NASCAR: Daytona 500 announcement confirms recent rumors

The 42nd and final driver on the entry list for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 was confirmed on Monday.

A few weeks ago, former NASCAR Cup Series driver Greg Biffle was reportedly sighted getting his seat fitted for the #44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet at Richard Childress Racing, amid rumors that NY Racing Team would be making a return to the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway this year.

NY Racing Team had teased a return to the Daytona 500 last year, but nothing ended up coming of it.

The team last competed in the Cup Series in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with J.J. Yeley behind the wheel of the #7 Chevrolet, and they last competed in the Daytona 500 in 2015 with Reed Sorenson behind the wheel of the #44 Chevrolet.

As for Biffle, he hasn’t competed in the Cup Series since the 2016 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Vancouver, Washington native did compete in one Truck Series race in both 2019 and 2020 at Texas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, respectively.

But Biffle is indeed set to return to the Cup Series, and he is set to drive the #44 Chevrolet for NY Racing Team.

NY Racing are set to use Richard Childress Racing-built cars and Hendrick Motorsports engines, and veteran crew chief Jay Guy is set to serve as Biffle’s crew chief.

Biffle’s entry is set to be sponsored by Grambling State University/HBCU League Pass Plus. Team owner John Cohen is a Grambling State alum, and he is also a marketing partner of Urban Edge Network, Inc.

Here is what Biffle, the oldest driver on the entry list for the 64th annual “Great American Race” at 52 years old, had to say about the matter in a team release.

"“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to drive the Next Gen car and help NY Racing make its entry into the 2022 season. I’ve always said since the day I stepped away from full-time competition that I would return under the right circumstances.”"

Here is what Urban Edge Network, Inc. CEO Todd F. Brown had to add.

"“Urban Edge Network, Inc., is excited to announce our relationship with black owned NY Racing. John is an alumni of Grambling State University. We’re excited to bring our HBCU audience across 101 campuses into the NASCAR arena virtually and physically. We know that our fan base supports sports that reflect and invite blacks into the experience. We’re looking forward to branding and partnering with Fortune 500 companies to support this fully black owned team as they’ve supported other NASCAR teams in the past.”"

Notably, Biffle, a 19-time Cup Series race winner over the course of his 14-year career as a full-time driver for Roush Racing/Roush Fenway Racing from 2003 to 2016, is not locked into this year’s Daytona 500 field.

The #44 Chevrolet is one of the six non-chartered entries on the entry list, but only four of them can join the 36 chartered entries in the 40-car field after the single-car qualifying session (Wednesday, February 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1) and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels (Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1).

The Daytona 500 itself is set to be broadcast live on Fox from the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona International Speedway oval in Daytona Beach, Florida beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20. So be sure not to miss out on this opportunity to start your free trial of FuboTV today!