NY Racing Unveils Car to Fight For Competitive Daytona 500 Berth

When he retired in 2016, Greg Biffle promised he “would return under the right circumstances.” The 19-time race winner believes the circumstances have lined up now to drive the No. 44 Chevy Camaro with NY Racing. The team revealed their entry, which had been widely expected throughout the garage, on Monday. 

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to drive the Next Gen car and help NY Racing make its entry into the 2022 season,” Biffle said.

The team will be sponsored by Grambling University, a historically black university in Louisiana, and HBCU League Pass Plus, which offers athletic coverage for historically black institutions. Team owner John Cohen is an alumnus of Grambling and current marketing executive of Urban Edge Network which runs HBCU League Pass.

In a statement, Urban Edge said they were “excited” to sponsor the car, and added: “We know that our fan base supports sports that reflect and invite blacks into the experience. We’re looking forward to branding and partnering with Fortune 500 companies to support this fully black owned team as they’ve supported other NASCAR teams in the past.” 

NY Racing has put veteran crew chief Jay Guy on the box, drawing on race-winning experience. Originally under the Team Xtreme name, the team has been around the sport since 2009, moving up to the Cup Series in 2012. The most recent appearance for the team was in the 2018 Coca Cola 600 with J.J. Yeley in the 7 car. Full season plans this year have not yet been announced, although Biffle said he was excited to “help NY Racing make its entry into the 2022 season,” suggesting more than just Daytona. 

The team is the 42nd to announce an entry for the Daytona 500 in which only forty cars can enter. Thirty-six chartered teams are guaranteed an entry, meaning NY Racing joins a list of six cars duking it out for four spots in the field, alongside Beard Motorsports, Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team, two MBM Motorsports cars, and Jacque Villeneuve’s Team Hezeberg. 

Biffle raced in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time from 2003-2016 winning 19 Cup races, all for team owner Jack Roush. The first of those wins came at Daytona International Speedway in July 2003 during his rookie season. He won championships in the Xfinity Series (2002) and Camping World Truck Series (2000) before making the Cup Series jump. At 52, Biffle is the oldest Daytona 500 entrant. His last NASCAR national series start came in 2020, when he finished 19th in a GMS Racing truck at Darlington Raceway. That appearance followed a victorious 2019 one-off with Kyle Busch Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway.

Owen Johnson