Elliott Sadler will make his return to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the 2017 Daytona 500 with Tommy Baldwin Racing.
“This is a great opportunity for me and everyone affiliated with Tommy Baldwin Racing,” Sadler stated. “I love the Daytona 500 and to have Tommy and Golden Corral offer me this opportunity is awesome.”
Sadler, who currently races in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, last ran a Cup race in 2013. His most recent Cup start was a 14th-place finish at Homestead for the now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing.
Last December, TBR sold their charter and announced they would no longer compete full-time in the Cup Series. Team owner and crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. eventually became the manager of newly-formed Camping World Truck Series team Halmar Friesen Racing.
The announcement also highlighted the reunion between Sadler and Baldwin; Baldwin served as Sadler’s crew chief in 2006 when the two were at Robert Yates Racing.
“Tommy and I have known each other a long time,” Sadler added. “We actually won a qualifying race for the Daytona 500 together back in 2006. We’re gonna rekindle some of that magic and work our tails off to get our car in the race.”
Golden Corral, a longtime partner of TBR, will remain as their sponsor for the Daytona 500. The North Carolina-based restaurant chain will also continue the promotional deal of allowing kids 10 and under to eat free if the TBR car finishes in the top-10, something that has been accomplished three times since the promotion began in 2011. All three instances have occurred at a restrictor plate track, including twice at the Daytona 500.
The 59th Daytona 500 will be held on February 26.
Featured image courtesy of Jerry Markland, Getty Images
