Friesen to make Cup Series debut at Bristol

Stewart Friesen will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut next weekend on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Friesen and Spire Motorsports announced Tuesday night his entry in the Food City Dirt Race in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Kevin Bellicourt will serve as crew chief. Halmar International will sponsor Friesen’s effort.

“It’s a dream come true to compete in the Cup Series,” Friesen said. “It’s the pinnacle of motorsports in North America. As a race fan myself, it has always been something I’ve dreamed about doing. I’m really excited to work with Kevin Bellicourt as our crew chief. 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.

“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 the whole group at Spire Motorsports for the opportunity.”

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A full-time competitor in the Camping World Truck Series, Friesen’s background is in dirt racing. Friesen has over 330 career wins in dirt modified racing, and he won the 2019 Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway (pictured above).

Bristol is going to be a busy weekend for Friesen. In the Truck Series race, Friesen will run against his wife Jessica as she attempts to make her NASCAR debut in that event. Then in early April, Friesen will return to Bristol to compete with the World of Outlaws in the Late Model Series, followed by the Super Dirt Car Series Big Block Modifieds a few weeks later.