Canadian Stewart Friesen to make Cup Series debut at Bristol dirt event

Stewart Friesen will make his Cup Series debut next weekend when NASCAR visits Bristol Motor Speedway for its first-ever dirt race at "The Last Great Colosseum." The 37-year-old out of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, will pilot the No. 77 Halmar International Camaro. Veteran Camping World Truck Series crew chief Kevin Bellicourt will be atop of the box for Friesen.

BREAKING NEWS: We’re excited to announce our @NASCAR Cup Debut at @BMSupdates on the dirt in the @SpireMotorsport #77 sponsored by Halmar International! Read the full press release below and click the link to get our new limited edition shirts and hoodies https://t.co/c3nKhVCb0P pic.twitter.com/noUMC38NAz

— Stewart Friesen (@StewartFriesen) March 16, 2021

“It’s a dream come true to compete in the Cup Series,” Stewart Friesen said in a team release. “It’s the pinnacle of motorsports in North America. As a race fan myself, it has always been something I’ve dreamed about doing. I’m really excited to work with Kevin Bellicourt as our Crew Chief. I’ve known him for a few years now since we worked together at GMS. In addition to Kevin, the whole Spire Motorsports group has been very welcoming.”

Stewart Friesen likes to play in the dirt

Stewart Friesen, who has over 330 career wins in dirt-modified racing, won the last time the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series raced on dirt at Eldora Speedway in 2019. Elaborating on how his dirt experience could come into play, Friesen went on to say:

“There’s some stuff we can take from our dirt experience with the truck at Eldora and apply to the Cup car to hopefully be very competitive at Bristol. Thanks to Halmar International for coming on board as a partner for this whole deal, and thanks to the whole group at Spire Motorsports for the opportunity.”

Stewart Friesen will have several Bristol events, the Camping World Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt, and the Cup Food City Dirt Race on March 27 and 28 respectively. On April 9-10, he will compete in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series Bristol Bash, and later that month, the Super Dirt Car Series Big Block Modifieds.

We got the win tonight at @thegtownspdwy with our Halmar International Small Block! Huge thanks to all of our supporters! This one came down to the last lap! We’ll be back again tomorrow with the Big Block! pic.twitter.com/n8nwrxUREM

— Stewart Friesen (@StewartFriesen) March 13, 2021

In six seasons in the Camping World Truck Series, including three starts this year, Friesen has a pair of victories, 27 top 5s, and 50 top 10s.