Getty Sam Hunt Racing has announced expanded plans for 2022.
Sam Hunt Racing has announced expanded plans for the NASCAR Xfinity Series season. The team will field two entries for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway with Jeffrey Earnhardt and Ryan Truex as the drivers.
The NASCAR team announced the news on January 26 with a press release. The team confirmed that two Toyota Supras will take on the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 on February 19 (5 p.m. ET, FS1), with Truex in the No. 26 entry and Earnhardt in the No. 24 entry. Andrew Abbott will serve as Earnhardt’s crew chief, marking his return to the pit box after he guided several drivers during the 2021 season.
The One Where a Truex and Earnhardt Are Teammates
@jearnhardt1 joins @ryan_truex as a teammate in the @xfinityracing 2022 season opener at @daytona!
PS. #24 Days until then 😉
#TeamToyota | #NASCAR | #NXS | #LetsGoPlaces | #XfinitySeries
“Our entire journey has been based around calculated growth,” said team owner Sam Hunt in a statement. “Running two cars at Daytona next month is another exciting step towards continuing to grow as a company and team. Having both Ryan and Jeffrey in our Toyota GR Supras will make for a fun start to 2022. They were Busch East teammates when their careers started at DEI – so it’s cool to see it come full circle at SHR.”
Earnhardt Has 11 Xfinity Series Starts at Daytona International Speedway
GettyJeffrey Earnhardt will suit up for the Daytona International Speedway race.
The veteran driver has suited up nearly a dozen times for races at Daytona International Speedway during his Xfinity Series career. He made his debut in 2011 with Rick Ware Racing and finished 19th overall. He has since made 10 other starts at the superspeedway for several teams.
Earnhardt’s best starts at the superspeedway took place in 2015 and 2019. He posted a 16th-place finish in the 2015 season-opening race for Viva Motorsports. Earnhardt then returned to the superspeedway in 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing and finished 15th overall.
Earnhardt’s three most recent starts at Daytona have been two DNFs and one 20th-place finish, all with JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. Now he will take on the superspeedway race again with ForeverLawn as his primary partner and a new teammate helping him on the track.
“I’m really excited to head to Daytona with Sam Hunt Racing in the ForeverLawn GR Supra,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “Having Ryan Truex as a teammate for this race is a great benefit, and I’m looking forward to kicking off the new season with a strong finish.”
The Daytona Race Will Kick Off Earnhardt’s Busy Schedule
SHR announced on January 14 that Earnhardt had joined the organization on a part-time schedule. He was set to make seven starts during the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season while alternating starts with Truex, John Hunter Nemechek, and some other drivers that SHR has yet to reveal.
The trip to Daytona International Speedway is the first of Earnhardt’s starts revealed by SHR. The team has not provided any other information about his schedule other than confirming that he will return to the Toyota family and that ForeverLawn will be his primary partner.
There is no other current information available about Earnhardt’s schedule. However, SHR has confirmed some starts for another driver. Nemechek will take on both races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while driving the No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota Supra.
READ NEXT: JR Motorsports Brings the Corn to the Xfinity Series