Race Weekend Central

Joey Hand Making NASCAR Debut at Charlotte ROVAL

Sports car veteran Joey Hand will debut in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL for Rick Ware Racing, the team announced Oct. 5.

Hand will pilot the No. 52 for the team, which has been driven by Josh Bilicki in every race so far in 2021. Bilicki moves to the No. 15 for the event.

“I always thought that NASCAR was the place for me because I almost thrive in situations where I’ve got a little damage and the car shouldn’t be fast, but you find a way to drive around it,” Hand said in a team release. “I’ve always felt that’s the way NASCAR was because if a fender gets damaged, they tape it up and keep going. It’s like a fight to the death, and that’s my style. That’s what has always attracted me to NASCAR.”

“I come from a road racing background and have followed Joey’s career forever, so it’s very exciting to be able to have another driver make their Cup Series debut with RWR, especially with someone of his stature,” team owner Rick Ware added. “This is a good chance for us to see where our program is at when it comes to road courses. Having someone of Joey’s caliber will serve as a good benchmark, for sure.”

In his career, Hand has amassed one 24 Hours of Le Mans, two 12 Hours of Sebring, and two Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona victories, including an overall win in 2011.

About the author

Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a First Lieutenant in the US Army.

Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneLT

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