BK Racing’s driver lineup for 2017 just got a lot fuller.
The team announced Tuesday (Jan. 24) in a press conference at Richmond International Raceway that Gray Gaulding will pilot the team’s No. 23 in a majority of the races on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2017.
Gaulding joins Joey Gase, who has been announced for three races with the team: the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, plus Kentucky Speedway in July and Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
However, Gaulding will not drive in the Daytona 500, as he has not yet been approved to race on such tracks by NASCAR. He will make his first start of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, the second event of the season, and run the remaining 35 events.
Gaulding, who will turn 19 shortly before the 2017 season begins, made his Cup debut last year at Martinsville Speedway for The Motorsports Group, finishing 39th. He followed with a start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing 37th.
He has also made two XFINITY starts and 13 races in the Camping World Truck Series, with a best finish of fourth in the latter series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2014.
Additionally, Motorsport.com reports that Corey LaJoie will run a partial schedule for BK Racing’s No. 83 team in 2017. LaJoie made 10 starts in the XFINITY Series in 2016, landing two top 10s, and has two career Cup starts, both coming in 2014, with a best finish of 35th at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
LaJoie will begin his season at the Daytona 500, with sponsorship from Dustless Blasting.
BK Racing fielded two full-time cars — the Nos. 23 and 83 — in 2016 for David Ragan and Matt DiBenedetto, who have departed to Front Row Motorsports and Go FAS Racing, respectively, for 2017. The team also ran the No. 93 part-time and the No. 26 in the Daytona 500.
About the author
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.
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