Getty Live Fast Motorsports Ford Mustang
The top series in NASCAR will head to Austin on May 23 for the first-ever race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas road course. A new face will join the Cup Series drivers, one that has a special set of road course skills. Reigning Rolex 24 champion Kyle Tilley will make his Cup debut while driving for Live Fast Motorsports.
According to a press release from NASCAR, Tilley will compete in four races during the 2021 season. He will get behind the wheel of the No. 78 Ford Mustang at COTA, Road America (July 4), Watkins Glen International (Aug. 8), and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Aug. 15).
NEWS!
Reigning Rolex 24 LMP2 Champion @KyleTilley to make #NASCAR Cup Series debut with Live Fast Motorsports at COTA plus additional road course races in the 2021 NCS season!
“The NASCAR Cup Series! To say I’m excited would be an understatement,” Tilley said in a press release. “I have always been a big fan of NASCAR and the close racing it provides. To have the opportunity to go up against the best at COTA is going to be both a huge challenge and learning curve, but one I am really looking forward to.”
The British driver in Tilley competes in a variety of series and in multiple vehicles. He currently competes in IMSA, the Asian LeMans Series, and European LeMans Series. He competes around the world and races LMP prototypes and vintage Formula 1 cars among others. Now he will add stock cars to the list of vehicles.
New sponsors will debut alongside Tilley
GettyLeMans Series Race in California
When Tilley heads to COTA, he will do so with some partners on the No. 78 Ford Mustang. His sponsors include Battle Associates and Bremont Chronometers, the official timing partner of Williams Racing in Formula 1. Their support of Tilley will mark their first venture into NASCAR and the Cup Series.
“There are a lot of people to thank, firstly team owners BJ McLeod and Matt Tifft for the faith they have shown in me, and my partners Battle Associates and Bremont Chronometers for coming onboard for the weekend! I am honored to be a part of Team Live Fast and am excited to see what we can do together!”
“Following the success of Kyle and the Era Motorsport team at iconic Le Mans 24 and Daytona 24-hour races, it seemed only natural to follow it up by supporting Kyle in the world-famous NASCAR Series,” added Bremont owners Nick and Giles English. “The high technical performance and precision of NASCAR is reflected in the creation of our mechanical watches…truly a little piece of Britain in the pinnacle of American motorsport.”
The 2021 schedule features seven road course races
According to The Checkered Flag, Live Fast Motorsports has relied on multiple drivers during the first 12 races of the 2021 season. Owner BJ McLeod has primarily driven the oval course races, posting a season-best finish of 23rd in the Daytona 500. Shane Golobic ran the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race while Scott Heckert finished 28th in the Daytona Road Course race.
Tilley will run the majority of the road course races, taking the wheel for four of the seven, including the trip to the IMS road course. There are two road course races remaining on the schedule, but Live Fast has not named a driver for them. The Cup Series will head to Sonoma Raceway in June and the Charlotte Motor Speedway in October.
For now, however, the Cup Series season will continue with a trip to Dover International Speedway. The race will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Martin Truex Jr. will lead the field to the green flag while his teammate, Denny Hamlin, will join him on the front row.
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