NASCAR Team Adds Fifth Car for Road America Race

Getty Ty Gibbs (left) races Justin Haley (right) at Pocono.

The NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series head to Wisconsin Fourth of the July weekend for races at Road America. Joe Gibbs Racing will use the trip to add an extra car to the lineup. The Henry 180 Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 3, will feature five cars from the organization and two part-time drivers. Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch will both start after previously sharing one race car.

As Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass noted on Monday, June 28, Busch will drive the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra during the 45-lap race. Gibbs, on the other hand, will control the No. 81 JGR Toyota Supra, a new entry for the Xfinity Series date. The ARCA Menards Series regular has made eight starts in the No. 54 during the 2021 Xfinity Series season, posting two wins and seven top-five finishes. Now he will switch to a new ride.

The race will be Busch’s fourth of his permitted five starts in the 2021 season. He previously drove the No. 54 at Circuit of the Americas, Texas Motor Speedway, and Nashville Superspeedway, winning all three races and reaching Victory Lane for the 100th time in his Xfinity Series career.

Busch Will Use the Henry 180 to Prepare for the Cup Series Race

GettyKyle Busch does a burnout at Nashville Superspeedway.

The top series in NASCAR has not competed at Road America since 1956, but some of the drivers have experience at the track due to past Xfinity Series seasons. Busch is not among this group. The two-time Cup Series champion has never raced at the Wisconsin track and will fully experience it for the first time on July 3.

Busch and Gibbs will both have the opportunity to test out the track before the green flag waves. The Xfinity Series drivers will take part in a 50-minute practice session on Friday, July 2, and then they will head onto the road course the following morning for their qualifying sessions. The race will follow, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Busch will have an extended amount of time at the track due to running double-duty. He will have two separate practice sessions — one for Cup and one for Xfinity — and two qualifying sessions. By the time he suits up for the Cup Series race on July 4, Busch will have made dozens of laps around the road course.

43 Drivers Will Attempt to Qualify for the Henry 180

GettyAndy Lally drives the No. 23 Chevrolet Camaro at COTA.

With NASCAR bringing back qualifying sessions for the trip to Road America, there are several teams and drivers trying to secure a spot in the July 3 race. There are currently 43 names on the initial entry list, including Cup Series and IMSA drivers, but not all will make the cut.

One of the returning names for the Road America race is Andy Lally. The IMSA driver has made three starts in the Xfinity Series in 2021, all at road courses. He finished 31st at the Daytona Road Course, 18th at Circuit of the Americas, and then fifth at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Now he will return to the Xfinity Series and attempt to qualify for the Henry 180 while driving for BJ McLeod Motorsports.

Similarly, 58-year-old Boris Said will suit up for his second Xfinity Series race of the 2021 season while driving for Hattori Racing Enterprises. Like Lally, Said competed at the inaugural Circuit of the Americas race weekend and turned in a 31st-place finish.

Another big name joining the group of Xfinity Series drivers for the Henry 180 is Kevin Harvick. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver will make his second Xfinity start of the year to gain considerable experience for the first Cup Series trip to Road America in his lifetime. Harvick will partner with BJ McLeod Motorsports for the outing and compete with a fellow Cup Series champion to kick off the weekend.

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