Ty Dillon has officially found a home for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500. The 28-year old will slide behind the wheel of the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota Camry.
The official news from the Associated Press and the subsequent press release from Gaunt Brothers Racing confirms previous reports of Dillon joining GBR for the Daytona 500. The effort will be sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Co.
“Gaunt Brothers Racing has given me a great opportunity to compete in the Daytona 500 and I couldn’t be happier,” Dillon said in the team release. “I love superspeedway races and the Daytona 500 is the biggest of them all. Toyota has certainly proven itself in our sport and in the Daytona 500. I’m looking forward to racing with them and reuniting with Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company.”
Dillon, who has run full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2017, was left without a ride when his long-time team Germain Racing closed up shop at the conclusion of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Over the course of his 162-career starts, Dillon has two top-five finishes and six top-10s in the premier series of NASCAR. Dillon’s two best finishes a third and fourth-place finish, each came at superspeedway events.
While this is only part-time announcement at this time, Dillon could parlay this into more. His alignment with Toyota for The Great American Race potentially sets him up to drive the No. 23 23XI Racing car in the exhibition event The Busch Clash. Dillon is eligible for the event due to winning a Stage in 2020.
According to the report from the AP, GBR, who ran full-time last season, are expected to only compete in around 10 events this season.
Regardless, Dillon has to be happy to have at least found a ride for the season-opener. However, GBR is not a chartered team in the NCS, so Dillon will have to race his way into the field.
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