NASCAR: Missing detail solves 2021 driver lineup puzzle
By Asher Fair
A charter now controlled by Spire Motorsports came from JTG Daugherty Racing, a previously unconfirmed detail regarding the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series lineup.
A few short weeks ago, in an early look at the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup and the provisional entry list for the season-opening Daytona 500, there were 37 entries listed as chartered entries.
The only problem is that there are only 36 charters.
One of these 37 cars wasn’t actually a chartered entry, but it wasn’t confirmed at the time which one it was. The reason for this confusion came due to the fact that Spire Motorsports now have three charters, and it wasn’t clear where there third one came from.
Spire Motorsports are set to run two full-time entries in 2021 for the first time.
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One, the #7 Chevrolet, is for full-time driver Corey LaJoie, and the other, the #77 Chevrolet, is for a number of part-time drivers to share throughout the season. Only Justin Haley has been confirmed as one of those other drivers thus far.
They are loaning their other charter to Trackhouse Racing Team, the new team started by Justin Marks which recently partnered with Pitbull, for them to run the #99 Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by Daniel Suarez.
When Spire Motorsports announced that they had purchased a charter from the now defunct Leavine Family Racing, they announced that they now had three charters.
They entered the 2020 season with only one, which was the charter they purchased from the now defunct Furniture Row Racing after they folded following the 2018 season.
So it was unclear where that third charter came from.
Now we know that it came from JTG Daugherty Racing. There were rumors at the time that this is where it had come from, but that had not been confirmed at the time.
So yes, there are still only 36 charters.
That hasn’t changed.
As a result, the second JTG Daugherty Racing car is not slated to be run using a charter in the 2021 season like it had been in the past.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is set to be back for a second year behind the wheel of the chartered #47 Chevrolet while Ryan Preece is set return for his third season with the team and his second behind the wheel of the #37 Chevrolet, but it will be his first behind the wheel of a non-chartered car.
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The 2021 season is scheduled to get underway in under one month on Sunday, February 14 with the 63rd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Fox is set to broadcast this race live beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.