PREVIEW: Debut of Kyle Sieg, return of John Hunter among the few driver swaps in Dover

PHOTO: RSS Racing

Saturday, May 15, 2021

XFINITY Race 10 of 33

Drydene 200 at Dover

2020 Last-Place Finishers (August): Timmy Hill, Vinnie Miller

ENTRY LIST

There are 43 drivers entered for 40 spots. Next week at the Circuit of the Americas, these three teams without a single start in 2021 will finally get their chance to qualify: Our Motorsports’ #03, Jordan Anderson Racing’s #31, and Bassett Racing’s #77.

DRIVER SWAP: #4-JD Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #6-JD Motorsports

In what is likely an effort to keep the struggling #6 team up in the points, Landon Cassill and Ryan Vargas have swapped rides this week with Cassill taking over the #6 and Vargas to the #4. Both drivers – along with teammate Colby Howard in the #15 – will carry sponsorship from Drydene, the title sponsor of the weekend’s events.

DRIVER CHANGE: #11-Kaulig Racing

On Friday came news that Justin Haley would not compete in either of this weekend's races following a positive COVID-19 test. On the XFINITY side, this opens the door for Zane Smith to make his first start in the series since driving part-time for JR Motorsports in 2019. Smith's second and most recent Truck win came at this same Dover track.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #23-Our Motorsports

Cody Ware will run double-duty in Dover, looking to make his fourth start on the XFINITY side and first since Atlanta, where he ran a season-best 23rd. He takes the wheel of the #17 in place of J.J. Yeley, 22nd in Darlington. Yeley moves over to the #23 Our Motorsports entry for the first time this year, taking the place of Tanner Berryhill, 21st last week in his return to the series.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

Also returning to the XFINITY garage is John Hunter Nemechek, who we haven’t seen in this series since he closed out the 2019 season at Homestead for GMS Racing. This time, John Hunter and his ACME sponsorship go to Sam Hunt’s team, taking the place of Brandon Gdovic in the #26 Toyota. Gdovic finished 36th in Darlington, re-entering the Bottom Five after Noah Gragson’s disqualification was rescinded on Wednesday.

DRIVER CHANGE: #90-DGM Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Set to make his NASCAR debut is 20-year-old Kyle Sieg, who on Saturday will race against older brother Ryan Sieg in the 200-lapper. In four ARCA starts this year, Sieg has completed all but one lap, having not finished worse than 8th with a season-best 4th at Phoenix. Kyle will take the wheel of DGM Racing’s #90 with sponsorship from Independent Metal Strap and will run one of RSS Racing's Fords as part of an alliance. The younger Sieg moves B.J. McLeod to his own #99 in place of Ryan Ellis, who isn’t entered. McLeod finished 26th at Darlington while Ellis finished 16th.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, May 16, 2021

CUP Race 13 of 36

Drydene 400 at Dover

2020 Last-Place Finishers (August, 311 miles): Kurt Busch, Joey Gase

ENTRY LIST

There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 10th short field in 13 races in 2021, and the third in a row.

DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Rick Ware Racing

At first, the only change in the lineup on the Cup side is Rick Ware’s fourth entry, which this week goes to Garrett Smithley, back in the car for the first time since Kansas. He takes the place of J.J. Yeley, 29th in Darlington, who will not run Sunday and instead focus on his XFINITY effort with Our Motorsports.

DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports

Due to the aforementioned circumstances for Justin Haley, his Cup entry will this week be driven by Josh Berry, a close 2nd in last week's XFINITY race at Darlington. The Martinsville winner will be making his Cup debut.

Saturday, May 22, 2021

TRUCKS Race 9 of 22

Toyota Tundra 225 at the Circuit of the Americas

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event

The Truck Series takes the week off and returns as part of the inaugural triple-header at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 13, 1995): Rick Wilson picked up the 3rd and final last-place finish of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career in the NE Chevy Dealers 250 at New Hampshire when his #75 Food Country USA Ford fell out with a blown engine after 45 laps. Wilson’s car was entered by Charlie Henderson, who today continues to field the Food Country #75 part-time in the Truck Series. Nearly all of Wilson’s 47 series starts came in Henderson’s car, mostly on a part-time basis from 1989 – when he scored his lone two victories at Bristol and Dover – through 1997. He’d run the scheme one more time on March 20, 2010, when he won the 35-lap Scotts EZ Seed Shootout at Bristol.