Jeffrey Earnhardt – a veteran driver of NASCAR’s top-three series — will join first-year organization Emerling-Gase Motorsports (EGM) as the pilot of the team’s No. 35 Toyota Supra in Saturday’s United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway.
The 32-year-old, who took a step back from full-time racing in the Xfinity Series at the end of last year in favor of more competitive opportunities, will have sponsorship from Dalstrong, an industry-leading knife, cookware, and culinary accessories company.
Dalstrong, who started the year as an associate sponsor of Earnhardt at Daytona, will make their first primary sponsorship venture on Saturday, as Earnhardt looks to capitalize on a pair of strong performances with Sam Hunt Racing.
“Partnering with Jeffrey [Earnhardt] is such a natural dit for Dalstrong,” said a company spokesperson in a team release. “Jeffrey is proud of his family legacy with NASCAR but is carving his own path and setting his own standards of excellence. He puts the same ferocity, intensity, and determination into every race that we put into every product. We’re also excited to work with Forever Lawn on joint sponsorships this season. We know there are no limits to what we can achieve together.”
In 133 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Earnhardt has scored one top-five and three top-10 results, all of which came throughout the 2019 season, when he partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing and its affiliate XCI Racing.
“I’m so excited to start this new partnership with Dalstrong and get an opportunity to race with EGM,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “I’ve always respected Joey’s worth ethic and it was important to me to stick with Toyota teams this season. They’ve been really welcoming to me and I look forward to working with the EGM team this weekend.”
Throughout the first three events of the year, Emerling-Gase Motorsports has recorded one top-20 result at Auto Club Speedway, with the No. 35 team currently sitting 30th in NASCAR Xfinity Series owner points.
“All of us at EGM are extremely excited to have Jeffrey be a part of the EGM family,” said team co-owner, Joey Gase. “Jeffrey and I have raced together for years and have always had the utmost respect for each other. We have had speed at EGM and are excited to see what Jeffrey can do for our team.”
The United Rentals 200 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway will take place on Saturday, March 12th at 4:30 PM / ET, with television coverage on FOX Sports 1, and radio coverage on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
