Gaunt Brothers Racing announced that Ty Dillon will be driving the No. 96 Toyota Camry as he attempts to qualify for the 63rd annual running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 14.
Dillon, a former champion in the ARCA Racing Series, will be receiving sponsorship support from Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company as he attempts to make his seventh start in the Daytona 500 and his first NASCAR Cup Series start in a Toyota, with GBR entering Daytona without a charter nor a guaranteed spot for the 500.
“Gaunt Brothers Racing has given me a great opportunity to compete in the Daytona 500 and I couldn’t be happier,” Dillon said. “I love superspeedway races and the Daytona 500 is the biggest of them all. Toyota has certainly proven itself in our sport and in the Daytona 500. I’m looking forward to racing with them and reuniting with Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company.”
In addition, Dillon will be competing in a new Toyota Camry from GBR and with a Toyota Racing Development-powered engine.
“The best way to get a good start to your season is to have a good finish in the Daytona 500,” Marty Gaunt, President of Gaunt Brothers Racing, said. “We’ve got a talented driver in Ty Dillon with a strong TRD engine plugged into the best equipment available. Together with Toyota, Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company, we’re ready to compete and surprise some people.”
Dillon is coming off his fourth full-time season in the Cup circuit, where he claimed a stage victory, a career-best third-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October, two top-10 results and a 26th-place result in the 2020 standings in the No. 13 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Germain Racing. With Germain Racing ceasing operations due to sponsor GEICO not renewing with the organization, Dillon was originally left without a full-time ride heading into the 2021 NASCAR season until joining forces with GBR.
Through 2020, Dillon has made 365 starts between NASCAR’s top three national touring series (Cup, Xfinity and Truck). Having won three Truck career races and one Xfinity race, Dillon is still pursuing his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series.
Gaunt Brothers Racing is coming off its first full-time season in the Cup Series with Daniel Suarez behind the wheel of the No. 96 Toyota. The driver and team failed to qualify for the 2020 Daytona 500, but went on to achieve three top-20 results and a 31st-place in the final standings. Suarez is set to drive for the newly formed Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.
Through 2020, GBR has made 73 starts in the Cup Series, including three in the Daytona 500. Like Dillon, the team is pursuing its first Cup victory.
Schedules for Dillon and GBR for the remainder of the 2021 season remain to be announced.
