NASCAR driver back in Cup Series after one year out

Anthony Alfredo, who did not compete in the NASCAR Cup Series last year, is set to compete in two races later this season.

Anthony Alfredo, who competes full-time for B.J. McLeod Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is set to join McLeod’s Cup Series team for two races later this year.

Alfredo is set to drive the No. 78 Chevrolet for the McLeod and Matt Tifft-owned Live Fast Motorsports in the season’s seventh race at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, April 2, plus one more race which hasn’t yet been confirmed.

The announcement marks Alfredo’s return to the Cup Series, where he last competed in 2021. In fact, all 36 of his Cup Series starts came in 2021, when he competed full-time for Front Row Motorsports behind the wheel of the No. 38 Ford before being replaced by Todd Gilliland.

He finished his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season in 30th place in the point standings and recorded a top finish of 10th at Talladega Superspeedway.

The 23-year-old Ridgefield, Connecticut native spent the 2022 season competing full-time in the Xfinity Series for Our Motorsports. He finished in 15th place in the point standings with four top 10 finishes, including a season-best fifth place finish at Auto Club Speedway.

He had previously spent time in the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing, recording a top finish of third place at Texas Motor Speedway and seven other top 10 finishes in 20 starts in 2020.

Through three Xfinity Series race this year, his top finish is 17th place at Auto Club Speedway, and he sits in 21st in the point standings.

As for Live Fast Motorsports, McLeod has competed in each of the season’s first three races. The only other driver who has been confirmed as a part of their lineup for 2023 is Josh Bilicki, who is set to make his first start of the year behind the wheel of the No. 78 Chevrolet on Sunday, March 26, a week before the race at Richmond Raceway, at Circuit of the Americas.