Stewart Friesen adds Cup race to his Bristol Dirt Track weekend
Perhaps appropriately, Stewart Friesen will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut on dirt.
Friesen, who was already scheduled to compete in the March 27 Truck Series race at the Bristol Dirt Track, has added the March 28 Cup race on his schedule as well.
Friesen, who has more than 300 wins in dirt modified racing, will compete for Spire Motorsports in its No. 77 Chevrolet in the Cup race, making his series debut.
The Cup Series’ race on dirt is its first in more than 50 years. The .533-mile, highly banked concrete Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway has been converted to a dirt surface with 19-degree banking in the corners and a 50-foot wide racing surface.
“It’s the pinnacle of motorsports in North America. As a race fan myself, (competing in the Cup Series) has always been something I’ve dreamed about doing,” said Friesen, 37. “I’m really excited to work with Kevin Bellicourt as our crew chief. I've known him for a few years now since we worked together at GMS Racing.
“In addition to Kevin, the whole Spire Motorsports group has been very welcoming. There’s some stuff we can take from our dirt experience with the truck at Eldora and apply to the Cup car, to hopefully be very competitive at Bristol.”
Friesen, a two-time Truck Series winner, is currently sixth in the series standings and his Halmar Friesen Racing organization is already planning to field a second truck in the Bristol Truck race for his wife, Jessica Friesen, who also has an extensive dirt racing background.
“Stewart Friesen is an outstanding race car driver and his pedigree on dirt speaks for itself,” said Spire team co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “I’ve watched Stewart with great interest over the last several years. He’s won on dirt and on pavement in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, so we feel like he’s the right driver to put in the No. 77 for the Food City Dirt Race.
“He’s a very talented driver, puts in the work and checks all the boxes. We’re thrilled for him make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in our car and I’m confident he’ll do a good job.”
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