Jeffrey Earnhardt will make his Daytona 500 debut in February for Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group, the team announced Monday. He will drive the #33 Starter Clothing Line Chevrolet SS.
Earnhardt had competed part-time in the Cup Series in 2016 with Go Fas Racing and BK Racing. In 22 starts that year (19 of which came with GFR), he recorded a best finish of 26th at Charlotte in the fall. Prior to starting his Cup career, Earnhardt raced in the Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series, running the full 2014 season with JD Motorsports and finishing 18th in points. In 2015, he made six Xfinity starts before making his Cup debut for Go Fas at Richmond in the fall.
Earnhardt’s sponsor Starter Clothing Line had sponsored his car on two occasions in 2016, both during his time with BK Racing. The company debuted with a Dale Earnhardt tribute scheme at Talladega, followed by sponsoring Earnhardt’s #83 Camry at Homestead.
CS/TMG was formed in January via merger between Joe Falk’s Circle Sport and Curtis Key’s The Motorsports Group operations. Previously, Falk had been a co-owner in Leavine Family Racing before leaving the team after the 2016 season. The Earnhardt announcement made for a fitting birthday present for Falk as January 30 marked his 66th birthday.
The 2017 Daytona 500 will be held on February 26.
