Last season, MBM Motorsports (now known as Garage 66) made their return to the NASCAR Cup Series after missing the entire 2023 season. A total of six drivers combined to run 13 races for the team, and one of them was David Starr.
Starr made his first start since 2021 when he competed in the April race at Martinsville Speedway. He was supposed to compete again for the team at Iowa Speedway in June, but he and the team surprisingly withdrew from the entry list.
The 57-year-old Houston, Texas native has not been back in the series since, though he has made select starts in the Xfinity Series, including one this year at Darlington Raceway back in April with Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen.
Now Starr is set to make his long-awaited Cup Series return this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Because the No. 66 Ford is one of four non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list for this 260-lap Quaker State 400 around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval, it is locked into the race, as there is no way for it to be bumped out of the field.
Starr is officially set to become the fourth driver to start a race for Garage 66 this year, though he is actually the seventh driver connected to the team's Cup Series program in 2025.
Casey Mears has made one start this year, while Josh Bilicki and Chad Finchum have each made two. But before Mears officially made the team's first start of the season at Martinsville, three other drivers were all supposed to compete for the team and didn't.
Garrett Smithley failed to qualify for the preseason Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium. Mike Wallace was supposed to attempt to qualify for the official season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, but given his lack of recent experience, NASCAR did not allow it. Instead, Chandler Smith tried (and failed) to qualify.
As for Starr, he is one of four drivers set to drive a non-chartered (open) car this weekend. With Cup Series races capped at 40 cars, this means that there is no way for him to be bumped out of the field.
The other three open cars on the entry list this weekend are the No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford, which is set to be driven by Corey LaJoie, the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by B.J. McLeod, and the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by Connor Zilisch.
Tune in to TNT Sports this Saturday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Quaker State 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway.