Stewart Friesen to Make NASCAR Cup Series Debut at Bristol's Food City Dirt Race

On March 28, Stewart Friesen will be piloting the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Spire Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race.

“It’s a dream come true to compete in the Cup Series," Friesen said in a team statement. "It’s the pinnacle of motorsports in North America. As a race fan myself, it has always been something I’ve dreamed about doing.”

For the past six years, Friesen competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 96 starts, he has two wins, 27 top fives, 50 top 10s and three poles. One of his wins was at Eldora Speedway in the 2019 Eldora Dirt Debry.

“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. Thanks to Halmar International for coming on board as a partner for this whole deal, and thanks to (Spire Motorsports co-owners) T.J. Puchyr, Jeff Dickerson and the whole group at Spire Motorsports for the opportunity.”

Kevin Bellicourt, who Friesen worked with at GMS Racing, will be his crew chief. For five years, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, his calls from atop the pit box resulted in three wins, 17 top fives, 50 top 10s and two poles.

“I’m really excited to work with Kevin Bellicourt as our crew chief,” Friesen said. “I’ve known him for a few years now since we worked together at GMS. In addition to Kevin, the whole Spire Motorsports group has been very welcoming.”

Spire Motorsports is excited to have the Ontario, Canada, native behind the wheel during the upcoming Cup event. 

“Stewart Friesen is an outstanding race car driver, and his pedigree on dirt speaks for itself,” Puchyr said. “He’s a very talented driver, puts in the work and checks all the boxes. We’re thrilled for him to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in our car, and I’m confident he’ll do a good job.”

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