Being left without a full-time ride for the 2021 season after Germain Racing closed up shop, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Dillon has been on the outside looking in for getting back into a race car for 2021.
Now, a new report from Motorsport.com’s Jim Utter suggests that Dillon could be behind the wheel of a Cup Series car in Daytona when the season kicks off on February 14th.
NEWS: @TyDillon set to join Gaunt Brothers for two Daytona #NASCAR Cup races https://t.co/sW0nCc17Rl via @motorsport
— Jim Utter (@jim_utter) January 15, 2021
Utter is reporting that a deal is nearing completion that would give Dillon the seat to the No. 96 entry for both the Daytona 500, and the succeeding Daytona Road Course race the following weekend. The GBR No. 96 entry is among some of the last available Cup Series rides for 2021, next to the Spire No. 77 entry. Both teams have yet to confirm their driver lineup for 2021 with Daytona just a month away.
TobyChristie.com has heard similar reports from sources in recent days with Dillon eyeing a potential part-time schedule for 2021, as well as sponsorship being gathered for the effort.
Fans have long speculated where Dillon could end up in 2021, with many pointing him towards RCR as an almost guarnateed landing spot, with Richard Childress being the grandfather of the Dillon brothers. In an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio back in October, Dillon was asked about the possibility of going to RCR, his grandfather’s team, in a third full-time entry in the Cup Series. During the availability, Dillon mentioned that financial backing was the key to heading back to the family operation to join his brother Austin.
A request for comment from Gaunt Brothers Racing has gone unanswered as of this publishing.
