Wexford, Pennsylvania-native Kris Wright will join the driver lineup at Sam Hunt Racing for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, running a limited schedule that focuses on the series’ seven road course events.
The 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 Champion comes from a background revolving around road course racing and will look to have a solid performance in his series debut at Daytona’s Road Course on February 20th – the same venue Wright made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut last August.
The 26-year-old has begun his transition into the top-levels of NASCAR, cutting his teeth in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for GMS Racing last season. Along with his partial Xfinity Series schedule in 2021, Wright will pilot the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series for Young’s Motorsports.
Wright is up to the challenge of learning, adapting, and growing in NASCAR’s top-three series, a challenge he will face throughout the majority of the 2021 season.
“I’m really excited to be competing with SHR in the 2021 Xfinity Series,” said Wright. “Sam has great equipment and I’m hopeful I can get the most out of it. I cannot wait to get back to some of my favorite road courses, but in a Sam Hunt Xfinity car. It will be a challenge and I’m excited to get to work with some great people.”
Team owner Sam Hunt is optimistic about Wright’s ability to learn and is hoping that the seven-race stint could lead to a blossoming relationship between the driver and owner in the future.
“Kris has been great to get to know since we started working with him,” offered Hunt. “He’s close to my age, extremely mature as a young adult, and seems to have an understanding about how this all works and the challenge he’s taking on jumping up to the Xfinity Series so quickly.
“His road racing background should make our events with him an absolute blast, and hopefully he can put together some smart, competitive runs. His family has been extremely pleasant to get to know, he is a well-spoken driver, and his intentions are in the right place. I’m proud to be a small part of his climb up the NASCAR ladder.”
Wright joins the previously announced 2021 SHR driver lineup of Santino Ferrucci and Brandon Gdovic, with possible additional drivers yet to be determined.
Sam Hunt Racing is owned and operated by 27-year-old Sam Hunt and is headquartered in Mooresville North Carolina. SHR also utilizes Joe Gibbs Racing Engines and TRD Engineering Support.
