NASCAR lands another celebrity team owner for 2021
By Asher Fair
Armando Perez, better known as Pitbull, is set to join Trackhouse Racing Team as a team partner ahead of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
NBA legend Michael Jordan is not the only celebrity team owner joining the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2021 season, and we’re not talking about The Money Team Racing and the long-awaited arrival of legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Now we can add Armando Perez, better known by his stage name Pitbull, to that list, as he is set to join Trackhouse Racing as a team partner ahead of the 2021 season, which is scheduled to begin in just over four weeks.
The Grammy Award-winning Latin artist made the announcement on Twitter to highlight his 40th birthday.
I’ve been a fan of the @NASCAR story since the movie ‘Days of Thunder’, now I’m an official co-owner of the @TeamTrackhouse racing team. Thank you Justin Marks, Ty Norris & Daniel Suarez for the great opportunity. This is a great way to celebrate my 40th bday, so Get Ready! Dale! pic.twitter.com/vDA199TE0h
— Pitbull (@pitbull) January 15, 2021
Trackhouse Racing Team is a new team announced in early October that was started by former driver Justin Marks.
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They are set to run one car, the #99 Chevrolet, using a charter that has been loaned to them by Spire Motorsports after Spire Motorsports acquired two additional charters in recent months.
Trackhouse Racing Team announced at the time that they will have a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. Daniel Suarez is set to be the full-time driver of the #99 Chevrolet after leaving Gaunt Brothers Racing following the 2020 season, marking his fourth different team in the last four seasons.
Suarez competed for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018 and then for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019 before moving to Gaunt Brothers Racing for one year.
Here is what Pitbull had to say about becoming a team partner in a team release.
"“I’ve been a fan of the NASCAR story since the movie ‘Days of Thunder’. As soon as I met Justin, Ty Norris (team president) and Daniel, we were on the same page. They welcomed me aboard, and now we’re going to show the world NASCAR is not only a sport but it’s a culture. This is an amazing way to celebrate my 40th birthday, so Get Ready! Dale! (Dah-lay)”"
Here is what Marks had to say about the addition of Pitbull to the team.
"“From day one of creating Trackhouse Racing, I wanted our team to be a platform for purpose, to transcend the sport and positively impact all races on and off the track.“I am proud that in just a few months we are here announcing a partnership with one of the most influential and recognized artists in the world. Within the first 10 minutes of our first meeting, it was clear Armando and I share a vision and passion for impacting the lives of the underrepresented. We are creating and compelling a movement of positivity and possibility, using the platform and excitement of sports and music. Through NASCAR and our partnership with Pitbull, we are going to have the attention of a global demographic that is ready to be inspired into action for themselves, their families and their future.”"
Additionally, Pitbull and Marks are slated to foster the launch of a racing-themed STEM curriculum within the SLAM! (Sports Leadership Arts and Management) inner-city charter schools, something that Pitbull helped establish seven years ago.
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The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway in under a month, as the 63rd annual Daytona 500 is set to kick things off on Sunday, February 14. Fox is set to provide live coverage from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.