Possible Front Row Motorsports Manufacturer Switch a Good Thing

A new technical alliance and a change in manufacturer could go a long way for the drivers associated with Front Row Motorsports in 2016.

Last month it was reported on Motorsport.com that Front Row Motorsports not only is considering a manufacturer switch, they could also be considering lining up with a more established organization in the sport. Although nothing is set in stone at the point in time, the idea of lining up with an established team and a different manufacturer could go a long way in revitalizing the FRM organization.

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On their own, FRM hasn’t accomplished much. Their biggest payday came in the Spring race at Talladega in 2013, when David Ragan and David Gilliland finished first and second, scoring the team’s first (and to date, only) one-two finish in the Sprint Cup Series. Since then, things like poles and top-10s have been scarce, if not sporadic. Sure, they’re good enough that every full-time car has qualified for every race from 2013 to 2014. But it isn’t enough.

Look at teams like Wood Brothers Racing and Furniture Row Racing. Wood Brothers has an alliance with Team Penske which has led them to fielding a full-time entry in 2016 with rookie Ryan Blaney at the helm. FRR meanwhile has paired up in an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2016, a move that would surely strengthen their muscles as they try to take Martin Truex Jr. to Homestead again as a part of the Championship Four. That being said, FRM needs to latch onto another organization to strengthen their own because they need to give their drivers a good foundation.

Look at Cole Whitt. He already has a low stock by driving for FRM in the No. 35 Ford. He’s qualified for every race since the 2014 Daytona 500, but he has yet to so much as score a top-10 let alone have a breakout performance, and if FRM doesn’t pair up with someone soon he could be facing a demotion. Gilliland is another driver who needs more umph in a race team. He’s never really been paired with a strong organization, yet he’s won poles and posted strong runs, from a second at Sonoma in 2008 to a third-place run in the 2011 Daytona 500.

Jul 10, 2015; Sparta, KY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Cole Whitt (35) during practice for the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Although their driver lineup isn’t finalized just yet, there have also been some strong showings in 2015 by Rookie of the Year Brett Moffitt and Xfinity Series champion Chris Buescher. Neither brought the No. 34 home to a top-10, but their performance, notably Buescher’s, kept the team in something resembling a spotlight.

What if they paired with Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing and found a way to put Xfinity driver Ty Dillon in a car and former RCR driver Brian Scott in another? RCR has been good for teams like Germain Racing, who has steadily improved with driver Casey Mears since switching to Chevy, and JTG/Daugherty Racing, who has had some good runs in the No. 47 of A.J. Allmendinger, who even won the 2014 Watkins Glen event with the team.

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FRM, despite being one of the least Ford teams out there, is not a strong team. They’re a few notches above the BK Racing Toyotas, but really that’s about all. But unlike BK, the FRM organization has no pretensions and does come to every race looking to put their best foot forward. If they are to really accomplish that they need to pony up and start looking at building an alliance with another team, even if it is a technical alliance.