TriStar Motorsports enters Cup in 2017 with Whitt

TriStar Motorsports will field a full-time car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2017, the organization announced Thursday.

Cole Whitt will drive the No. 72 Ford with Frank Kerr as his crew chief. Florida Lottery will sponsor the car in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 while RTIC Coolers, Rinnai and Carolina Skiff, who sponsored Whitt at Premium Motorsports last year, will make appearances on the car throughout the season.

In 112 career Cup starts, Whitt has led eight laps but has yet to score a top-10 finish in the series.

"I'm looking forward to being back in the seat at TriStar Motorsports for the Monster Energy Cup Series in 2017," Whitt said in a team release. "We are glad to have Florida Lottery back with us for the season opener at Daytona and are fortunate to continue and expand our relationship with Rinnai, RTIC Coolers and Carolina Skiff throughout the year."

TriStar Motorsports made its first Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway in 1989 with Ron Esau. The organization's most recent start was in 2013 at Watkins Glen with the late Jason Leffler.

However, TriStar Motorsports has been a staple in the Xfinity Series since 2010, making 835 starts. Last year, TriStar fielded cars for 10 different drivers, including J.J. Yeley. Yeley finished 14th in points after joining the team in the second race of the year Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"We are taking a different approach and expanding our competitive platform for 2017," said team owner Mark Smith. "It is an opportunity we feel is the best direction for this season and we are pleased to have Cole and his partners involved in those efforts."