claim Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. You’ll get no eight-win prediction from here this year, but Briscoe is easily among the best bets to raise eyebrows and outperform those first-year expectations.

Posted on January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 by Staff Report

Austin Cindric’s plans to graduate to the NASCAR Cup Series received a dose of Wednesday morning clarity, with Team Penske announcing a fourth Daytona 500 entry reserved for the reigning Xfinity Series champion.

Cindric is set to drive Penske’s No. 33 Ford in an attempt to qualify for The Great American Race (Feb. 14, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). Should he make the field, it would mark the 22-year-old driver’s Cup Series debut, the first step toward a full-time ride with Wood Brothers Racing in 2022.

RELATED: Changes to know for 2021

Miles Stanley, who has served as a race engineer on Penske’s efforts for Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, will hold crew-chief duties for the No. 33 entry this season. Team Penske officials indicated other select events on Cindric’s part-time Cup Series schedule this year would be announced at a later date.

“There is a lot to be excited about heading into Daytona,” Cindric said in a team release. “It doesn’t really even need to be said that the Daytona 500 is the biggest crown jewel race in NASCAR and one of the biggest races in the world, so to have a shot to be in the show while driving for Roger Penske is a big opportunity. Qualifying our way into the race as an ‘open’ car will be a big challenge. I look forward to working with Miles and all of the guys on the No. 33 team, while also continuing my focus on winning back-to-back Xfinity Series championships.”

Cindric drove to six victories in the Xfinity Series last season, including a title-clinching win in the Phoenix Raceway finale in his 100th career start. He’ll return to Team Penske’s No. 22 ride this year for his fourth full season on the Xfinity circuit.

When not atop the No. 33 pit box, Stanley will continue in his role as a race engineer for Team Penske’s No. 12 outfit for driver Ryan Blaney.

“Ever since I joined Team Penske in 2013, I’ve been able to grow as an engineer and learn from some of the best in the business,” Stanley said. “Now I get the chance to become a Cup Series crew chief with one of the formidable organizations in the sport, which is an amazing opportunity. To get to do it with Austin at Daytona International Speedway is a perfect recipe for success. I look forward to working with him and hitting the ground running with the No. 33 Ford team in Daytona and the other Cup Series races that Austin runs in 2021.”

The No. 33 was last used in the Cup Series in the 2017 season finale, with Jeffrey Earnhardt driving a Chevrolet owned by Joe Falk.

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports unveiled the 2021 version of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for the NASCAR Cup Series on Tuesday. The NAPA colors will be the primary look for defending series champion Chase Elliott for 26 races this year, including the All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Last season, Elliott’s No. 9 featured NAPA Auto Parts as the primary sponsor for 25 points-paying races, including at Phoenix Raceway when Elliott won his first Cup championship. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native enters 2021 with 11 Cup Series victories, including a season-high five last year.

A look fit for the champ. See you all at Daytona. pic.twitter.com/Ix7hevUwhH

— The NAPA Network (@theNAPAnetwork) January 19, 2021

Posted on January 19, 2021January 20, 2021 by Track Release

LEBANON, Tenn. (Jan. 19, 2021) – Ally Financial will make history in June as the presenting sponsor of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, track and company officials said Tuesday.

Ally, a leading digital financial-services company and the primary sponsor of Alex Bowman and the iconic Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet, will be a NASCAR race sponsor for the first time with the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, June 20 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, #Ally400 on social media), capping a spectacular Father’s Day weekend at Middle Tennessee’s home for racing and entertainment. Tickets for the entire June 18-20, 2021 NASCAR tripleheader weekend are available to the general public starting Tuesday.

The multi-year agreement links Ally and Nashville Superspeedway for future NASCAR Cup Series races as well as upcoming community and NASCAR fan events.

“We plan to make the Ally 400 a premiere event for NASCAR fans and the Nashville community this summer with great racing and some other fun surprises we’ll announce soon,” said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer, Ally. “It wouldn’t be an Ally event if we didn’t ‘Do It Right’ by making a lasting impact through donations to support first responders — like those who saved so many lives in December’s bombing — and to an organization that has long provided necessary assistance to this community.”

Initial highlights of the new relationship include:

Ally will donate $25,000 to Box 55 Association, which provides support for first responders, and $25,000 to the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, a civil rights and urban advocacy organization providing direct services that impact thousands of people in underserved communities across the state.
Fans can enter the Ultimate Ally 400 Sweepstakes, with a grand prize of a VIP package for two for the entire June 18-20 race weekend! Visit nashvillesuperspeedway.com/ally400sweepstakes/ for details.
Fans will have a chance to help choose Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet paint scheme for the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. Follow @allyracing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more details to come.
Look for details on more Ally-Nashville Superspeedway events in the coming months leading up to NASCAR’s return to the Nashville area.

The Ally 400 is the centerpiece of a full schedule of activities at Nashville Superspeedway on June 18-20, including a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, June 19 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, June 18 (8 p.m. ET, FS1).

“We’re honored to team up with Ally for our inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race,” said Erik Moses, Nashville Superspeedway’s president. “Ally has heavily invested in NASCAR in recent years and given so much back to race fans with innovative contests and events. As we prepare to welcome America’s best drivers back to Middle Tennessee, we’re looking forward to working with Ally to present the best experience possible for our fans.”

On-track and off-track schedules for all three of Nashville Superspeedway’s NASCAR events will be determined and shared at a later date.

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 19, 2021) – Gaunt Brothers Racing has named Ty Dillon as its driver for the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 Feb. 14 at Daytona International Speedway.

The 28-year-old from Lewisville, North Carolina, will make his 163rd career NASCAR Cup Series start upon qualifying for The Great American Race. Dillon will drive the No. 96 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee Company Toyota Camry, marking his first points-paying start behind the wheel of a Toyota.

“Gaunt Brothers Racing has given me a great opportunity to compete in the Daytona 500 and I couldn’t be happier,” Dillon said. “I love superspeedway races and the Daytona 500 is the biggest of them all. Toyota has certainly proven itself in our sport and in the Daytona 500. I’m looking forward to racing with them and reuniting with Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company.”

RELATED: Changes to know for 2021

Gaunt Brothers Racing has put particular emphasis on its superspeedway program in 2021. The team will unload a brand-new Toyota Camry for Dillon at Daytona with an engine built by Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. (TRD).

“The best way to get a good start to your season is to have a good finish in the Daytona 500,” said Marty Gaunt, president, Gaunt Brothers Racing. “We’ve got a talented driver in Ty Dillon with a strong TRD engine plugged into the best equipment available. Together with Toyota, Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company, we’re ready to compete and surprise some people.”

Bass Pro Shops is a longtime supporter of Dillon. North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company was with Dillon for his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in July 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories – August 2012 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, June 2013 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, and November 2013 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

“In addition to Ty’s competitive spirit and lifelong passion for racing, his love of fishing, hunting and the great outdoors makes him a great ambassador for Bass Pro Shops,” said noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. “We know Ty lives for moments like the Daytona 500 just like we do, and we couldn’t be more excited for him to represent Bass Pro Shops in the biggest race of the year.”

Black Rifle Coffee Company is a premium, roast-to-order, veteran-owned coffee company that gives back to veterans in every cup. Founded by Evan Hafer, a Green Beret who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Black Rifle Coffee Company has quickly established itself as a strong brand with a growing community of loyal fans thanks to its delicious coffee and commitment to supporting veterans, law enforcement and first responders. The 2021 season marks its second year as a sponsor in NASCAR.

Dillon is the 2011 ARCA Menards Series champion. He has 10 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona with three top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place drive in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400

The Daytona 500 starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb., 14 with live coverage on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.