Sam Hunt Racing has grown its brand in the NASCAR Xfinity Series over the last several seasons, and now it will have a famous name behind the wheel of its No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for several races in 2024.
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Jeffrey Earnhardt — the 34-year-old grandson of "The Intimidator," Dale Earnhardt — will drive for the team in select races during the 2024 Xfinity Series.
.@jearnhardt1 and the #BlackAndGreenGrassMachine are back with us in 2024! JE and the @foreverlawninc team will kick off their multi-race campaign at @ATLMotorSpdwy next month.#TeamToyota | #SHR26 | #LetsGoPlaces pic.twitter.com/gtQXDHBnYV
— Sam Hunt Racing (@Team_SHR26) January 16, 2024
ForeverLawn will serve as a primary sponsor for Earnhardt, as he will make his first start for the team on Feb. 24th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Earnhardt has made more than 150 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with his best result being a runner-up finish at Talladega driving a No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2022.
Earnhardt's journey throughout NASCAR has been an odyssey, as he has yet to find a permanent home with a race team. He has plenty of experience and, according to team owner Sam Hunt in a statement shared with motorsport.com, his previous work with the team and competitive nature was a huge reason why this deal worked out.
"Jeffrey is a great guy that everyone enjoys being around and working with," Hunt said. "We've had some great conversations over the past couple of months and know he is committed to the program, as well as to the TRD family. His experience and full perspective view on the sport is always refreshing, and [we] feel we had great speed together in 2022. I'm excited to build on that momentum and pick up where we left off and look forward to welcoming the ForeverLawn family back to the Sam Hunt Racing camp."
For his part, Earnhardt feels that he has some unfinished business with the team.
"I'm really excited to be returning to Sam Hunt Racing and the TRD Family," Earnhardt said. "We had strong races in 2022 and I feel like we have some unfinished business. Sam's program continues to impress, and Toyota makes me feel so welcome. I know this is the right move and can't wait to get back in the ForeverLawn GR Supra with Sam and the team."
Earnhardt has been so close to breaking through, and Sam Hunt Racing has vastly improved, especially after Kaz Grala had nine top-10 finishes in the No. 26 in 2023. Perhaps Earnhardt's passion and drive will finally pay off in 2024.
