NASCAR: Yet another driver set to make Cup Series debut
By Asher Fair
Yet another driver is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut, this time in this Sunday afternoon’s Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Through the first 10 races of the 36-race 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, there have already been quite a few drivers who have made their Cup Series debuts — nine, to be exact.
In the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, full-time rookies Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing and Anthony Alfredo of Front Row Motorsports competed for the first time, as did Austin Cindric of Team Penske. Noah Gragson attempted to do so for Beard Motorsports, but he failed to qualify.
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In the race at the Daytona International Speedway road course, Scott Heckert made his Cup Series debut driving for Live Fast Motorsports, one of the three new teams in the series this season.
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Then in the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway, four more drivers appeared in an event for the first time. Stewart Friesen drove for Spire Motorsports, Mike Marlar drove for MBM Motorsports, Chris Windom drove for Rick Ware Racing and Shane Golobic drove for B.J. McLeod Motorsports.
Most recently, while Jennifer Jo Cobb’s Cup Series planned debut at Talladega Superspeedway was rejected by NASCAR, Harrison Burton’s wasn’t, and he got to make his first start at the sport’s top level on the high banks.
Continuing this trend, this Sunday afternoon’s Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway is also set to see a driver make his Cup Series debut.
Matt Mills is set to become the 10th driver to make his first career Cup Series start in the 2021 season.
Mills is set to pilot the #55 Ford for B.J. McLeod Motorsports, which haven’t competed in a Cup Series race since last September when team owner B.J. McLeod competed at Bristol Motor Speedway and finished in 32nd place. Interestingly, McLeod is one of the co-owners of Live Fast Motorsports as well.
Mills is set to start this Sunday’s 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Kansas City, Kansas in 39th place out of 39 cars as a result of the fact that he and the #55 team do not have any previous data from this season to use for NASCAR’s starting lineup formula.
The 24-year-old Lynchburg, Virginia native has competed for B.J. McLeod Motorsports in the Xfinity Series since the 2017 season. He has competed in 79 races in the series since making his series debut four years ago, including 72 with the team. He has competed in all eight Xfinity Series races for the organization so far this season.
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Fox Sports 1 is set to broadcast the Buschy McBusch Race 400 live from Kansas Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 2.