The No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro will have a replacement driver for the second consecutive race. Brett Moffitt will miss the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway while Ty Dillon will get back into the stock car and fight for his fourth consecutive top-15 finish with Our Motorsports.
Moffitt originally missed the Xfinity Series race at Darlington with an illness. He became a late scratch, so Our Motorsports flew Dillon in on a helicopter to drive the No. 02. Despite having very little time to prepare, the part-time driver kept fighting for a top-10 finish. Now he will head to Richmond with far more notice.
“I’ll be in Richmond this week with the Our Motorsports team, but it will be as a spectator atop the team pit box,” Moffitt announced in a tweet on Wednesday, Sept. 8. “Last Saturday, en route to Darlington, I started feeling ill, which ultimately caused me to miss that race. After meeting with my doctors this week, they wanted me to sit out at Richmond as well, just as a precautionary measure.
“I plan to return to the seat of the No. 02 Chevy next week at Bristol. Thanks to Ty Dillon for filling in for me at Darlington. I’ll be rooting him on in person as he takes the wheel of the No. 02 FR8Auctions Chevrolet again this Saturday.”
Dillon Has Several Starts at Richmond Raceway
GettyTy Dillon races at Richmond Raceway in 2020.
Dillon has considerable experience at the .75-mile oval in his NASCAR career, split between multiple series. For example, he made seven Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway for Germain Racing, posting a career-best finish of 20th in 2018.
As an Xfinity Series driver, Dillon has 10 starts at Richmond, all for Richard Childress Racing. He has seven top-10 finishes at the track along with two top-fives. His best outing is a runner-up in 2016 behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dillon has not competed at Richmond as an Xfinity Series driver since 2017 when he took third behind Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Now he will suit up and face off with Earnhardt for yet another time. Though he will likely move to the rear of the field due to NASCAR’s driver change rules.
Our Motorsports Will Not Be the Only Team With a New Driver
When Dillon suits up for Our Motorsports, he will join another driver in racing for a different team. Sam Mayer, the regular driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, will not be behind the wheel of his stock car. Instead, Earnhardt will take that spot for his one start of the year.
Mayer will actually partner with a new team for the race at Richmond. He will be behind the wheel of the No. 99 BJ McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro while working with QPS Employment Group as his primary sponsor. Mayer will do so while making his first-ever Xfinity Series start at Richmond.
The 18-year-old driver will go up against his teammates in Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, and Michael Annett while fighting for position. Though he will have to make up some considerable ground after starting on the 19th row next to David Starr.
The Xfinity Series race at Richmond will take place on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Network will provide coverage for the 250-lap race as the drivers fight for spots in the playoffs.
READ NEXT: NASCAR Returning to Texas Road Course in 2022: Report
Comments
Brett Moffitt Out of Richmond Xfinity Series Race