Front Row Motorsports purchases charter, will expand to 3 Cup teams
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports announced Wednesday they have purchased a new charter and will expand to three full-time NASCAR Cup Series teams.
FRM will expand its Cup Series program and maintain its one Craftsman Truck Series team. The news comes a day after Stewart-Haas Racing announced their closure, putting four charters onto the market.
“We have a very positive outlook on the future of NASCAR and as the sport plans for success, so do we,” commented Bob Jenkins, Owner, Front Row Motorsports. “Today that means having a plan for expanding back to three cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. I always have the vision to continue to grow and improve our team and that commitment and desire never changes. I am committed to the sport and its passionate fans and partners.”
FRM has been on an upswing. Before the Daytona 500, they announced that Ford would give them Tier 1 support.
Team officials say they’re excited to grow but know there is work ahead.
“It is good to get the news out now as we have a lot of work to do to prepare a new team,” said Jerry Freeze, the general manager of Front Row Motorsports. “All of us on the leadership team will be working through that, obtaining the parts and pieces needed for the new team. And, most importantly, adding to the dedicated and talented staff and culture that exists today within our organization.”
FRM will announce its 2025 driver lineup at a later date. The organization often signs its drivers to one-year contracts that they often negotiate late in the year.
Michael McDowell previously announced he will depart FRM for Spire Motorsports after 2024. McDowell will replace former FRM driver and Truck champion Zane Smith in the No. 71 Chevrolet, leaving the No. 34 FRM Ford open.
Smith is likely to race for Trackhouse Racing, a team that signed him in late 2023 and farmed him out to Spire for 2024. Trackhouse and 23XI are hotly rumored to purchase the other SHR charters on the market.
Meanwhile, Todd Gilliland is likely to remain with FRM. Who his teammates will be is unclear.
With SHR closing, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Cole Custer and Riley Herbst are all free agents. They could all potentially vie for the No. 34 ride and the new, yet-to-be-numbered ride announced Wednesday.
Herbst raced at Daytona in August and Talladega in October last year. He started sixth and ran well in each race, finishing ninth after leading 10 laps at Talladega.
Herbst also has financial backing that could lift him to the Cup Series. His results have also improved recently. In the Xfinity Series playoffs last year, he scored finishes of eighth, 37th, fourth, first, second, fourth and fourth despite missing the playoffs.
Drivers aside, however, crew chief Rodney Childers is likely the hottest option on the free agent market. Childers has affirmed his support for his driver Josh Berry. Berry is also riding a wave of momentum and finding his way in the NASCAR Cup Series, even as a rookie driving for a team shuttering after 2024.
With their existing ties to Ford, the Berry-Childers duo is likely on FRM’s radar.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com